Saturated Cinema: the depictions and ethics of alcohol in film
Alcohol has steadily permeated cinema over the last century. Around 80% of films[1] nowadays have at least one scene of incidental alcohol use, leading to some important questions about how we depict our booze. We deep dive into the research about how viewing alcohol in cinema might affect us, and why that might mean that filmmakers might have more of an ethical responsibility to think about how they are including alcohol in their films.
With so much alcohol content saturating our cinema, it might perhaps be a surprise that most alcohol scenes are depicted positively[2]. This means that drinking is framed in a glamorising manner – think the lavish amber tipples in The Great Gatsby, or the ragged comedy of Withnail in the cult classic Withnail and I, supping on the finest wines humanity has to offer. (Indeed, matching the hilarious and destructive overconsumption of alcohol by Withnail has been turned into a drinking game, with over thirty drinks on the cards for drinking participants.) The magnetism of drinking characters in films has been widely noticed and commented upon. In fact, an analysis of a number of films[3] made in the latter half of the 20th century showed that drinkers were seen as more attractive, more aggressive, more sexual or romantic, and in possession of a higher socio-economic status than non-drinkers in films. This might suggest drinking comes with the territories of a lot of things people perceive themselves to be lacking – beauty, sexual or romantic prowess, riches. And thus alcohol seems to be a glorious substance to socially lubricate and enhance the characteristics of the individual, tying it to a state of being that people strive for.
One recent and provocative example of this alcohol glorification is the hit HBO show Euphoria. Filled with gorgeously evoked cinematography of mind-altering substances – including the main character Rue struggling to make her way through a corridor which slickly rotates 360⁰ – it is perhaps not surprising that critics have condemned it for glamorising alcohol and drug use. The concerns about how alcohol is presented rise to the forefront when it comes to teenagers[4], the main audience of Euphoria. To draw on the timeless social learning theory, when someone observes the behaviour of someone they think of as a role model – think the attractive and idolised characters of Euphoria drinking themselves into a stupor – they are then motivated to imitate that behaviour in their own life. Far from simply being the concern of worrisome parents everywhere, research actually shows[5] that teenagers witnessing alcohol consumption in film do increase their own personal alcohol consumption. And not just consumption, but also binge drinking – five or more drinks in succession over a night. This startling relationship was found to be the case especially for low-risk teens. In other words, teens who had never drunk before, or when asked by a survey, said they’d be unlikely to take up drinking in the following year. The strength of this effect upon witnessing alcohol in films has been replicated across many studies with thousands of teenagers.
Knowing this fact then, do filmmakers have an ethical responsibility to portray alcohol responsibly, especially when teens are involved? Well, some argue[6] that with so many films depicting alcoholism, or the ruinous and damaging effects of alcohol, that this somewhat offsets the glamourisation of alcohol in other films. Indeed, even Euphoria delves into the grim repercussions and murky grey areas of drinking too much. Is this enough though? In the philosophy of ethics and film, debaters generally focus on the manner in which something is portrayed. So rather than debating whether filmmakers should include alcohol in their work at all – which falls more towards arguments of censorship – it’s more to do with how they chose to present it, and whether some kind of moral comment should be made on it. With such an empirical link between consuming cinema which features alcohol and the risky drinking behaviour of teens, it certainly does point towards some kind of ethical responsibility on the shoulders of filmmakers. However, the way to do this is difficult. People – and especially teens – can easily detect a whiff of a moral or sanctimonious undertone in cinema. And, they hate it. So there would certainly be some kind of aesthetic sacrifices in making a more ethical film depicting alcohol in a more moral way.
Perhaps, instead, a more balanced view of alcohol should be pursued. The Danish film Another Round, released in 2020, was lauded as an example of a more nuanced interplay of human’s relationship with alcohol. In this film, four teachers in the throes of middle age stagnation leap into a pseudo drinking experiment, based off the theory of psychiatrist Finn Skårderud. Skårderud claimed that all humans have a natural blood alcohol deficiency, which if maintained at a level of 0.5, allows one to be more creative and relaxed whilst slightly drunk. This experiment actually goes very well for the four teachers to begin with, but quickly deteriorates into personal tragedy. Many regard the film as distinctly existentialist, with the four men are drinking to find meaning and not finding it, despite having fun in the meantime. And people loved it. The director described how himself and his co-writer “found it fascinating, that liquor, which is socially accepted, can both elevate people and elevate situations, but it also kills people and destroys families at the same time.” Perhaps in this way, though Another Round is a black comedy ultimately, this film is able to present more of a nuanced and thoughtful portrayal of drinking alcohol.
Ultimately, it is impossible to imagine cinema without being laced with portrayals of alcohol. The depictions of characters drinking has always been somewhat balanced between fascination and revulsion[7], but always with a heavy lean on the side of fascination. Now that we know the heavy impact that alcohol depictions in films have on low-risk teenagers in particular, this certainly calls for a more responsible framing of alcohol in film. As Another Round has shown, there is indeed potential for this to come across in a way that doesn’t feel sanctimonious or overly moralising. In line with this, then perhaps cinema can move towards a more responsible way of depicting alcohol that still feels fun, fresh and self-aware.
References
[1] Muldoon, M. (2022) Alcohol in Movies. Alcohol Rehab Guide. Available at: https://www.alcoholrehabguide.org/alcohol/alcohol-in-popular-culture/movies/
[2] Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. (2014) How movies may make you drink more. ScienceDaily. Available at: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140520162952.htm
[3] McIntosh, W. D., Smith, S. M., Bazzini, D. G., & Mills, P. S. (1999). Alcohol in the movies: Characteristics of drinkers and nondrinkers in films from 1940-1989. Journal of Applied Social Psychology. 29, 6. 1191-1199.
[4] Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. (2014) How movies may make you drink more. ScienceDaily. Available at: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140520162952.htm
[5] Hanewinkel, R., et al. (2014) Portrayal of alcohol consumption in movies and drinking initiation in low-risk adolescents. Pediatrics. 133, 6. 973-82.
[6] Muldoon, M. (2022) Alcohol in Movies. Alcohol Rehab Guide. Available at: https://www.alcoholrehabguide.org/alcohol/alcohol-in-popular-culture/movies/
[7] Kermode, M. (2021) Another Round review – the performance of a lifetime from Mads Mikkelsen. The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jul/04/another-round-review-thomas-vinterberg-mads-mikkelsen-daytime-drinking