Tell Your Children

Plot

Film that relates the story, as told by high school principal Dr. Carroll to parents at a PTA meeting, of the scourge of marijuana. The tale revolves around Mae and Jack, accomplices in the distribution of marijuana, who manage to entice the local high school kids to stop by Mae's apartment to smoke reefer. The lives of all who are involved with this menace are inevitably shattered. One man becomes so addicted to the killer weed that the guilt over framing a teen for murder causes a judge to order him to be committed for life to a mental hospital. Dr. Carroll closes by advising us to not incur the same tragedy.

Why watch

At a PTA meeting, Dr. Carroll warns parents about the dangers of marijuana, recounting the tragic tale of Mae and Jack, whose lives spiral into chaos as they introduce high school students to the drug. Watching this film is like stepping into a time capsule, revealing the fears and moral dilemmas of a bygone era, where the specter of addiction looms large over the innocence of youth.

Talking points

• the impact of propaganda on public perception
• the role of authority in shaping moral values
• the historical context of drug use in America
• the consequences of addiction on community dynamics

Cultural context

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