Picture this: everyone in the world you live in is defined by a single attribute. Race, hobbies, social status, interests, professions - everyone conforms to societal norms by personifying just one of these traits.

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Sounds pretty boring, right?

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The 1985 film The Breakfast Club was a major success in the 1980s; however, its social impact is still being felt today. As a film from the 1980s, it is one of the few that has stood the test of time, with underlying themes that are still applicable today. The challenging subjects of identity and mental health are highlighted in the film.

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The film takes place in a high school with five central characters: the “troublemaker,” John; the “outcast,” Allison; the “princess,” Claire; the “nerd,” Brian; and the “jock,” Andrew. They spend a whole Saturday in detention for various misconducts they committed individually. Though the individuals have differing personas, they find commonality in telling their stories. This allows them to see one another for their personalities, not what they portray themselves to be. Through their conversations, the group finds that they face the same issues in different ways. As the characters open up, they move beyond stereotypes, allowing them to confront their identities.

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    Identity:

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In a society where young people feel immense pressure to conform to certain labels, the characters’ journeys of self-discovery are very relevant in relation to today’s world. The scene that resonated most with me in terms of highlighting the theme of identity is when the group is eating lunch. John, in his usual habit of provoking the other students, imitated his perception of Brian’s conversations with his parents. His portrayal was overly optimistic, suggesting that Brian and his parents are always happy and live in a world without conflict. This would be proven incorrect as later in the movie, we find out that Brian is under extreme pressure from his parents to achieve academic success.

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Later in the scene, John imitates a conversation with his parents, which he illustrates as aggressive and abusive. This imitation leads into a vulnerable moment where John distanced himself from the group and began taking deep breaths. This moment allowed viewers to better understand the way John portrays himself. It shows how underneath his persona, he is hurting from his broken relationship with his family and, in turn, is reflecting his pain onto others. This displays how his personality is a reflection of how he was raised. Chaos, confrontation, and rebelliousness are all traits that were handed to John in his childhood.

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    Mental Health:

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As awareness of mental health continues to grow in our world, the exploration of the topic within the film is particularly relevant. In my opinion, the most powerful scene in relation to this topic is when Brian reveals why he is in detention. The character disclosed that he was in detention because he brought a flare gun to school after having suicidal thoughts due to failing a shop class project. This was a shock to the group as they thought he would be the least likely to do something like that due to his external success and persona. It may sound pretty extreme, yet for a person whose identity was based on excelling in school, this was how he felt. 

 

In the current day, mental health issues within high school students are more prominent than ever. This is why the film was incredibly advanced for its time. Though the film was released almost 40 years ago, the way the topic of mental health is presented to viewers is exactly how a film published a year ago would do so. The group’s reaction to Brian’s experience also shows how you never really know what’s going on in someone else’s life unless you ask. This allowed the film to not only highlight the importance of mental health but also the importance of checking up on the mental health of those around you.

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    What Would the Film Look Like if It Were Released Today?

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Apart from the obvious (production quality, budget, etc.), the two main differences that I see as possible changes would be the language and gender representations in the movie. When examining the language that was used in the film, it was very indicative of the 1980s. A lot of the language used was consistently insensitive and derogatory throughout the film. I think that if the film were released today, the language being used would be far less vigorous while ensuring that derogatory language would not be used. Within the portrayal of gender representations, Claire’s persona as a “princess” reflects the societal expectations for women at the time. In the film, she represented wealth and popularity, which was highlighted through her unique lunch (sushi) as well as the clique she was involved in (the rich, popular clique). I believe that in today’s world, the film would have more diverse gender representations with characters being identified by attributes that don’t reflect old and rigid gender representations.

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Overall, the film is incredibly enjoyable. Although it has outdated elements (insensitive language and gender roles), that should be expected with a movie that was made four decades ago. Even with these dated characteristics, the movie still has themes that are relevant in today’s society. If you like an adventurous movie with great humor and enjoy serious themes, this is the movie for you (and even if you don’t, you should still watch it—it's really good).

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