The Babadook (2014)
It’s hard to believe that The Babadook is the feature film debut of Australian director Jennifer Kent as this is a film of near flawless (Excellent? Something's either flawless or not flawless, so it doesn't really make sense to be 'near flawless') construction. The story follows a recently widowed mother Amelia and her out of control son Sam who is obsessed with protecting her from imaginary monsters. he is afraid of when he goes to bed at night, A common irrational childhood fear anyone can relate to, or is it irrational?
One night When looking for a bed-time story to read, Amelia finds (discovers) a pop-up book called “The Babadook” on a bookshelf that she doesn’t remember buying. The book begins in (classic)an almost Dr. Seuss rhyming style, but (slowly becomes more)after a few pages begins to turn threatening and sinister with sentences like “You can’t get rid of The Babadook”. //
Sam is naturally frightened by the story and they stop reading but he becomes obsessed with The Babadook and begins acting out, storing weapons around the house in order to fend of this new monster. His misbehaviour starts to drive Amelia over the edge and (as she becomes) unable to cope with the stress, (her, and the movies true nature reveals itself)the story turns its focus to what it really wants to talk about The struggles of a single parent who starts to hate her child.because she can’t cope and is slowly driven mad.
While While the Babadook itself is one of the scariest movie monsters conceived in the history of cinema, his taunt's of “ba-ba-dook-dook-dook” sends shivers down the (audience's) spines just thinking of it, the stories real horror elements emerge from Amelia’s sheer sense of frustration and the director’s ability to instil this feeling in the viewer, you too start to dislike (Sam)the child and you feel for Amelia and empathize with her inner conflict and you can feel it all coming to a head. No film has conveyed such a strong, constant sense of dread throughout since Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. (And ensures that The Babadook sticks long in the memory, blah-de-blah-de-blah 9/10) A strong comparison I know but I feel completely comfortable making it.
Log in to comment