Was it bad or do you just hate teenage girls?
When the first Twilight movie hit the silver screen in 2008, the landscape of popular culture was forever altered. From the Team Edward vs. Team Jacob debate to the ironically iconic lines such as, “You better hold on tight, spider monkey,” nobody was truly prepared for the impact that the modern vampire love story would have on the world. Throughout the early 2010s, the phenomena of the Twilight franchise was inescapable with passionate fans from all over the world racing to screenings and taking over social media. However, despite the series’ undisputed popularity, the greater film culture brushed the movie aside, labeling it as a silly series for little girls to obsess over attractive actors with sparkly skin. Getting into the series years later following the recent revival in popularity due to TikTok, many, including myself, are taking a second look at the series they brushed off years ago and wondering, “Why is this so vehemently hated?” While cringey at times and problematic at others, the series, specifically the first movie, encapsulates the teenage girl experience in a nuanced way that few other movies in the teen romance genre have been capable of.
There are plenty of rightful criticisms one could make about the Twilight franchise. The central relationship between the 100-year-old Edward Cullen and 17-year-old Bella Swan is riddled with problematic themes of abuse, and pointing out the age difference does not help Edward’s case. One of the Cullen family members, Jasper, spent time as a Confederate soldier and Jacob, the werewolf vying for Bella’s attention, sexually assaults her by threatening to hurt himself if she does not kiss him with his actions garnering little to no consequences. While there exist many more problematic aspects, such as poor representation for Native Americans, when the male-ruled media discusses the franchise, they neglect all of it in favor of calling it cringey and frilly.
The first movie in the series is the only one directed by a woman. Catherine Hardwicke’s female perspective allowed the first movie to carry a nuanced perspective of what it’s like to be a young woman in high school. Hardwicke also managed to encapsulate the general high school experience in her interpretation of Bella’s human friend group. Eric, Mike, Angela and Jessica’s stories play out in the background of Bella and Edward’s tumultuous relationship. Throughout the movie, the boys are seen playing with worms and teasing one another in a way that reflects the reality of teen boys. Mike’s nervous energy when asking Bella to prom rings true for the real life anxiety of building up the courage to ask your crush to a dance.
We also watch as Jessica and Angela shop for their prom dresses, criticizing each dress as they go and commenting on what they love about others. Hardwicke chose not to make the scene dramatic and glamorized with a makeover montage, instead favoring a simple scene as the girls giggle and shop.
When Bella first moved to Forks, the small Washington town the series takes place in, people stared and were excited about the new girl in town, but the movie did not delve into stereotypes of the new girl who is “othered.” Instead, the human friend group welcomed her with open arms and tried to make her move easier. While Bella was far from appreciative due to her brooding attitude and obsession with Edward and the supernatural world, it is comforting to see teen characters reaching out to people they see who need help. The scenes with the friend group are simple, sweet and realistic depictions of high school kids that play out in the background of the movie, representing the human world and its innocence in comparison to the exciting world of the vampires and werewolves.
The strained relationship between Bella and her father Charlie remains one of the most charming relationships between father and daughter I have seen depicted on screen. Bella’s parents were divorced years ago, leading Bella and her mom to move to Arizona far away from the cold rain of Forks. However, when Bella’s mom remarries and Bella chooses to go live with her dad, Bella and Charlie begin to repair their distant relationship and get to know one another. Throughout the movie, we see Bella and Charlie eating dinner together and struggling to find topics to talk about, and they have an air of awkwardness in every interaction. However, Charlie shows his love for his daughter in small ways such as getting new tires on her truck when the weather becomes icy and giving her pepper spray before going out, telling her to be safe. When a vampire kills one of Charlie’s old friends, Bella hugs her dad in silence and he finds comfort in her presence. They struggle to fully connect as they are both characters who internalize their pain and do not open up. However, the father and daughter duo holds a deep respect and love for one another, shown in small acts of kindness and short but sentimental interactions.
Everything that the Twilight series did right was what they did not intend to. The human friend group’s dynamics and the father/daughter relationship of Bella and Charlie remain some of the best examples of teenagers and their interpersonal connections. Removing the supernatural aspects and bigger-than-life love story from the series leaves you with a delightful depiction of a high school friend group and the expertly nuanced relationship between a strained father and daughter presented to us through a woman’s film lens.