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The Babadook ~ Film Review
Childhood and motherhood are important phases for many of us, but they can also become very conflicting. Not all childhoods are wonderful and the honor of being a mother is not exactly easy. When a child and mother interact, there are many different emotions that come into play. Thoughts like, “Am I going to be a good mother?” are productive thoughts that could make a family very happy. On the other hand, there are some dark thoughts that every mother has, but can’t really express. The Babadook is the perfect depiction of those dark thoughts and how our own grief can turn to hatred.
The Babadook juxtaposes the themes of childhood and motherhood in a brilliant, albeit terrifying, manner. The story begins with the introductions of Amelia (Essie Davis), a widowed mother, and Samuel (Noah Wiseman), the angry and imaginative child. Seven years earlier, Amelia’s husband died in a car crash while bringing her to the hospital to give birth to Sam. Due to this traumatic event, the connection between Amelia and Sam is tense and poisonous. Sam consistently displays bizarre behavior like insomnia and preoccupation with imaginary monsters. This fixation with monsters is so strong, that Sam begins making weapons and telling other families about the horrible monsters that are out to get his mom and him. Amelia’s overwhelming grief can turn to hatred, which results in a toxic relationship with her son. There are sexual overtones and constant grief shared between the two due to the loss of the father. The tension comes to a head when the two decide to read a children’s book called The Babadook. Amelia immediately realizes that this book is not suitable for kids and attempts to destroy it. Sadly, destroying the book and her grief isn’t that simple.
What this film does brilliantly is explore complicated themes in a very honest and truthful way. At its core, The Babadook is a simple movie. Amelia is suffering from extreme depression over the loss of her husband and Samuel blames himself for his father’s death. When the grief becomes overwhelming, Amelia blames her son for her husband’s death. While most of us haven’t had to deal with this particular situation, we can all empathize with the struggles of grief and parenting. Mister Babadook is the perfect embodiment not only of the hatred and anger we can have for the people we love, but also…
