The Babadook: An Allegory for Depression and PPD

Rating: 9/10 (26 March 2018)

**Spoilers**
The Babadook is a darkly beautiful film that deals with the very difficult subject of depression and I'd argue post-partum depression. I think it's closer to post-partum for two reasons. Firstly, the film opens on the car accident in which Amelia loses her husband. This is a reoccurring motif in the film. She has a dream or memory of the accident over and over, creating an idea that it tethers her to her depression, but what makes this post-partum centered specifically is that Samuel repeatedly mentions how his father died on the day he was born, thus tethering his life to his mother's loss. Secondly, Amelia seems distanced from Sam. She treats him, even in the beginning, and steadily worse throughout the film, as a reminder of pain. This film is a dark reflection of the painful path of post-partum depression and how women with post-partum depression may feel drawn to kill themselves or their children.
The most striking think about this film, however, is it's used of lighting, specifically in the house and how that correlates to depression as well. The house where Amelia and Sam live is almost always very, very dark. However, it always seems that there is a lot of light coming in through the windows. Upon first watch, it is easy to think that it's just a mistake in lighting, however, it creates a metaphor for the way depression feels. As though the light is right there, if only we could see and reach it.