Revolutionary Road- Kinship

Seeing that we have been studying marriage and family in class for the passed week, I thought that I would mention a film that focuses on a 1940's couple and the pressures that come along with being the model suburban American married couple. This film is called Revolutionary Road and it is quite an effective film in showing what often times really goes on in a marriage due to society and other outside pressures. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet play Frank and April Wheeler who are stuck with the label of the perfect married couple. They desperately want to break away from the norm and achieve their dreams, but factors such as children, their careers, and security in the average life disrupt their plans. Societies' pressure on people to fit the roles of the traditional family actually ends up making Frank and April very unhappy and leads to problems such as adultery, unfaithfullness, extreme fighting, and very cruel actions towards each other. It is interesting that at this time in America, and still today, it is looked down upon to not fit what is considered traditional positions, but this strain ends up causing even more problems that are also frowned upon, such as cheating. Instead of being happy and in love, and doing what they are passionate about, Frank and April are stuck doing what does not make them happy and even start to despise each other. Not only is Revolutionary Road a great film, but in relation to what we've been learning in class it fits perfectly to many of the topics, such as sexual regulation and the social organization of societies.