The Croods - Fatherhood

I recently watched the film 'The Croods', the 2013 DreamWorks family comedy about a prehistoric family and their struggles through life. One of the main themes of the film is parenthood, particularly fatherhood and the role a father plays in protecting their children and family.

The reason I am writing this blog is because I believe that good father's are underappreciated in the modern day and that the importance of the role they play is neglected and this is having damaging effects on children and on men.

One of the key aspects of the film is how 'Grug' the father character appears to be overprotecting and somewhat controlling over his kids, not allowing them to go certain places and do certain things. You could interpret this as controlling and dictatorial, or you could perceive this as someone trying to keep his children safe the best way possible. This confusion crops up in society all the time. It is very hard for parents to navigate the line between being necessarily protective and overly protective. This is something the film depicts very well.

Another aspect of fatherhood that is featured heavily in the film, is sacrifice. At the end of the movie 'Grug' sacrifices himself in order to save and protect his family. He puts their needs above his and is willing to die for them. This is something that good fathers strive to emulate, hopefully under less severe circumstances.

Hopefully this blog has highlighted and encouraged you to watch the film and to make your own opinion about fatherhood and how it is represented in the film. It is a topic that does not receive enough attention nowadays and deserves more.

Thank you for reading, until next time.

OxJ