'Hate is a feeling that can only exist when there is no understanding'. This quotation from famous 20th century playwrite, Tennesse Williams not only shows the underlying message of the film 'Freaky Friday' directed by Mark Waters, but describes the main reason why there is conflict between many countries. The film is based around the conflict between Anna, an ordinary rebellious teenager and her overworked mother, Tess. After encountering a fortune cookie, Anna and Tess discover they have swapped in each other's body and, as the flim progresses, they are forced to appreciate how hard each other's life is. The audience is shown that understanding develops from being able to see the world from other points of view.
In the film, Anna and Tess lead very different lives. This is shown in not only their morals and values, but their attitude towards repsonsiblity. Anna is a very rebellious, free-spirited teenager who just wants to fit in without having to work hard. Tess on the otherhand is all about responsibility and discipline. An example of the conflicting personalities is in the opening scene, where Tess wakes up having planned her schedule for the morning, whilst Anna is still in bed after her alarm has gone off. Tess then has to stop her busy schedule to wake Anna, eventually going so far as to having Anna suspended in mid-air holding onto her bedposts. This shows that Tess is a very committed family member and plays a vital role in making sure everything runs smoothly and ontime. Anna however, doesn't care about anyone but herself and is oblivious to the fact that she relies heavily on her mother. Another example of Anna and Tess' attitude towards responsibility is in the car on the way to school. During the car ride Anna makes several immature remarks such as 'I'm just getting a little stud right here' and 'give it back troll' in response to the accusation of her brother stealing her driver's lisence. One of the