Babadook

[hellman]

[hellman]

piece of crap movie.. don't know why it has 95 percent rating on rotton tomatoes and won 16 awards... but performance of the little kid was awesome.. kid was hilarious.. he beat the shit out her mom

[slikrapid]

don't know why it has 95 percent rating on rotton tomatoes and won 16 awards

likely because it has deeper meaning underneath: (2.) & (3.)
it doesn't have much gore, but the psychological pressure was ample
interestingly, its an australian movie, funded via kickstarter with a tiny budget and it is a debut at the same time, though you don't really notice the lack of financial means regarding the outcome

but performance of the little kid was awesome.. kid was hilarious..

agreed, both of them (kid/mum) were well cast and had good chemistry, was fun to watch them interact
the storytelling scenes are also very effective in their combination of: artwork/camera movement/actor reactions/sounds
on the negative side, the last half an hour was somewhat clumsy with the exception of an interesting conclusion

there are 3 levels to this movie:
1. the surface: psychological horror, just like any other
2. beneath the surface: a story of human fears (of death, of the unknown), of maternal instincts, of strange encounters, of the dark side
3. further beneath the surface: existential, spiritual matters

1. watch it and see
2. a decent review from a female/mother perspective, see below for some comments on that

http://biffbampop.com/2014/11/08/blue-on-black-a-psychoanalysis-of-the-babadook-2014/

3. keep on reading...


*spoilers ahead*


comments/corrections of that review above:

- the kid is not really (too) afraid of monsters, he is preparing to face them later on, probably because he had intuitive premonitions of such events happening in the future (his dreams, many hours of basement activity, he picked the book, all synchronized with his mum's condition), it can be actually said that the kid is more open/sincere than other 'normal' kids (speaks his mind, less conformity, just like his biological father - like father, like son)
- there was no disconcertment regarding the book artwork until the the story became increasingly scarier, on the contrary, the kid was having fun and his mum was surprised by the contents (in a cautious/confused/suspicious way)
- watch carefully: the kid was not afraid of the babadook story, he was crying because he did not get what he wanted (the story read in full, knowing the end), since his mum switched books and started reading something more familiar (after realizing the babadook story went way beyond 'big bad wolf' level)
- seems the kid was coping much better than his mum, even had a better intuition (she kept denying that anything strange was going on)
- throwing the book away symbolizes her attempt to 'shove it under the carpet', to run away from it, to throw/keep it far away, so she doesn't have to face what is inside - she is running away from the problem, not being ready to understand it yet

obviously (less for those grieving, ie. 'of distorted perception'):
- the kid did not choose when or where or how he was to be born, thus there is no guilt (other than being there)
- the husband/mother did what they thought was appropriate for that situation, thus there is no guilt (other than being there)
- other direct/indirect acteurs did the same regarding their own actions (or inaction)
- could they (any of them) have acted differently? theoretically yes, practically no, in other words: if it happened, it had to happen, no way around it

when the book returns, those new images were visions of the future (like proof that the book is telling the truth, as happened with the loud banging on the door):
- she does kill the dog later on, in that exact way (shown to be dead, in the book)
- she does strangle the kid later on, in that exact way (shown only being strangled, not dead, in the book)
- the last image suggests (attempted) suicide, but was not shown in the movie - could be a metaphor for finalizing her journey

- soup with shards of glass in it may be a metaphor for 'the truth hurts' as she got closer to it - the kid did not have this problem as he already knew the cause: babadook (growing underneath), but he cannot comprehend the motives/meaning other than simple things, just like any kid, he lacked maturity, which is why his mum had to take over the babadook challenge, this is grown-ups stuff after all
- mother going crazy was her way of handling the growing babadook (due to her lower level of understanding, the events were rough and extremely unpleasant for both sides, she wasn't aware of what was really going on, thus not being able to take a reasonable position, she did what she could at the time, which happened to be pretty nasty stuff, but they made it nevertheless)
- the tooth was a sign of the storm, of something not being right, of some itch that needed proper scratching, of some rotting that needed proper excavation - and when does it happen? when she was ready to (do it)

ending:
- how did she deal with babadook? she let it in, she partially understood it, she kept it close and fed it occasionally - her son will face it too when he gets older and more mature for such things, in other words, there is a babadook inside of everyone, thought to be a boogeyman of sorts, but that is only a superficial assessment by those unfamiliar with the true nature of reality
- who really won? the babadook on all fronts: the story went on exactly as foretold in the book, all events happened (the last one was partial, ie. will happen eventually), the mother partially embraced him, they learned to live with it, realized that it was always a part of their lives and they looked happier than ever (increased understanding, calmness through knowing the truth about oneself)


and we go a little deeper still:


Babadook, an unusual name, didn't find a satisfactory explanation of its origin on teh interwebs (rarely anyone bothered asking about it, which is rather strange) - it consists of:

baba - in many languages it means father (or even 'a holy person'), in others grandmother or old woman (e.g. baba yaga), can be understood as baby babble (ba-ba, da-da, pa-pa), it represents a parental figure, the movie shows a male/mister, thus it represents 'the father' (though obviously not the biological father who died in that car crash)

dook - explained in the movie as knocking ('dook, dook, dook' as in 'knock, knock, knock', 'let me in')

so it is 'the father' who knocks 'on the closet door' (ie. he is already inside), as a way to get your attention, entering your consciousness, whereby you become aware of his presence ('let me in')

the book itself could be called 'the book of life' (representing one's life) or 'the book of blood' (its covers were all red, just like blood, with the babadook image/name residing within, metaphorically in one's blood and literally on the front cover), it has no author name to it hinting at universality

MISTER BABADOOK

If it's in a word or it's in a look, you can't get rid of the Babadook.

If you're a really clever one and you know what it is to see,
then you can make friends with a special one... a friend of you and me.

His name is Mister Babadook and this is his book.

A rumbling sound, then three sharp knocks... ba BA-ba Dook! Dook! Dook!
That's when you'll know he's around. You'll see him if you look.
Ba BA-ba Dook! Dook! Dook!

This is what he wears on top. He's funny, don't you think?
See him in your room at night... And you won't sleep a wink.

LET ME IN!

I'll soon take off my funny disguise
(take heed of what you've read...)
And once you see what's underneath...

YOU'RE GOING TO WISH YOU WERE
DEAD.

...blank pages...

part 2 (after the book returns, notice the intense/ill-mannered writing):

I'll WAGER with YOU, I'LL MAKE you a BET.
ThE MORE you DENY the STRONGER I GET

LET ME IN!

You start to CHANGE when I get in,
the BABADOOK growing right UNDER YOUR SKIN

Oh COME!
Come SEE
what's UNDERNEATH!

- no 'once upon a time'? all the time then...
- once you start noticing the babadook, you'll see him in everything and everywhere, you can't get rid of it (example: once you know how to read words, you'll see them in any written material), it means you will be able to recognize it within things
- if you have a higher level of understanding, and you know how to look beneath the surface, you can become familiar with that which is common to all of us, our essence (represented by the babadook)
- the rumbling sound and knocking (on the door) represent an important event (attracting your attention), 3 might represent the trinity (thesis/antithesis/synthesis), you'll see it if you know what to look for
- what he wears on top is a funny outfit, almost like a clown (represents our roles & masks, role-playing in life, beating around the bush, circling around the center)
- see him at night means at a time when the rays of light aren't filling every part of your viewing area, literally forcing you to use light as a way to see things, to see the information they carry as they enter your visual sensing organs - when these are gone, things previously unseen emerge, things obscured by the light, another world, another dualistic side - naturally, you won't sleep when such unusual things unfold before your eyes, things you are too tired to notice when you normally go to sleep (thus not letting them in your awareness at that time)
- to 'let him in' means adapting yourself to a new way of viewing things, the babadook way, becoming ready to embrace that part of your being, just like you're already embracing light as something completely normal - by embracing both, you come closer to the(ir) synthesis, ie. understanding of how they interact or what they represent
- 'soon' enough the masks will fall (a logical outcome once the role has been played in full: as a mask was put on in the beginning, so it must fall in the end - just as a role was started, so it must end too), ending the masquerade - pay attention to what all this means - once you see whats underneath the masks or beneath the surface or beyond the superficial, you'll be closer to your destination, which is existence beyond the material body, hence the 'death' of the body, as it is no longer needed in the process - why would you wish it? not because of fear, but because of understanding - in fact, being able to proceed means you conquered the fear, fear of the dark, fear of the unknown, fear of the unknown depths of your being, becoming finally ready to understand your being in full, it is a wish or a dream come true, that is what you were living for in the first place, to find out who you really are underneath it all

part 2:
- safe betting? easy when you're sure about the outcome
- more denial means more illusory baggage piling up in your subconscious, like n00b sailing unfamiliar seas with heavy waves, as opposed to being familiar with the territory/weather/water, sailing like a pro
- the tangible change happens as you realize this is something relevant in your journey
- growing under your skin? the growing understanding of your true being, hidden behind/beneath the external body/skin
- now that you got real curious, there's no turning back, the babadook awaits!


now that you have an idea what this babadook may represent, think about how similar this is to other 'scary monsters' out there, many of which are often depicted as 'creatures of the dark', which illustrates our own ignorance of what they really are or what they symbolically represent or what this darkness is all about