Diksha Sundriyal
Jonah Hill’s ‘Mid 90s’ follows the story of Stevie and his coming-of-age journey with a skateboarding group that changes his life. At the beginning of the film, the protagonist is a lonely boy with no friends. The only person he looks up to is Ian, his older brother, who is also physically abusive. Things change when Stevie comes in contact with a group of boys who share a love for skateboarding. He starts from the fringes, but soon becomes an important part of the group. He does what they do, he speaks of the things they talk about, and he is ready to do whatever it takes to remain a part of that group, which does not sit well with his mother, who believes that his new friends are a bad influence.
Over time, Stevie learns that all the boys in the group are going through their own set of challenges. They are running away from things at home, and being with the group is just as freeing and comforting for them as it is for Stevie. Still, hanging out together doesn’t make the real problems go away. This becomes more evident for Fuckshit, who is struggling with alcoholism. His desire to keep partying leads him to take the wheel while he is intoxicated. He crashes the car with all of his friends inside, but Stevie is the one who takes the worst hit. In the final scene, as the boy recuperates in the hospital, his wounds aren’t the only thing that starts to heal. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Ian and Stevie’s Troubled Dynamic is One of the Core Points of the Film
The opening scene of ‘Mid90s’ features Stevie being bullied and beaten by his brother, Ian. It is so bad that Stevie gets bruises on his chest, but he doesn’t tell his mother about it because his brother is the only person that he feels a connection with. Despite the abuse, he makes concerted efforts to find the right gift for Ian, who doesn’t care much for his younger brother and his offerings. There is a clear distance between the two, which Ian is not interested in crossing, and this is one of the reasons why Stevie goes outside to find the love and acceptance he lacks from Ian. One of the subtle representations of this broken relationship and strange power dynamic is the orange juice.
From the scene in the beginning, where Stevie, Ian, and their mother are at a restaurant celebrating Ian’s birthday, to the ending, where Ian gives a bottle of orange juice to his brother, who has finally regained consciousness since the accident, a lot is said about the brothers. Initially, Ian is the one with the upper hand in their power dynamic. He is older and stronger, and more importantly, he doesn’t need Stevie. On the other hand, Stevie is younger and weaker, and too much in awe of his brother to report his abuse to their mother. The latter is also because he knows that when he needs stuff, Ian is the only one he can turn to, like when he needs money to buy a skateboard and $40 to buy a new one.
This dynamic shifts when Stevie becomes friends with Ray and his crew of skateboarders. He feels more accepted in that crowd, who are welcoming of him and genuinely care for him and his interests. While he is still not open with them about his feelings, he doesn’t feel bullied or stunted by them, and this gives him the confidence that he always had but could never express. Meanwhile, his brother and whatever influence he had on Stevie start to slip away. Despite the continued physical abuse, Stevie is not as scared of him anymore, especially after the minor confrontation between Ian and Fuckshit. He sees how vulnerable his brother is, bringing Ian down a notch in his eyes.
The Orange Juice Implies a Peace Pact Between the Brothers
The more time Stevie spends with the skateboarders, the more reckless he becomes. He smokes and drinks and doesn’t care for his mother’s rules anymore, even though he used to stick by them religiously before. This increases the rift between him and Ian, who doesn’t hold any power over him anymore. Their last confrontation ended with Ian crying on the floor while Stevie tried to choke himself with his Discman wire. It is quite an upheaval for both of them, and it is the accident that finally gives them, especially Ian, the perspective to set aside their differences.
So far, Ian had been taking Stevie and his love and admiration for granted. Being a kid himself, he, too, was going through a lot of stuff, but it didn’t give him the perspective to understand his brother’s struggles and treat him kindly. It is only when he sees Stevie hanging out with a new crowd and being molded by their ways that he starts to wonder if he is losing his brother for good. However, this isn’t enough to end the conflict between them. When Stevie almost dies in a car crash caused by an intoxicated Fuckshit, Ian’s heart softens towards his younger brother. The real possibility of losing someone close to him hits him hard. So, when Stevie survives the ordeal, with quite a few bruises, there is a shift in Ian’s behaviour.
Not only do we see him sitting by Stevie’s side in the hospital, but he also gives Stevie a bottle of orange juice. The last time we saw the brothers together, they were fighting over a bottle of orange juice. It represented Ian’s monopoly and, hence, his power over Stevie. When Stevie steals his orange juice bottle, leading to a fight between them, it represents the younger brother taking away the power of his older brother. With this in mind, the final scene between them shows that Ian is ready to change his ways, if not apologise for his past behavior. Quietly, Ian expresses his love for his brother, without saying a word. This is his love language, and the fact that he has shown it to his brother means that things might finally get better between them now.
Read More: Is Mid90s a True Story? Is Stevie Based on Jonah Hill?
