then and now

“Now and Then” hop scotches back and forth from the “now” (early nineties) to the “then” (nostalgic summer of 1970) between the lives of four girls whose bonds represent and inspire a girlhood that spans not only time but their own individual metamorphosis.  The film follows the coming of age of these 12 year old girls who do a lot of growing up during the summer of 1970 as they set out to discover independence within themselves and end up finding independence from each other.  I fondly remember getting together with my best girl friends when I was in middle school to watch this film nearly religiously.  We would all align ourselves with the character whose traits we felt we most embodied and pretended to live that summer, to connect as they connected. Personally, I was always torn between being more like Sam, the offbeat analytic sci-fi writer and Roberta, the take-no-shit tomboy with scrapes on her knees.  Voyeuristic?  Most definitely.  Nevertheless, it was uplifting to re-watch this film and fall in love again with all of the zany, witty and self-defining coming of age experiences.

Upon re-watching this film, the most prominent theme appeared to be the assertion of girlhood in different ways by each of the characters.  Functioning within the framework of their sexuality, the scene in the Soda Shop when Teeny is completing a telling Cosmo magazine quiz, reflects the different ways these women defined themselves.   Discussing foreplay, Teeny questions what each girl’s “ideal” romantic situation would entail:

(from screenplay)

Teeny

Your idea of foreplay is "A" a candle lit dinner and moonlit walk on the beach? "B" making out on a bearskin rug at a local mountain cabin? "C" watching a sexy movie and or "D" all of the above. 

Teeny jots down their answers as they speak up: 

Samantha

B

Roberta

E... none of the above. 

Teeny

That's not a possible answer.

Roberta (sighs)

Then B....I guess.

Chrissy (while counting)

Definitely A. 

The film revolves around similar situations where the girls acknowledge that though they are growing up together, they are growing in different directions.  Insisting on identifying with their power their girlhood grants them, each of the characters draws on this power to claim individuality in their construction of personal identity.  There are multiple types of “girlhoods” that are recognized and attained by the closing of the film by Chrissy, Roberta, Sam, and Teeny.   For example, when Roberta is playing softball with “the boys,” she is told by a bully to “go home and play with her dolls.”  This comment falls under the assumption that all girls are “girly girls.”  Striking that misconception, Chrissy states that “the only doll Roberta’s got is a G.I. Joe!” Contradicting the narrowed idea that girls are “girly” and only capable of being obsessed with material things, driven by consumerism, or depressed “Ophelias” that can’t seem to make ends meet themselves, “Now & Then” allows a refreshing option for young women on the verge of womanhood: the option to explore themselves with the support of sisterhood. 

Even though the last thing the girls in the film intentionally desired was to be different from their friends, in their blossoming into womanhood these young women changed.  Transforming into their own independent women, the girls give each other strength, a message so often ignored in society, specifically the media.  Instead of turning on each other or gossiping in hardship, these girls give each other foundation in the horizon of challenge and are there for one another, an empowering example of the strength of female relationships.