Relationships on Screen
Relationships are the cornerstone of our society, not only do they give our lives meaning; they are also fundamental to our health & wellbeing. It’s not surprising therefore that relationships are core components of all good films & tv shows. We can learn a lot about our own relationships by seeing similar or other relationships and their struggles potrayed on screen – from how to communicate effectively, have confidence in ourselves or where we may want our relationships to go. With that in mind, our team have put together some suggestions for tv shows and films below which have potrayals of relationships which you may find interesting.
Of course, it may be unrealistic to think that you can get a handle on your relationships as quickly as your favourite on-screen characters, so do also check out our downloadable resources to help you Relieve The Pressure on Your Relationships.
1) This Is Us
This is Us follows the lives of various generations of the Pearson family, as they deal with unique personal struggles while trying to get over past family trauma and find happiness.
This is a really unique show which explores family relationships throughout various decades as they deal with issues such as adoption, divorce, addiction, grief and parental mental health.
Episodes jump from the present to flashbacks as well as flash forwards to the future, allowing it to really explore the main character’s family relationships and how they evolve over time.
All 5 seasons are available with an Amazon Prime subscription – beware, it’s a tear jerker sometimes!
2) Love, Simon
Love, Simon, is like most other coming of age movies and follows the lives of a group of friends as they navigate life at an American High School.
What sets this movie apart is that the main character, Simon, is Gay and nobody knows except another boy at his school who he starts an anonymous relationship with on an online message board.
This refreshing take on the American teen romance touches on some interesting themes such as the phenomenon of online relationships which exists among LGBTQ+ young people, the importance of our relationship with ourselves and how this affects our ability to form relationships with others.
This is a great film to watch with the young people in your life! You can rent Love, Simon on Amazon Prime and the spinoff tv show Love, Victor is included on Disney+
3) Orange Is The New Black
This month I have discovered Orange is the new Black, which first came out back in 2013. The show follows Piper Chapman, a middle aged and middle class woman from Connecticut who runs a business selling handmade soap with her best friend.
Ten years after transporting drug money once, Piper is imprisoned for the crime. The toughness of prison changes her drastically as an individual as well as her relationship with her loved ones on the outside. The show also explores the relationships between the inmates and how they learn to support each other – or not! The story arc for the character of Sophia Burset is a particularly interesting portrayal of what it means to be a trans parent.
While we can learn a lot about relationship struggles from potrayals on screen such as above, we need to access expert relationship support to manage our relationships in real life. Relate NI have been providing relaitonship support across NI for over 70 years, find out more about how our services may be able to support you.
If you have any recommendations for good relationship watches or riveting reads, email FAO Stevie at office@relateni.org.
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