After watching this I was thinking how Hollywood would have handled it. Not the Hollywood of the 80s who took risks and did some outrageous things - or what we'd consider that way at least. I guess it would have been watered down quite a bit. I don't expect that we would have seen the father treating the son ... the way he does. At least not as visceral as he is here. And that is a scene some may have issues with I think.
But characters have to have flaws to grow. Maybe the flaws shouldn't have been that big. After watching this I also found out that the lead boy role is played by a girl. Now I don't know and I haven't looked into that. Why they would do that. Like why not make her be a girl - I'm not sure what the thinking behind that was. But she isn't the only character who plays a different gender than the one the actual actor is ... other kids have the same thing going on.
Maybe you are curious enough to search for the reasons. I was surprised but well so be it. Also it doesn't really change that much - the story about a cute and cuddly alien is still being told. The story about bullying in school is still there ... just don't expect this to be as clean and straightforward as you may have come to believe and see in US productions.
But characters have to have flaws to grow. Maybe the flaws shouldn't have been that big. After watching this I also found out that the lead boy role is played by a girl. Now I don't know and I haven't looked into that. Why they would do that. Like why not make her be a girl - I'm not sure what the thinking behind that was. But she isn't the only character who plays a different gender than the one the actual actor is ... other kids have the same thing going on.
Maybe you are curious enough to search for the reasons. I was surprised but well so be it. Also it doesn't really change that much - the story about a cute and cuddly alien is still being told. The story about bullying in school is still there ... just don't expect this to be as clean and straightforward as you may have come to believe and see in US productions.