klarnemann Review of The Babadook

The Babadook (2014)

Brilliant depiction of a borderline mother and her child

[10/10 · 4 October 2019]

Like the child -- and adults -- in the film, the audience is blind to the simple, shattering reality: Amelia created the Babadook. Amelia is -- and always was -- the Babadook. The film brilliantly depicts the dissociated perceptions of both child and mother as they attempt to survive their horrifying and tragic reality. Because, who can fathom a mother who is pathologically detached, hateful, malicious, and... violent towards her child? Not the child, not the mother, and not even the adults that surround them. The adults who watch this film. We are blinded by our deeply held belief that mothers are supposed to be nurturing, loving, and most of all... safe havens for their children. The reality is that Amelia is possessed -- by borderline personality disorder triggered by the traumatic loss of her husband. A perpetual victim, she feeds off of her self-pity and the pity of those around her, using it to justify her seething resentment of her child. Unable to take responsibility for her abusive behavior, she birthed the "Babadook". Underneath it all is a deeply troubled mother -- and a brave child living in constant fear of and for his mother, desperately struggling to protect himself, protect his (abusive) mother, and, ultimately, to survive. I am so grateful for this film, which so perfectly encapsulates the reality of hidden mental illness, giving life to the complex experiences of mother, child, and outside observers.