Week 5: Not One Less

Much of our media for children involves stories with magic, mythical creatures, or other things that children aren’t likely to encounter in real life. There are stories we tell, however, like the film “Not One Less” that deal with problems that are closer to every-day problems. The broad metaphors of fantasy are discarded in favor of realistic experiences which are narrower metaphors and often act as commentary on society.  

In an adventure story, like “The Secret of Kells” the main character ventures out of the safety of his home and into the dangerous, magical forest. Part of the appeal of the story is that the audience gets to experience vicariously things that they could never experience in real life. In a clip from “The Secret of Roan Inish” that we watched in class, two children built a roof for a house. This experience, while much more mundane, was still powerful and appealing. I think this is because we can draw closer connections to the characters when they experience things similar to what we have experienced.

It is human nature to constantly connect the dots. We like to make metaphors out of everything we see. We are always drawing connections back to experiences we have had. “Not One Less” is a film that tells a story about an unusual experience. A thirteen-year-old girl is asked to be a substitute teacher for a month in a remote village. She is told that she will be paid extra if she manages to keep all of the students, and doesn’t lose any. Her determination to accomplish that goal is what drives the story. Few, if any, of the audience members have had experiences like this, but most of us have been put into daunting positions of leadership and responsibility, and watching her struggle and grow can make us feel inspired and uplifted as we apply her strength and her success to the challenges we face in life.

Another aspect of this sort of storytelling is that we can use it to point out the failures of our world and society. One of the children in the movie had to leave school to go to the city and find work because his family was in debt. Often in stories we tell children, the good people always get what they want and the villains get what they deserve. But that isn’t the way it is in real life, and sometimes it’s good to point that out.

“Not One Less” tells a story that is similar to things that happen in real life, with very little unrealistic embellishment. There are no grand adventures, magical creatures, or fairy godmothers. The main character does not lead an army, or save the universe. Yet her story is compelling and intense in its own way, because we, the audience, can draw close parallels between her problems and our problems, and understand the emotions she feels every time something gets in the way of her goal.