Cowritten by Arushi Tandon
Determinate, determinate. Push until you can’t and then demand more. Determinate, determinate. You and me together, we can make it better.
When these words were sung in the Disney Channel Original Movie, Lemonade Mouth, a generation of young movie-watchers was inspired. Inspired to stand up, to question authority, to rebel, to do anything they could to accomplish their goals. Lemonade Mouth is a film which not just encourages youth to fight for what they believe in, but also convinces them to question that which is wrong, it raises awareness on social issues that go ignored in most mainstream media. Lemonade Mouth is an excellent film for children, teens, and young adults to watch and learn from:
- It has an incredibly diverse cast. Lemonade Mouth has something most Hollywood films don’t. It’s got people of colour in the lead. Characters who contribute effortlessly into the script and actually make a difference to the story. They have a strong-willed half-Asian girl in the lead (Hayley Kiyoko,) as well as an extremely talented Indian girl (Naomi Scott.) Along with them, actor Blake Michael, who plays who plays “Charlie,” has Latin and Mediterranean descent.
- The girls are not treated as mere love interests. Another important issue that Lemonade Mouth touches upon is the role of young women in films — it does not treats any of its ladies solely as love interests. Sure, they have their own romantic arcs going on during the film, but none of them is there to be eye candy to the boys.
- It depicts the suppression of creativity. Something to be taken from this film is the fact that it very accurately portrays how creative arts and related fields are heavily ignored in schools, mainly in order to promote sports and academics and kill the individuality that students possess. There is an obliteration of maths clubs, music clubs and everything that doesn’t contribute to the school in a materialistic manner.
- Lemonade Mouth contains an abundance of non-romantic relationships. This film very cleverly promotes and focuses on non-romantic relationships, too. Be it family or friends, there is a very alluring depiction of making and sustaining such relations amongst each other. How naturally and healthily girls and boys bond together without the usual cat fight, back biting etc. we are exposed to in the portrayal of films on friendship.
- It relays the importance of self expression. None of the characters in Lemonade Mouth are afraid to express who they are. It takes a while to build up the story, and the characters do struggle to find ground and express themselves in a society that convinces them their voices don’t matter. But it is the way in which these characters grow that you grow with them and realise the importance of self expression.
- The film shows real-life situations for adolescents. The personal stories of each character heavily and accurately represent situations for teenagers everywhere. Olivia’s father is in prison, which is a situation that affects 2.7 million children and adolescents nationwide. Wen and his family go through a major change during the course of the film — the addition of a step-mother into the family. Mo has to deal with her parents’ overprotective rules, and overcome them to express herself and become her own person. Charlie lives in the shadow of his older brother, and Stella can’t seem to live up to her genius family’s expectations.
And these are only a few of the reasons why Lemonade Mouth has inspired so many people. It has not only relatable content, themes that are relevant and important, and is written and shown in a way that is easily understood, but it has been shown on a platform that makes it accessible to millions. Lemonade Mouth told millennials to stand up, be loud, and make a change in the world, however you can.
