Boy and Bicycle - Youth Culture

What happens in "Boy and Bicycle"?

Boy and Bicycle is a 27 minute Black and White short film by Director Ridley Scott with a unique narrative, in that the story details the day of a boy who skips a day of school and instead spends his day roaming his town and deserted beach with his bicycle, with a monologue of his thoughts accompany what he is doing.

How does the youth communicate his feelings?

The boy communicates his thoughts and feelings through the monologue, which acts as a train of thought. These monologues are heard continuously throughout the film, and subtly represents how he does not need to speak aloud, and can be at one with his thoughts, conveying maturity. These thoughts are often parallel to his actions, i.e., at the start of the short film, when he does not want to go to school, the subsequent actions reflect the preceding monologue. This also conveys feelings of rebellion and his lack of concern for the consequences of his actions. The rebellious nature can also be linked semantically to when he is shown smoking, conveying feelings stereotypically of not regarding or respecting authority figures. 

What can you tell about British Youth Culture from the film?

The film helps to represent a minority group of people who are often represented extensively by the media today, to portray the rest of the youth as the same as the minority. It shows how some people do not have concern for the rules and regulations put in place for them to abide to, and do not follow these instructions, simply because they do not wish to or for a self-fulfilling feeling of rebellion, specifically towards the education system. However, on the day off, he does not cause any trouble aside from when he goes into the house without permission (linking to rebellion again), and does not cause any damage anywhere which is often a stereotypical link to youths who fall in the category of delinquents. The film, although may paint the youth negatively, also connotes how the boy wishes to have a sense of freedom, showing that British youths have a longing to be free from the chains of society and to be their own person. In this case, however, that seems to mean not doing much at all.