Babadook is what happens if we do not face our grief. The embodiment of depression, suppressing of emotions, and a spooky guy(?). I truly regret not getting on the Babadook train back in the day but I am happy that I finally got to meet him. That tall man that lives in a book.
Being a single mom is tough. Being a single mom with a difficult son while making almost no money must be a nightmare. The only thing you can do at this stage is to suppress. But suddenly there’s a book in your house. A book about the Babadook. Your child is scared, starts seeing the creature everywhere, and soon you do too. What is real and what is in your head? That’s pretty much the simple retelling of the plot.
This movie is extremely good at storytelling. There’s a simple plot that goes several layers deep and there’s acting to boot! At the end of the day, the only disappointing thing in the movie happens to be the monster. His symbolism on the other hand is great but every time I see him I feel underwhelmed. I keep feeling that Babadook would be better as a pure psychological movie rather than standing on this weird edge of paranormality. But as with any good plot, if you dig deep enough that’s exactly what kind of movie this is. This movie deals with topics such as self-harm, depression, grief, and maybe most importantly acceptance. All of these heavy topics are presented without prejudice or bias and it’s a title that hits hard!
So what we have here is a very interesting story, nicely presented with plenty of undertones, and even with a good kid actor. Some people have been asking for a sequel. This movie does not need one. The implications of the plot are good enough for me. It’s a movie that starts conversations. And I plan to have plenty of those after watching this one!
