Nowadays, movies occupy a significant part of media products consumed by people. In Russia, cinema is considered a means of individual and social transformation, contributing to the formation of the Russian audience’s worldview, including their attitudes toward current social issues. At the same time, the question of the effectiveness of the impact of films in psychological science remains an open question. The task was to determine the changes in the attitudes of young people, who are the most active viewers, to current social issues after watching a specially selected film. Using a psychosomatic procedure that included 25 scales to determine attitudes toward older people, respondents rated their various characteristics before and after watching the film.
With the development of information technology, human immersion in mass media is increasing. Cinema accounts for a significant part of the media products consumed. According to sociological surveys, going to the cinema is now the most popular form of leisure in Russia. The cinema audience is growing, especially in the 18-24 age group, as is the frequency of cinema visits – one in ten Russians goes to the cinema several times a month – the opportunities and frequency of Internet users are increasing, and interest in the broadcasts of TV is also growing. The importance of the role of cinema in Russia is also shown by the fact that a lot of attention is currently being paid to the development of the cinema industry: Priority themes for state funding are being set (e.g., “Law and order: the heroes of modern society in the fight against crime, terrorism, extremism, and corruption,” “On the continuity of military generations, on the successors of military traditions,” “Images, behavioral patterns and creative motivation of our contemporaries – a man of labor, military or scientific”), and state programs are being launched to open new movie theaters in small towns. Cinema becomes an “instrument for disseminating state ideology to the masses” and is also seen as a “means for individual and social transformation.” Consequently, films are expected to shape beliefs, influence opinions, and change attitudes, including on current social issues.
In the group of students, changes appeared in connection with the ideas about activities. The respondents viewed the elderly as less proactive, aimless, and weak. They also defined the way of life of older people as more passive, without the desire for knowledge and a fulfilling life. The results immediately after watching the film showed that the audience perceived the elderly as those who were less eager to learn new things and perceived them as less positive and limited in their interests. Changes in ratings in the area of emotions were also noted. The elderly were characterized as even more short-tempered and conflictual, prone to depression, and showing no emotion.