I find it really disturbing that Cate Blanchett, a 37yr old woman at the time, kissed, simulated sex, and simulated oral sex with a 16yr old boy, at the time. Were there body doubles? Why didn't they use a twenty-something year old guy who looked like a 16yr old like with the woman in Hard Candy?
[deleted]
As South Park Police Officers say "Nice Nice"
I don't care. 16 is a good age to know when to have sex.
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I find it really disturbing that Cate Blanchett, a 37yr old woman at the time, kissed, simulated sex, and simulated oral sex with a 16yr old boy, at the time. Were there body doubles? Why didn't they use a twenty-something year old guy who looked like a 16yr old like with the woman in Hard Candy?
I don't find it disturbing at all, he was sixteen for god sake not a little kid - not even taking into account they are actors doing a job (can you imagine doing that with 50 people standing around taping you, you think that is a real sexual experience then I feel very sorry for you.
That being said, I have seen a lot of people saying that the age of consent is 16 in the UK, which is true now for both hetro and homo relationships but that doesn't apply for people that are in a position of authority over another - clearly a law targeted at teachers so whilst the ages isn't a problem this is a situation that is against the law there as well.
The raising of the ages of consent is a relatively new phenomenon. Contrary to a lot of comments, the US doesn't have a standard age of consent, it depends on the state and is between 16-18 for the most part (though the US does have one for its citizens traveling overseas (18) to stop people traveling for that explicit purpose obviously). Curious how many consider 16 a child now, as the age of consent has been much lower in the past - recent past too - gosh to some a 20 is a 'kid'. All that written, at the end it was a very good movie with some great performances bringing up a delicate subject whilst cleverly using a younger person that is straddling the line of what people find objectionable so most aren't outraged even if uncomfortable - uncomfortable was part of the point..
I agree with you Oscarmonti. No, I did not find it disturbing at all. It's only a movie. That is what actor's do is act...I really enjoyed the movie.
Wasn't the whole point of the scene to dusturb us? What was more disturbing was the fact that ageing Richard Griffiths's character in HISTORY BOYS was taken for granted in his fondling of schoolboys on his motorbike. Typical gay fantasy from Hynter and Bennett.
shareThe ageism shown towards young people in this thread is obscene - to anybody who considers 16 year olds to be children, or as naive, vulnerable victims of those older than them, needs to meet some more 16 year olds and re-evaluate what they've said. Yes, some 16 year olds are stupid and gullible, in the same way that some 40 year olds will be stupid.
As a young person myself (I am 18), I know plenty of 16 year olds who are more psychologically prepared for the world than a lot of adults, they're respectable, they're completely responsible etc. I think it's clear that the physical appearance of a 16 year old is not that of a child, and for a lot of 16 year olds, they mentally are not in the state of mind of a child, so in answer to the original post: it is not disgusting that a 16 year old has sex.
In my opinion, anybody who finds that repulsive is only scared by the fact that they might be attracted to a young person and wants legal boundaries in place to prevent this.
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they did that for the simple reason that not all of the people are bigots like you
shareThe movie would not have been as good with a "fake" teen (meaning a 20 year old) playing that role. I thought Andrew was brilliantly cast. It was disturbing to watch them simply because you really did feel the age difference. He didn't seem like a man--he was clearly a boy.
That said, I agree with many who say it was not victimization for the actor. It was simulated and I'm sure not sexy at all during filming.
Watching the movie it's blatantly obvious that the film DOES NOT CONDONE those sorts of relationships. Their tryst begins sexually in a railway yard at night for chrissakes. The whole thing is sordid from start to finish and is SUPPOSED to be disturbing.
As for the actors, they (were) 17 and 37 and professionals doing work on a set surrounded by crew, which LOOKED like sex, but wasn't ACTUALLY sex. I don't see the issue at all.
15 is legal in my country (Sweden) as well as in many other countrys. You'r not a pedophile for being attracted to an adolescent - your a pedophile if you are attracted to someone who is prepubescent.
Get your facts in order, please.
Ill tell you something, man.
Dont watch Skins UK
Given that most 16 year old boys get a boner every 14.2 seconds, I would guess that 99.99% of the straight variety would jump at the chance to have any kind of sex with an attractive 37 year old woman, be it simulated or real.
All these "do gooders" who believe teenage boys will be traumatized for the rest of their lives, because some hot woman has decided to give them some after school sexing, clearly do not understand the mindset and hormones of teenage boys. Yes it is weird why any attractive adult woman would risk jail time and her reputation to blow a pimple faced 16 year old boy, and I get that society needs to enforce arbitrary minimum age laws, but lets get real, from the teenage boy perspective, boinking a hot experienced older woman it is a wet dream come true.
America does have some strange minimal age laws and repressive attitudes towards sex and what constitutes childhood.
Minimal Age to have a beer in pub; 21
Minimal age to have sex: 16-18
Minimal age to join military 17 (with parental consent)
So at 17 years old, the US government deems you "adult" enough to be trained to kill other human beings, but when it comes to having a sip of beer in a pub, or performing a natural and hormonally driven act (many states), you are still very much a child. The whole bible and gun mentality that drives the "morals" of many Americans is head scratching to the more socially advanced nations of this world.
And for the record, even in the conservative United States,the age of consent is 16 years old in over half of all states.
I agree with yuo the the OP and some commentators are nuts but sex between an 16 year old student and a teacher is in fact ILLEGAL in the UK and much of Europe.
from wikipedia:
"In some parts of the world (such as England and Wales[26]), in cases where a person is in a position of trust over a child or young person, the age of consent is higher, in England and Wales it is 16 unless the person is a student of the older person in which case it is 18. Examples include relationships between teachers and students."
So the act you saw depicted was in fact criminal and illegal (as well as unethical and cause for firing and loss of career). the acting out of it by actors, was not.
The acting out of explicitly in England however would have been a crime since the under 18 actor was paid and paying a minor for sex in the UK is an extremely serious felony.
Well, Blanchett's character goes to jail, so apparently there is something illegal about it. Steven Connolly was 15. I don't know how old the actor was, but I assume he was somewhat older than that.
"Joey, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"