A Modern Proverb for Self-Care

Rating: 10/10 (22 March 2018)

If mental illness could be personified - then The Babadook would most certainly be one of the top contenders. This film is not an ordinary horror film saturated with nudity, gore, or cheap scares. Instead, director, Jennifer Kent, delivers an intellectual film artistically portraying the constant battle that the human mind engages in- the id vs. the ego. Many horror films will portray mental illness as mystical and terrifying for the sake of shock value, but this is where The Babadook differs from other horror films. In this film, mental illness itself is not the source of horror- the consequences of us neglecting our mental health is the source of horror.
The film's cinematography demonstrates how Amelia's grief has taken over her life. Her entire house is blue- from the wallpaper to the furniture. Blue is a color notoriously used to symbolize sadness, and in this film, it is used to color Amelia's grief. We also see a play between light and dark lighting in each scene, which is both a callback to German expressionism but also symbolizes the battle between Amelia's id vs. ego.
This film delivers a lesson that anyone could benefit from- Amelia is in a clear state of denial over the loss of her husband as she has locked away his belonging and photos in the basement (i.e her unconscious mind). The film shows us the return of the repressed by forcing Amelia to acknowledge her grief and fight it. She recognizes that she cannot outright get rid of her grief, but she can manage it- a crucial lesson for anyone who may suffer from mental illness.