'Happiness Rules Out Old Age?' Images of Ageing in Modern European Cinematograph

Abstract

In the beginning of the 21^st century interest in the phenomenon of the old age has intensified. The use of the term 'Ageing Europe' grew. The main reason for this was the increase in number of pensioners among total European population. The purpose of the paper is to study how social processes in modern Europe are rethought in contemporary cinema. The chronological framework is determined by the recommendations of the European Commission concerning an ageing population. Thus, the authors analysed films and TV shows in the 2000–2010s along the representation of Active Ageing Index indicators. This gave us reason to take as a basis for the analysis a set of indicators used to calculate the active ageing index: employment, participation in society, health and security and enabling environment for active ageing. The main topics in the films about elderly people were identified as: love and family relationships, health, self-realization and reflection of a life lived and death. We came to the following conclusions: modern European cinema reflects current trends for changes in attitudes toward old age; it forms the image of oldness as a full-fledged stage of life filled with heterogeneous experience; old age on the screen does not exclude the joy of life and makes it possible to find new professional and personal social roles. It is dictated by a change in the demographic situation, public opinion, political decisions due to economic processes and social trends. Modern cinematograph has become a mirror that reflects the transformation of attitudes towards older people and also builds the image of an active elderly person included in social life.