A brief Analysis of Family (and an alien)
“As a mother, the astronaut scene is the scariest part.”
This is my mom’s first anecdote for the film anytime a conversation begins. Much like a lot of my favorite movies, she introduced me to E.T. when I was a kid. Somehow, a film about an alien represents a lot about family and the importance of getting through day to day life and challenges faced. That’s something my mother always educated me with through the medium of film and television. In the case of E.T. the film and my mother opened conversation and lessons on the importance of parenthood and uniting a family.
E.T. is, on its surface, a story of an alien who makes friends with some Earth kids and is on the run from “The Man!”. E.T. arrives outside the suburban home of Elliot, a young boy living with his older brother Michael, younger sister Gertie, and their mother Mary. E.T. has been forgotten and left behind as his family and mother ship take off upon being discovered. Elliot and his siblings, along with some friends by the end of the film, are doing everything they can to create communication with E.T.’s family and get him home. While doing so they are monitored and chased by faceless government officials. What will happen to E.T. if they get him? Will the kids get in trouble? How can they get E.T. back home? Most importantly, can this family come together under such unique circumstances?
I’m very fortunate, when looking back at my childhood, that my parents were mostly stable. For my friends and neighbors, I witnessed they had similar circumstances to Elliot and his family. A father figure was gone, for whatever reason. Sometimes that reason would be leaving for cigarettes and not returning, disagreements between the parents and one storming off forever, or having a “new” family and running off to them over the old one. Pretty messed up right? These examples did happen and they still happen, putting a heavy burden on a family. For a single parent to raise kids, work, and survive, you can imagine it’s no easy task, especially the single parent almost always being the mother. Mary in E.T. is holding it together despite all of this, but the challenges of three distinctive age groups of children is taking its toll as you can see throughout the film.
Like many families bringing in a pet cat or dog, E.T. somehow brings them together. There is no father figure here any longer, and despite the very limited dialogue that exists in the film on the subject, you can tell it has an impact on all of them. Michael is nearly a man and angry at responsibilities and stress. Gertie is confused and still too young to realize the implications of what is going on. Mary is in survival mode with a mortgage, job, and juggling the three of them. Elliot is seeking adventure and friendship, to play just play catch. However, there’s no father to fill these voids or support them.
The bike chases resonate with me as a kid. I would run off on adventures with my neighbors and friends, escaping the troubles at home. We’d ride to another neighborhood, into the woods, or to the main highway that ran outside our suburb area. However, you can only run so much. The responsibility and opportunity to provide care and love to someone who is alone, just as they are, brings this opportunity to heal and fill the gaps they have. Elliot and E.T. share similarities, as do the siblings, on being lost and alone, why things happen, and how those around you can heal those wounds. Obviously mom is completely creeped at the site of this gray monstrosity in her bathroom, but by the end of the film, you can imagine her joy in how her family has bonded over such a unique situation.
E.T. is a film that every family should see and that will more than likely stand the test of time. The messages and lessons it can provide to both children or adults is just another highlight on Spielberg’s resume of film making. Friendship, Family, and Love take many forms in cinema, and in this case even an ugly rubber alien can’t cover that up.