Breaking Free?

 I think something went over our heads many years ago. I watched High School Musical for the first time when I was in Elementary school. I enjoyed it a lot because to me these teenagers have the most fun experiences. Their time was spent engaging in what they loved. In my adolescent head highschools “freedom” seemed so liberating. Driving places, hanging out with friends, meeting people, involvement in clubs. Now as an adult I notice how so much of it is the antithesis of what I admired. So much of it is watching Troy Bolton shrink so that he can fit in a box. 

The first film in the Trilogy of high school musical starts with a spontaneous karaoking pairing of Troy and Gabriella. We see two shy teens embracing music and each other's presence when they practice vulnerability. Once the teens surrender to the idea of meeting external expectations they finally have a good time at the holiday party. More than an entertaining time they steal the stage and suddenly your screen is occupied by this wonderful duo nobody anticipated. They slay the song and shortly after they are separated and go back to their lives and their communities. This separation also mirrors the divide between expectations and how they are gendered. School begins shortly after and Troy is finding more opportunities to immerse himself in music. He is so clearly entranced. The connotation of artistry is feminized especially in regards to theatre. Troy is a jock and in high school a jock is the most pristine example of a “man”. Masculinity oozes out of him so much so that Troy can’t bother intermingling with theatre or its enthusiasts. He is revolted or at least this is what he leads on due to the truth he is scared. Troy wants to be in with the guys. The guys Troy is seeking validation from him have this illusion of respect and care towards him. As you watch you question if respect is present with the absence of acceptance. If troy can’t be himself around his “people” then should that be their true title? Whether or not Troy wanted to spend time with Gabriella (a girl he has feelings for), sing or participate in theatre determined how he was treated by his best friend, teammates, peers and most important of all his father. 

Troy's Father is an antagonist. Troy's relationship with his father is representative of the dynamics that exist amongst men today. The solidarity between Troys and his dad (Jack Bolton) derives from likeness. It's narcissism in full motion. I found it blatantly ironic that being a man which people would define as powerful and confident is often measured by acts of appeasement and peoplepleasing. The stress and anxiety induced by the demands of masculinity rule Troy Bolton. We do not get to see his joy and depth until he frees himself through acts of disappointment. I guess to be a man that is free is to engage in behavior that your locksmiths would label embarrassment rituals. This stepping out of the box brings you in closer proximity to ridicule. Expect the labels simp, zesty, pussy and what not to greet you at the exit of your escape room. If you managed to leave, flee, walk or even crawl out we are proud of you. 

TV + Film Recs: Slap Shot, Snowfall, Dead Poets Society and One Tree Hill, Good Will Hunting, Moonlight, On My Block, Jump In,