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Making Peace with Your Monsters
The Babadook is a 2014 debut psychological horror film directed by Jennifer Kent. The movie has generated wide critical acclaim with the general audience and the critics alike, being revered for both its plot and performance. Good use of cinematography has been made, allowing the filmmakers and producers to portray a narrative in a fresh and interesting fashion. The pop-up book used as a catalyst for Babadook’s appearance is especially impressive, having been no doubt crafted with great care and attention to detail. Lighting choices and sound design further increase the appeal of the movie and submerge the audience into its depressing, heavy mood. However, what lies in the center of this film is not its presentation, but the story it’s trying to tell through the intense interactions between the characters.
Throughout its runtime, The Babadook engrosses the watcher, translating both it’s messaging and intent well. Effectively utilizing strong performances from its two lead actors, the movie deals with subjects of trauma, loss, and the hardships of being a single parent. The Babadook combines the appeal of psychological horror and traditional horror, creating a narrative that is both engaging, mentally challenging, and very emotional at its core (Scott). The main and supporting characters can be seen as real people with their own struggles, thoughts, and values. Interestingly, the movie uses the signature figure of The Babadook not just as a simple monster, but as a way to promote emotional growth to resolve the problems that continue to the family. Babadook is a movie about trauma and learning to heal from it by confronting your own struggles, gradually working through them while giving yourself room to breathe.
The Plot
The main plot of the movie centers on 2 main characters: the mother Amelia and her 6-year old son Samuel. The pair live in the city of Adelaide together, with Amelia raising her child as a single mother. As revealed by the narrative shortly after the start of the film, Samuel’s dad has died on the day of his birth, leaving a devastating impact on the two. The boy exhibits unusual behavior and appears to be a problem child for the mother and the people around them. He often acts impulsively without thinking of the consequences of his actions or reacts in radical ways, which can be attributed to his rough childhood. The boy’s behavior elicits worry from the mother and the protective Services that are convinced Amelia does not have the sufficient qualification. The main conflict arises, consequently, when the pair find an unknown book in their house, and Amelia reads it as a bedtime story. The book Describes the Babadook, a creature that scares and torments people that know of its existence. By reading the book, the family has unknowingly invited The Babadook into their home and has to deal with his presence for the duration of the film. Samuel is the first to recognize the problem, trying to fight it in his own, childish ways, while Amelia largely dismisses his actions. A series of sudden, usual events is therefore blamed on Samuel himself, making the mother more erratic and paranoid about the state of her family. After deciding to shred the book, Amelia soon finds it back in her house, fully restored, its contents taunting her further. The mother’s condition quickly begins to deteriorate as she is unable to deal with both the supernatural events occurring in her home and the behavior of her young son. She soon gets possessed by The Babadook who then murders the family dog and almost brings harm to the son himself. Samuel manages to escape and help his mother regain her own consciousness. The Babadook tortures Amelia with visions of her husband, but she managed to overcome the emotions tormenting her, successfully saving the family and locking the Babadook in the basement. The closing shots of the movie show us that the pair have been able to recover from the incident Amelia becoming much more open and relaxed and taking better care of her son.
Most of the plot detailed up to this point describes the literal events of the film while disregarding the psychological and emotional implications of the events shown. It can be easily understood that the Babadook is not a simple creature, not just a monster that randomly appears to torment an already suffering family, but a direct manifestation of the problems that Amelia already has to face. Amelia, having suffered the loss of her husband during an important part of her life, is unable to reconcile with the event, having been tasked with taking care of a problem child all by herself. She worries about Samuel, and she is also running thin trying to make their lives better, which further destroys her emotional stability. The Babadook can be seen as the direct representation of Amelia’s emotions.
The depression she feels stuck in the situation she is in and the denial of her own struggles orchestrates the main struggle of the story. The book itself even taunts Amelia by stating “I’ll WAGER with YOU, I’LL MAKE you a BET. THE MORE you DENY, the STRONGER I GET” (The Babadook (2014)). All the negative emotions and feelings Amelia has inside, and the inability to properly deal with trauma then comes back to directly harm her family, endangering both her life and the life of her son. While the relationship between the mother is and son is far from perfect, being filled with a variety of both positive and negative emotions, Samuel recognizes the problems his mother faces and helps her during the critical moment, allowing her to regain her composure and fight the monster head-on. After the conflict is resolved, the Babadook is kept in the basement, figuratively keeping it under control while recognizing its existence. The last scene of the movie, therefore, shows us that Amelia is finally able to manage the problems the family faces.
I think that this movie finds a delicate balance between presenting a simple narrative and allowing the audience to form their own conclusions. While many of the film’s parts can be directly explained by the emotional state of its characters, paranormal elements also persist, making the full interpretation of the events become more complex and engaging. By seeing this movie multiple times and reviewing the subtle implications in its writing and cinematography, a person can derive even more enjoyment from the viewing. I think it also tackles an important issue in its narrative and finds the strength to teach a valuable lesson to people who might struggle with their own inner demons. Only by understanding ourselves and finding the necessary space to heal can the person truly be free of their trauma. Learning to face the things that bother you is an important part of emotional growth and is necessary for truly becoming a better person.
Works Cited
Scott, A. “The Babadook Review – You’ll Scare Because You Care.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 2014. Web.
“The Babadook (2014).” Script Slug. Web.
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