I saw a new kids movie recently, and while it was a great movie there was one short scene, that depicted domestic violence against a man, and (as far as I could tell) portrayed it as 'normal' or acceptable.

The Scene:

I'd describe the couple in movie terms as "good guys" and "sidekicks".

In the scene they are holograming into other peoples bodies. The man gives a 'checking-you-out look' to the body his wife holograms into, and she flicks him in the nuts (or perhaps it was a hit, we were in the cinema and I wasn't exactly expecting it or able to review it, either way) he is visibly hurt for a moment as we cut to the main characters and what they are doing.

My commentary:

Having this done by the 'good guys' stands out to me. Especially because there's no commentary, no hint through the movie that this is 'wrong'.

Domestic violence against men has been shown (in mainstream kids films) before, in non-serious ways. "Chicken Run" for example has the main villain use physical violence against her Partner, the secondary villain, in most of the sense they are in together, (and she's incredibly demeaning, controlling and cruel to him when she isn't hurting him physically.)

Even though the depiction I saw recently was a lot quicker, and didn't show the 'emotional hit' of an overall abusive relationship, it still felt worse.

At least in "chicken run" the abuser is a kids-version-fill-in-for-ww2-German-soldier, and so is the victim, (but a 'less bad' one). We aren't meant to empathise with either of them, and the themes of the show are already quite dark. There are issues in there, problems like using DV for slapstick humour but at least, we aren't meant to think that what the bad guys do is ok.

But when the "good guys" do it? And it's brushed off as nothing, or an appropriate response to 'non-physical, non-abusive, inappropriate actions? That isn't just 'depicting' something bad. It's depicting something bad as something acceptable.

My issue isn't so much with the whole movie (it was really good overall) but the broader acceptance that this is, and that this perpetrates. That they would think this is a normal and acceptable example to show kids.

I'm not against banning all depictions of Domestics, but they need to be shown carefully, and shown as a bad thing, what are your thoughts, when and how and to who should we show dv situations?