The Babadook (2014) directed by Jennifer Kent portrays the emotional strains that come with grief. The character of Amelia is mentally unstable as she struggles to raise her son, Sam. This portrayal of mental instability and her being an ‘outsider’ is portrayed through the micro and macro elements of the film to allow the audience to empathise with her emotions and immerse themselves within the narrative.
The sequence that closes the film is a significant indication to the audience of how Amelia decides to deal with the ‘Babadook’ which embodies her grief – she learns to live with it, rather than push it away. At the beginning of the sequence, the lighting is bright and exposing on Amelia and Sam, however the background juxtaposes this as it is almost unlit and features grey and black tones. This lighting choice pays homage’ to the chiaroscuro lighting used in German Expressionist films as ‘The Babadook’ aims to focus on the inner emotions of the protagonist, Amelia, through its mise-en-scene. The dismal ‘happy birthday’ sign attempts to bring some relative muted colour to the set, however, the sign reminds the audience how Sam’s birthday is an unhappy day for Amelia as it is the anniversary of her husband, Oskar’s, death. The muted colours of the sign portray how her world is colourless without him and grief continuously engulfs her. In contrast to the background, Amelia wears light, pastel clothing which could potentially signify how she is beginning to deal with her inner darkness, as previously wore darker colours. The idea of Amelia’s continued grief is also reflected through the cinematography, for example, a close up is used on her face as she explains to the social workers that it is the anniversary of her husband’s death, thus insinuating that she perhaps feels as though their judgement towards her is invasive, therefore Sam’s lack of birthday celebrations needs to be justified. Although her facial expression appears calm, the use of the close up highlights that she still finds Oskar’s death difficult to talk about and she is an outsider in society because of this. As the scene transitions to the next, a slow-paced tracking shot from under the soil is used which eventually reveals Amelia to be gardening. As the genre of the film is horror audiences may be led to believe that this extended panning may build up tension for a jump scare, however this is not the case in this scene. The audience expectations of the horror genre is defied to give the impression that the Babadook may still be lurking, but Amelia is choosing to ignore her grief and continue with her life. The use of the camera rising up from the soil is symbolic as it represents that Amelia has resurrected and changed her life around.
Before Amelia goes to ‘feed’ the Babadook, her and Sam are positioned on the far left-hand side of the frame, exhibiting the staircase which symbolises how, although they are beginning to cope with their grief, they still have a long journey to endure until they can overcome it. The use of the ‘Babadook’ as a metaphor for their grief is effective as the audience only ever sees its shadow, reinforcing the idea of the Babadook being something mental, rather than physical. This is especially effective when considering the socio-political context of the film as there is a certain stigma towards those with mental health issues in Australia. Before 2014 (the film’s release year) mental health was not discussed in Australian schools, meaning that the majority of children and teenagers didn’t understand what the term ‘mental health’ referred to. Although Amelia is presented as a ‘crazy’, delusional outsider, particularly in the scene when she tries to strangle her own son, an audience would be able to empathise with her by the end of the film as she restores to a state of relative normality as they witnessed the journey of her mental state.
A point of view shot is used when Amelia encounters the Babadook in the basement, to show the audience the way in which she deals with its menace. Initially she is presented as a vulnerable outsider in this scene, however she manages to gain courage to tame the monster. The loud growling of the monster sound conforms to the aims of the horror genre which is to shock and scare the audience, however, now the Babadook is outside Amelia, not inside her she has learnt to control it. When the Babadook was inside her, she went into a mental frenzy, but her son caressing her face was the reason the Babadook eventual left her body. The message the film brings to light is that love conquers all. This message is also highlighted when Amelia looks regretfully at the strangle bruises on Sam’s neck, but he reassures her that ‘it’s getting better’.
The film ends on a positive note as Sam performs a magic trick, revealing a dove out of thin air which is symbolic for the peace that Amelia has finally found. The final shot of the entire film is a lingering close up of Amelia as her and Sam embrace. It is a slow-paced shot which could potentially put the audience on edge, considering how fragile her mental state was previously when she attempted to kill Sam, but once again audience expectations are defied to provide a happy ending.
In conclusion, Amelia’s mental state and her portrayal of being an outsider is revealed to the audience through the micro features in order to allow the audience to empathise with her grief. Although she never overcomes her grief and rid of the Babadook entirely, she manages to learn to accept it and control it with the aid of her son’s affection.
Comentarios