15. Ed Rooney - Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Oh Ferris Bueller, you loveable rogue. In the midst of all that fun we were having watching you come of age, we never took a moment to feel sorry for the Dean of Students (which is a thing- thanks Wikipedia) Ed Rooney. All he wants is for his students to stay in school, and goes to great lengths to make that happen. Along the way he is kicked in the face, attacked by dogs, severely muddied, and blackmailed. And all of this while we are expected to hate the man and sadistically enjoy his torment for trying to do his job properly. I hope youre happy. 14. Milky - This Is England
And so we move to a very different tale of growing up. This is England is Shane Meadows masterful story of Shaun, a boy whose need for a father figure leads him into a skinhead gang led by the aggressive and frustrated Combo. From Combo he learns about racism and how to hate the world more generally, to respond to it with violence and destruction. Milky, another friend of Shauns, is black. Almost inevitably considering Combos racist aggression, it doesnt end particularly well for him... Theres also plenty to be said about the misfortune of his conflicted national identity and his societal position at the centre of misguided rage amongst people like Combo at a time of confusion and frustration for Britain, but you probably dont want to read that. Sometimes I think people dont scroll through lists like these for complex sociological insights. Sometimes.