Film stereotype of elderly as 'needy' gradually eroding: Expert

By Gulcin Kazan Doger

ISTANBUL (AA) - The stereotype of representing elderly people as “needy” is gradually eroding, according to a Turkish expert.

“We see that the elderly people are not portrayed as extremely passive, or in need of their families, who have to stay with their children or are kept in nursing homes ... These stereotypes are gradually being broken,” Aydan Ozsoy, who teaches photography and video at Ankara’s Haci Bayram Veli University, told Anadolu Agency.

“Apart from witnessing age discrimination, stereotyping, and the more passive appearance of the elderly, we now see older characters who are more active, more hardworking, in love, who remarry, who start a business, who convey their knowledge and experience, their life experiences. More importantly, films are now being made whose main character is the elderly," she added.

Ozsoy said the perspective on aging is changing.

“The elderly, who were previously considered wiser, more respected and more authoritative, (their roles) have changed with industrialization, modern life and capitalist developments … The elderly people are excluded from modernity because of their physical and social roles,” she said.

“When we look at different societies, all of them have different views on aging based on their own social characteristics. Especially in recent years, we see that old age is very central in Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Asian films,” she added.

Asian cinema shows old characters in the context of their relations with their children and grandchildren. She added that the elderly are bridges that establish the relationship between generations.

Ozsoy pointed out that cinema is nourished by society and reflects the culture of the society, and said that the concept of "loneliness", which prevails in Western culture, represents the elderly "alone" in cinema.

Stressing that the world is facing age discrimination with the COVID-19 pandemic, she said elderly-centered TV series have increased.

* Writing by Gozde Bayar