Exploring Emotional Healing Through Film Characters in Cinematherapy for Children

Abstract

Cinema therapy involves the use of commercial films for therapeutic purposes. It also  involves clients including children, adults and elderly people who watch films with or without their therapists, based on emotional or psychological issues similar to their own. After they have watched the films, they discuss with their therapists, who make them to learn from the film characters who have successfully addressed and solved such emotional and psychological issues. Thus, the clients can also be inspired to solve their emotional or psychological issues successfully on their own through cinema therapy.  In order for the clients to relate to the film characters and solve their own psychological or emotional issues successfully , it is necessary that the film characters should have morally ascending character arc which include them successfully solving and facing emotional and psychological issues during the course of the films. This study aims to analyse the character arcs of the protagonists from the films The Good Dinosaur and Encanto which has been used or is suitable to be used for cinema therapy sessions with children and also how the protagonists have solved their emotional or psychological issues. The methodology of this study is qualitative content analysis based on the framework of “The Hero’s Journey” according to Christopher Vogler.