Bad Book, Alright Movie

Rating: 5/10 (26 March 2018)

What it lacked in plot substance, The Babadook made up for in technical skill and anthology of the monsters in our minds. Quite frankly, the plot itself was quite predictable - there are already a plethora of movies where the archaic mother creates an overbearing presence in the life of her son. This influence eventually turns into the demise of this child. On the other hand, this movie was able to recreate the archaic mother by making her more of a main character, rather than a character laying in the background. Seeing the progression of the mother destroying the life of her child seemed templated, and much too organized. The use of shots and lighting was the most redeeming quality of the movie, as this combination created this absent-presence of a creature in the house, as well as the monster itself. Close-ups and low-key lighting are the saving grace of this film. The anthological anecdote of psychological disorders was fantastic. The Babadook was able to show that these mental disabilities are not static. Through Amelia, played by Essie Davis, the audience saw this brewing of an internal conflict; starting with the death of her lover, then slowly progressing to the stress of a mundane job and a misfit son, this notion of depression, along with many other symptoms, was clear and done in respectably. Having both its ups and downs, The Babadook, though failing in certain aspects, found a way to barely climb out of the whole it dug itself.