Seeing Beyond Myself: A Reflection on Real Recognizes Real
Diversity, culture, and authenticity are the foremost attributes of a truly informative and enlightening film. As someone who’s always cherished the immersive experience of watching films throughout my life, I rely on them to give me a glimpse into other cultures. Films make me feel like I’ve escaped my current environment for a brief moment. They transport me into a world different from my own. A world that only really works if the characters and stories seem authentic and natural enough to be real.
CSS’s report Real Recognizes Real, which I co-authored, demonstrates how authentic diverse representation generates a broad appeal among audiences. Deloitte Research found that 70% of audiences want to watch media that can “help them learn about cultures different from their own”. That finding resonated with me. Even if I don’t share the exact identity being represented in a film, if it is portrayed authentically and specifically, there are many cultural aspects that I do relate to and find extremely interesting. For me, Everything Everywhere All at Once exemplifies this preference. The film tactfully explores the concept of immigrant family dynamics and the often complex tension between parents who once had to survive and their children who are navigating what comes next. Growing up as the daughter of two immigrants, an integral part of my identity was balancing incompatible cultural expectations. Learning how to find and create my own place in the world constantly intersected with the struggle to be understood by parents who grew up in an entirely foreign cultural context. Everything Everywhere All at Once explores this familial dynamic in a way that feels inclusive and authentic. Although I don’t share the exact identity of the characters in the film, I am able to see myself in the story of intergenerational identity within immigrant families. The overlap in cultural experiences like this one might help explain why, according to the data, young people are so good at evaluating authentic diverse representation, and why their perceptions of the authenticity shape how successful the film franchise becomes. Watching a culture portrayed authentically, even if it isn’t my culture, will always be compelling.
As stated in the report, authenticity goes hand in hand with strong audience connections to the characters, and when films center on authentic relationships, it makes it easy to connect. I included the example of Frozen in the report because I too relate deeply with Elsa’s character, the protagonist. As an older sibling myself, Elsa’s motivations and values felt genuinely relatable and thus understandable. Her deep desire for independence and individuality aligns with my experience as the eldest daughter who’s always felt an underlying pressure to take charge, lead by example, and be someone my family can depend on. When I see a relationship to which I relate play such a central role in a film, it makes characters like Elsa feel tangible, and it causes their lessons and character arcs to resonate more deeply, even if I don’t relate to every aspect of them. Depicting authentic relationships on screen helps transform the cultural specificity and individuality of the characters and their relationships into something universal.
The report discusses how adolescents are key drivers of box office success due to their strong engagement with movies. It also highlights how adolescents today have grown up in a diverse and dynamic new media environment, which differs from previous generations. I think this finding adequately explains young people’s influence on film release success and visibility. Through shared online spaces that house the opinions and feelings of young people regarding the movies they watch, adolescents can collectively build a unified discourse on franchise popularity and representation, which can influence whether adolescents go out to see new films in theaters. For instance, the report notes how young people often see movies opening weekend and engage strongly with fandom communities. This finding reminded me of the culturally memorable Barbie and Oppenheimer same-day release and accompanying turnout. Gen-Z discourse on the two films dominated the internet, and the term “Barbenheimer” was born with youth audiences showing up to the films, many of them challenging themselves to see both in one day. I remember my social media pages flooded with memes and commentary leading up to the films releases and I myself made sure I saw both in theaters so I wouldn’t feel left out of the discourse. This cultural phenomenon directly reflects the report’s emphasis on adolescent influence on franchise popularity and suggestions for entertainment industry professionals to listen to young people. With our shared knowledge and language honed in online spaces, the only people who can truly understand and predict whether a film franchise and its diverse representation will resonate with youth are other young people.
Leah Abazari is an author of Real Recognizes Real and a Psychology major at UC Berkeley, graduating in Spring 2026. She is especially interested in child development and hopes to pursue a PhD in psychology. She began as a summer intern for CSS in 2024 and has since worked as a research assistant, contributing to ongoing research for two years.