Bling Ring Analysis

Bling Ring

Bling Ring is a teen film inspired by real life events about teenagers living in the wealthy areas of California. The teens in the film was obsessed with wealthy goods that they saw stars wearing and would go to any extent to get what they wanted which didn't help them in the long run. 

Bling Ring has the normal codes and conventions of a teen film which are; The outsider, the girl that isn't really intelligent, the rebel and it also has a unique character which is the feminine guy which is liked by most girl because he isn't the typical guy.

The mise en scene is also suited for teens as a lot of the movie is filmed in bedrooms, houses, cars, beaches, parties and shopping malls.  

The 'Bling Ring' group consists of 4 girls and one guy. They do not struggle to have friends but are quiet peculiar as some of them was home schooled and haven't really had the chance of meeting new people outside of family. They then find other things to catch their attention like clothes and jewellery so decide to break into houses. The 4 girls are your typical girls that you would find in a teen movie; the ring leader, the rebel, the followers and the good looking one. The guy fits in because he isn't really attracted to girls and was quiet feminine so they find it easier to hang around with him as they shared the same interests. However, if he was attracted to them then this would cause sexual tension and they would have other things get in the way of what they needed to do. 

Although very similar, Bling Ring holds its differentiation to other teen films as you hardly see a group of girls and boys together it is usually one way or the other. To add to that, the film wasn't so much about sex and only had a minority of sexual content. The directors has taken a different lane and followed in the footsteps of films like The Bank Job but has still made it so that teens can watch it. 

 We also see the boy who is an outsider which is innocent at first grow out of his shell. This happens when he falls into the clique of the girls and is influenced by peer pressure. He then starts indulging in the things that he has stolen rather than selling it which is what he had done at first. This is similar to the girl in Mean Girls (played by Lindsay Lohan) which finds herself when she starts hanging around with the popular group of girls.

The film also uses social networking sites similar to Facebook to show how teenagers feel when they post pictures of themselves and their designer wear (Christian Louboutin's shoes)  to show off to their friends that they are in with the latest trends and are wealthier than others. Lastly, as it was a true story we see know who the stars were that were the victims and how they were portrayed in the media. 

In conclusion, the film shows teens how teenagers can be influenced by brands, peer pressure and wanting to be the coolest out. It also shows how social media sites has changed this generation and how teens can live to try and please their friends on these sites rather than trying to please themselves.