A gorgeous metaphor! Avant Garde at its best!

Rating: 8/10 (22 December 2014)

If you have seen The Babadook recently and not scratching your head, you have only seen the superficial. What surrounds beautifully the obvious horror is actually far more intricate. It is really worth applauding the effort Jennifer Kent put in to hold something so profound, so gorgeously wrapped under the aegis of psychotic horror.
Essie Davis dons Amelia's character so marvellously that it makes you feel the pain inside her eyes. You could read the grief in her character almost instantly.
MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!
The opening scene carries an accident portrayal beautifully shown with the protagonist rotating inside something we could assume as a car, who is then disturbed by a constant yammering of her six year old son Samuel. It is a peaceful dream of the mishap which Amelia wishes to see unperturbed, however gets objected by her son. There is chaos knocking at her door in the form of her son, who was born the day her husband died.
We spend a lot of time story building where we understand how Amelia's life has succumbed to grief owing to the misfortune of her husband's death. She is entangled in misery. For some reason she hates her son, probably because he reminded her of the accident that took her husband's life, this again mentioned eventually when she admits that she wanted him dead instead of her husband. The hatred again nicely shown in two instances in the beginning itself when Samuel tries to cling on her and she moves to the edge of the bed, and when he hugs her and she asks him not to do it again.
The direction is extremely subtle. Bits like the way the night would turn into the day, the moment Amelia slipped into her blankets, manifested how fast time flew by and that her life lacked proper sleep which was iced further by the irritating waking call from her son. She was annoyed by her son beyond limit and ends up overcoming by her dark side, The Babadook, which is nothing but a subtle metaphor to her dark image. There are subtle references that hone the aforementioned analogy to perfection like there is a scene where Amelia finds a piece of glass in her food. Samuel says it was The Babadook who did it. She checks his bowl but doesn't find any. The glass is a subtle reflection of the car accident where glasses were shattered and how she still clung on. Another scene where Mrs. Roach shows up at her door with reassuring eyes compels Amelia to have a change of heart is also a reflection on how advices and social talks tend to be helpful for grieving people.
We find horror in the form of a made-up story by Amelia's kid which she starts living. The rogue part in her constantly overpowers her and she ends up hurting what good was left in her life. However, eventually she overcomes her fears and says NO to her past, (The Babadook here) and starts loving her son. He celebrates her son's first birthday thus paving way for happiness and love there after. The movie ends up in contrast with the beginning: a smile on her face and love in her eyes.
Only for people who are willing to watch quality cinema which isn't Mainstream!