August: Osage County Film
August: Osage County is both a drama and comedy film that was released in December 2013. According to the IMDB, this film has a rating of 7.2 out of 10, while Rotten Tomatoes rates it at 66%. I chose this film because it reflects a troubled family that can easily explain family relations in the world. The film features Weston’s family, where Violet has cancer and is also addicted to drugs. Since Violet is difficult to deal with, her husband-Beverly-disappears from the house and finally dies in a lake. The family gathers up in their mom’s house to resolve the issues and support their mom. There are claims of incest since Mattie, Violet’s sister, had a sexual affair with Beverly, and they even had a son, Little Charles. This was also an act of adultery since Mattie was married to Charles Aiken. Barbara and her husband, Bill, have also separated. There are also claims of sexual assault when Steve almost molested Jean. Barbara is also fed up with her mother’s addiction to drugs and even decides to leave her (Kermode, 2014).
Barbara talks to Violet about drug addiction, which she finally accepts to change. Mattie confesses that she had an affair with Beverly and even stops Ivy from falling in love with Little Charles (Fetters, 2013). The confession might be a way of relieving the guilt of sleeping with her sister’s husband. Finally, Barbara decides to leave her mother after realizing that she cannot be helped. However, these solutions are not effective in solving the family’s disputes but only makes them worse. The family problems portrayed in the “August: Osage County film” reflects the issues that most families face. Drug addiction is one of the critical issues that ruin families. It also leads to unstable finances, sexual misconduct, and finally, divorce or suicide. Additionally, incest, divorces, and sexual assault are also common in families. Relatives have been accused of incest and sexual assault, while divorce is turning to be a significant challenge to most families.
According to a report by the CDC, divorces in the US are at 2.9 per 1,000 population ((CDC, 2017). in other statistics, about 50% of the separations have resulted from adultery. The issue of divorces and adultery has also spread to other countries where couples face similar problems. There has been an increase in public discourse about the problems facing most marriages. Psychologists are talking about these issues in various public platforms. The film accurately depicted family troubles by showing how addiction to drugs can break down families. It also portrays how families experience cases of incest and sexual assaults, which risks destroying the relationship. The media can play an informative role by educating the public on how to solve these troubles. For instance, media can frequently invite psychologists and marriage counselors to inform families on how to address their issues. The media can also highlight the cases of families who are successfully resolving their troubles as a way of encouraging others.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2017). Marriage and Divorce. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/marriage-divorce.htm
Fetters, A. (2013). The Exhausting Emotional Violence of August: Osage County. https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/12/the-exhausting-emotional-violence-of-em-august-osage-county-em/282648/
IMDB (2014). August: Osage County (2013). https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1322269/
Kermode, M. (2014). August: Osage County-review. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jan/26/august-osage-county-review-mark-kermode
Rotten tomatoes. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/august_osage_county