In the film Fear (Foley, 1996), a young high-school girl, Nicole, becomes involved in an abusive relationship with a young man whose dangerous nature may attract her in some degree before it is revealed to be as violent and homicidal as it truly is. Such relationships are not uncommon--just as spousal abuse is a major problem for adults, so is that kind of abuse mirrored in adolescent relationships in which young males trying to develop their sense of power may do so in the wrong way, using their girl friends as targets for their anger and their ego. The girls for their part may be acting out social roles they have seen elsewhere, perhaps in their parents, perhaps in media depictions, and perhaps in others in their class. The film depicts the way this relationship develops in a context of adolescence that reflects the nature of that time of life and the vulnerabilities which can contribute to the development of this sort of abusive situation.
The relationship with David is Nicole's first experience of romantic love. It begins well from her point of view given that David is charming and handsome, but he is also manipulative and increasingly possessive. He also seems shy, but this is an overt insecurity that masks the distorted character within reflecting even greater insecurity. On the surface, David would also seem to be the ideal young man from a parental point of view, though Nicole's father instinctively does not trust him. The distance that often exists between father and daughter at this age is even greater in this case given that Nicole resents changes in the household, with a new stepmother, but the revelation that the father has been right about David brings the family closer together and makes Nicole turn to the family unit for protection.
Nicole is seen as somewhat rebellious, but not as rebellious as her friends. When they want to go to a club in the afternoon, she worries about getting back to school on tim...