You cannot hide from ‘The Babadook’
Director: Jennifer Kent
Cast: Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Barbara West
Following the tragic death of her husband, a mother struggles to raise her troubled son alone. Things get worse when her son Sam discovers a book about a malevolent monster called the Babadook; a book that will bring their darkest nightmares to life in unexpected ways.
One of the most powerful themes in the film is the bond shared between mother and child. While the love shared between Amelia and Samuel is extraordinarily strong, it is manifested in both a positive and a negative way. While Amelia’s love for her son is infinite and unbreakable, she is powerless to protect her child against the cruelty of world outside their home and against the malevolent and unseen entity known as the Babadook. As the story unfolds, one begins to wonder: are Amelia’s actions those of a concerned mother protecting her son? Or is there something more insidious at work; a darkness that can blur the lines of fantasy and reality so that one cannot be discerned from the other.
I believe that the Babadook is a physical and metaphorical representation of the pain that Amelia feels following in the wake of her husband’s death. That is why she keeps all of her husband’s things locked in the basement. The basement is like a metaphorical locked box that she hides her grief in so she doesn't have to acknowledge it. As long as her pain was locked away, Amelia felt some measure of control. Amelia’s encounter with the Babadook forces her to relinquish that control and acknowledge the pain that she has kept hidden for so long. Although at first Amelia tries to resist the Babadook…even going so far as to destroying the book…she eventually realizes that by acknowledging her pain, she is not surrendering to it, but rather she is freeing herself from it. It is only after she relinquishes her hold on the grief that she has kept hidden for so long that Amelia is finally able to find peace.
“The Babadook” is by far one of the most intensely powerful and chilling horror movies that I have ever witnessed. The film is a well-told and emotionally compelling story that brings a unique perspective to an age-old archetype: learning to overcome that which you fear. The casting for the movie is exceptional, but Essie Davis shines as Amelia. While not a film for the fainthearted, I would highly recommend this film to anyone who enjoys suspenseful storytelling at its best.
© 2013 – 2016 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Director: Jennifer Kent
Cast: Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Barbara West
Following the tragic death of her husband, a mother struggles to raise her troubled son alone. Things get worse when her son Sam discovers a book about a malevolent monster called the Babadook; a book that will bring their darkest nightmares to life in unexpected ways.
One of the most powerful themes in the film is the bond shared between mother and child. While the love shared between Amelia and Samuel is extraordinarily strong, it is manifested in both a positive and a negative way. While Amelia’s love for her son is infinite and unbreakable, she is powerless to protect her child against the cruelty of world outside their home and against the malevolent and unseen entity known as the Babadook. As the story unfolds, one begins to wonder: are Amelia’s actions those of a concerned mother protecting her son? Or is there something more insidious at work; a darkness that can blur the lines of fantasy and reality so that one cannot be discerned from the other.
I believe that the Babadook is a physical and metaphorical representation of the pain that Amelia feels following in the wake of her husband’s death. That is why she keeps all of her husband’s things locked in the basement. The basement is like a metaphorical locked box that she hides her grief in so she doesn't have to acknowledge it. As long as her pain was locked away, Amelia felt some measure of control. Amelia’s encounter with the Babadook forces her to relinquish that control and acknowledge the pain that she has kept hidden for so long. Although at first Amelia tries to resist the Babadook…even going so far as to destroying the book…she eventually realizes that by acknowledging her pain, she is not surrendering to it, but rather she is freeing herself from it. It is only after she relinquishes her hold on the grief that she has kept hidden for so long that Amelia is finally able to find peace.
“The Babadook” is by far one of the most intensely powerful and chilling horror movies that I have ever witnessed. The film is a well-told and emotionally compelling story that brings a unique perspective to an age-old archetype: learning to overcome that which you fear. The casting for the movie is exceptional, but Essie Davis shines as Amelia. While not a film for the fainthearted, I would highly recommend this film to anyone who enjoys suspenseful storytelling at its best.
© 2013 – 2016 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.