Cultural Acceptance In Looking For Alibrandi

Introduction

In the film Looking for Alibrandi, the director Kate Woods effectively positioned the audience to accept Josies challenges growing up as an Italian-Australian in the 1990’s. The film follows the main character ‘Josie’ through her discovery of identity, throughout the course of her year 12 school year. Josie struggles with balancing and belonging to half Italian and Australian heritage. Josie in the beginning of the film feels like an outsider not only within her family but also at school as most students come from Caucasian background. This and the mean words of other students causes her to believe she doesn’t fit in because of her social status or wealth. Josie believes she will never fully be accepted although this perspective changes through her senior year as she learns that it doesn’t matter.

Throughout the film Josie has multiple relationships that challenge her identity, from culture conflict with her single mother and grandmother to the return of her father and on top of that dealing with boys and friends at school. The director’s intentions for the characters and their role in josie’s life represents that people must create their own identities which are shaped by the decisions they make and the influences they have in their life.

Josie’s journey of cultural acceptance and discovery allows her to not feel like an outsider and cherish her family background as she learns to apricate both her Italian and Australian heritage. Watchers of the film connect to the character of Josie because she is depicted as a typical teenager and the problems that josie faces are portrayed in way that makes them relatable to young audiences.

An example seen in the film, of Josie’s identity acceptance can be seen through Tomato day which symbolises multiculturalism in Australia. The sauce that Josie and her family make is a symbol of their Italian heritage. It is tradition in their family that every year, they all come together to make sauce from scratch. The film starts and ends with this tradition.

At the beginning of the film Josie and her family are at her grandmother’s house making tomato sauce although Josie doesn’t participate as she believes its old fashioned and would rather hangout with her friends. This shows Josies attitude at the start of the year, as she is ashamed and separates herself from the Italian culture. “You probably can’t tell by looking at me, but actually im cursed” which reinforces they idea that Josie believes she’s an outcast and doesn’t belong.

By the end of the film Josie and her family are back at her grandmothers for tomato day, although Josie’s journey of cultural acceptance and discovery through year 12, allows her to not feel like an outsider and become closer to her family background. By the end of the film Josie is no longer embarrassed by the tradition, and invites her friends and boyfriend to join in. “I’m Christina and Michael’s daughter and we’re not cursed, we’re blessed.” This quote shows Josies Journey and her acceptance that her difference is not a bad thing.

The director Kate Woods effectively positioned the audience to accept josie’s challenges of growing up as an Italian- Australian in the 1990’s and Josie’s growth can be seen through the Italian tradition ‘tomato day’.