MOVIE REVIEW
Movie Review: The Last Song
Lesly Vaca Contreras
School of Behavioral Sciences, Liberty University
Author Note
Lesly Vaca Contreras
I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Lesly Vaca Contreras.
Email: Lvacacontreras@liberty.edu
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MOVIE REVIEW
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Movie Review: The Last Song
Summary
During adolescent years four important questions are crucial; “Who am I?” “How do I get
along with others?”, “Where will I fit?” and “What do I believe?” According to Collins (2007),
in the process of finding answers, adolescents develop their values, beliefs, and life philosophies
(p. 238). In the film, The Last Song, a New York teen Ronnie Miller and her younger brother,
Jonah, are sent to spend the summer with their father. Ronnie is angered to learn that she will
spend the summer away from her friends in a small Southern beach town with her father. The
film tells how Ronnie grows as a person throughout this summer. Unfortunately, life events such
as her parent's divorce have led her to experience emotional and behavioral problems. Ronnie
feels as if her parents have turned her world upside down. She has become alienated from them
both.
Parrott (2009) explains, "Some adolescents cope with struggles by acting out--expressing
their feelings through impulsive actions.” As seen in the film, Ronnie has chosen to withdraw
and act out her feelings. This movie review will focus on building a therapeutic relationship with
Ronnie and a counseling methodology to address her adolescent struggles. Parrot (2009) states,
“Adolescents do not readily lay out their thoughts and feelings, even for compassionate a
counselor. Counselors who build a therapeutic relationship with adolescents do it the old-
fashioned way: They earn it.” Therefore to counsel Ronnie, the counselor must take an approach
of active listening and goal setting and refrain from giving advice that has not been earned. Like
every counseling approach, there are strengths and cautious areas; this paper will further explain
these areas with counseling Ronnie. Lastly, a personal position on the subject will be taken
through a biblical worldview. Colossians 4:6 says, “Let your conversation be always full of
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grace, season with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (NIV, 2021). Therefore,
this review will consider all the factors affecting Ronnie before making assumptions; thus,
teenagers' emotions and experiences vary.
Observed Struggles
The Last Song portrays Ronnie as a rebellious seventeen-year-old who lives with her
mother because her parents have been divorced for three years. As a result of this separation,
Ronnie gets in trouble at school, her grades are down, and she disobeys her curfew. She has been
arrested for shoplifting and has no good relationship with her parents. Ronnie has not spoken to
her father in three years. Her father, Steve, wrote to her for all those years, yet she refused to
open the letters. She and her father used to share a love of playing the piano; however, she
stopped after he left. As Parrot (2009) mentions, "Children of divorce commonly react with
withdrawal, anger, shame, decreased school performance, a sense of loss or rejection.” As a
talented pianist, she is accepted to The Julliard School but rejects it. Playing piano was her and
her father's love language; therefore, the resentment and anger toward her father are reflected in
this particular part of her life. The film portrays Ronnie and her younger brother Jonah
experiencing the unbearable pain of loss from their parent's divorce. In one of the scenes, Jonah
asks Ronnie to be nicer to their dad because he does not want to lose him again. He fears losing
his dad. It is as if they both experience this feeling of disillusionment, fear, insecurity, and
vulnerability (Clinton et al., 2010, p. 201).
Ronnie battles with mixed anger and sorrow, hating her dad for leaving her and her
brother. It seems as if she has an endless stream of angry emotions that she cannot control. She
pushes her father away while, on the other hand, Jonah loves his father. On her first day in town,
she goes away to the beach, where she meets a boy named Will. They both end up developing
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feelings for each other. However, she struggles with trusting that he genuinely cares for her. It is
safe to assume that her father's “abandonment” has brought her deep insecurity. Little by little,
she begins trusting Will, and her relationship with him brings her safeguard down. Her
relationship with her dad begins to open up again. However, later in the film, Ronnie discovers
that her dad has cancer as he gets progressively sicker. She struggles with feelings of guilt
because of the way she treated him all summer. At the same time, she ends up pushing Will away
and expresses to her mom how that is all she does “push people away.” It is as Hart (1997) says,
“It is common for them to isolate themselves and refuse to talk about what is bothering them” (p.
22). Ronnie struggles with resentment towards her dad, which trickles down to all her
relationships. All feelings of resentment must be discussed as soon as possible, even more after
her father's death. At the film's end, Ronnie reconciles with Will and heads off to college. Now it
is crucial to resolve any residue of resentment and guilt.
Counseling Approach
According to Hart (1997), resentment is the most destructive of all human emotions; its
destructive power comes from “having a perfect memory--it never forgets, destroys happiness,
and prevents cantonment. It keeps the memory of our hurts alive” (p. 36). In addition to plenty of
resentment and anger, adolescents like Ronnie reduce the communication of their feelings.
Therefore, giving them a place where they can vent their emotions is crucial. As Ronnie’s
counselor, one can begin facilitating this process by actively listening to what she has to say.
“Active listening allows teenagers’ hidden feelings to percolate to the top. They want someone to
sense their hurt without admitting it” (Parrot, 2009). Ronnie has been guarded and feared her
emotions, but she needs to know that her feelings are acceptable. “Counseling isn’t rescuing,”
We often mistake it with throwing a line of advice. “The key is knowing when and how to give
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it” (Parrot, 2009). Thus, building a relationship with Ronnie is crucial. Ronnie has felt let down
and rejected. She has felt abandoned and unloved by her father. Therefore, it is essential to offer
her a safe relationship where she can let her guard down.
In his book Why Don’t We Listen Better? Jim Petersen talks about three goals as listeners
First listener's goal is to provide safety. Even if Ronnie is an adolescent, it is evident that she has
lost that safety she had with her parents. Therefore, it is important to establish safety when
counseling her. The second listener's goal is to understand without judgment. “To understand
means for listeners to become engaged in what talkers are trying to say — to see it, hear it, taste
it, touch it, feel it, reflect it, and respect it” (Petersen, 2015, p. 125). As a result of her parent's
divorce, Ronnie acted out her emotions by doing things she should not have done. That is why it
is important not to let her feel judged or defined by those mistakes. Lastly, part of this active
listening approach is the third listener’s goal to clarify. Clarifying “helps talkers recognize their
thinking and feeling. It enables them to better understand themselves and the interaction between
their feelings, thoughts, behaviors and world” (p. 125). The hope is to encourage Ronnie to move
toward forgiveness and freedom from guilt. Therefore, this counseling approach of active
listening will help Ronnie, a struggling adolescent, discover how she can best cope with her
situation.
Strengths and Cautions Areas of Approach
Strengths
As described by Leobrera (2018), many times when young people like Ronnie undergo
challenges, they need an adult who can listen and read their underlying messages from deep-
seated emotions (p. 33). Taking this particular counseling approach with Ronnie will help her
feel heard and understood, strengthening the counselor and counselee relationship. Active
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listening creates a safe environment where she knows her feelings are acceptable. Most
importantly, active listening “boosts the confidence of struggling adolescents and teaches them to
depend on God and themselves for problem-solving” (Parrot, 2009). Once a relationship has
been established, asking questions will not look like an interview but like a normal conversation
that will lead her to set her own goals. The strength of active listening, questions, and goal
setting will help the counselor working with Ronnie build a reliable working relationship that
will positively impact her life.
Cautions
In an active listening approach, the counselor must effectively understand Ronnie’s
struggles with a genuine desire to listen. The counselor must be aware and show that he is always
listening. Adolescents like Ronnie, who have been let down before by their parents, might
become more private and self-conscious if she does not feel heard. Parrot (2009) offers valuable
leads for the active listener, such as: “It seems as if…, What I hear you saying it….” Also, it is
essential that while searching for Ronnie’s hidden emotions, the counselor does not lose sight of
the most visible problem. With all the events Ronnie has gone through, there must be an
underlying factor contributing to all the feelings she is experiencing. In the attempts to ask
questions and give advice, the counselor must measure if she is ready to receive them. Upon
hearing advice not given out of active listening, a teenager may say, “I do not want tot to talk
about it anymore!” (Parrot, 2009). It is essential to earn the right to ask questions and give advice
through active listening.
Personal Position
According to Sharry (2004), “Accommodating adolescents in the therapeutic process is
about accepting where they are developmentally, and using this as an opportunity rather than as
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an obstacle” (p. 67). Ronnie might seem like a “rebellious” teenager, but the film portrays her
kind heart when she finds the nest of turtle eggs and stays all night out in the cold to protect this
nest from the raccoons. Also, in another scene, Ronnie defends her friend Blaze from her abusive
boyfriend and gives her all the money she has, even after Blaze accused her of flirting with her
boyfriend and got her arrested for shoplifting. Her compassionate heart is demonstrated
throughout the film, even with her younger brother Jonah and boyfriend Will. That is why in my
stance, I would encourage Ronnie to trust in God and to depend on his unfailing love. As Psalms
56:3-4 say, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I
will not be afraid” (NIV, 2021). Even with her father’s death, she needs to know that she is free
from all guilt she may have, and that grieving is normal. Dobson (2005) says, “The Lord does
not measure your worth the way people do. He emphasizes in His Word that each of us is worth
more than we can imagine.” Ronnie needs to be reminded of the value she holds. She must
surround herself with the support of family, friends, church, and loved ones. Thus, bottling up
her feelings or denying the reality of the pain will only cause an explosion of anger or depression
(Clinton et al., 2010, p. 208). In conclusion, the process of counseling Ronnie, through active
listening, questions, and goal setting, will involve expressing honest emotions that will bring
about forgiveness and reconciliation with herself and others.
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References
Clinton, T., Clark, C., & Straub, J. (2010). The Quick-Reference Guide to Counseling Teenagers.
Van Haren Publishing.
Collins, G. R. (2007). Christian Counseling: A Comprehensive Guide.
Dobson, J. (2005). Preparing for Adolescence: How to Survive the Coming Years of Change.
Gospel Light Publications.
Hart, A. (1997). Helping Children Survive Divorce.
Leobrera, S. J. L. B. (2018). Counselling Adolescents. Society Publishing.
NIV Bible - New International Version | The NIV Bible Translation. (2021, June 4). NIV
Petersen, J. (2015). Why Don’t We Listen Better?: Communicating & Connecting in
Relationships.
Parrott, L. (2009). Helping the Struggling Adolescent: A Guide to Thirty-Six Common Problems
for Counselors, Pastors, and Youth Workers. Zondervan.
Sharry, J. (2004). Counseling Children, Adolescents and Families: A Strengths-Based Approach.
SAGE.
