The section of On review cover The Boat written, edited and narrated by Kier Gomes, produced by Tyler Nichols and John Fallon, and produced by Berge Garabedian.
As we all know, horror movies come in many forms and there are many sub-genres in horror that make it accessible and appealing to almost everyone. Whether you’re looking for demon resources, ghosts, ghouls, haunted houses, or have an insatiable craving for corn syrup – the horror genre has something for you. And so, the topic of today’s video is the discussion feature from Jennifer Kent who plays in the sandbox of the paranormal, as she illuminates the idea that the REAL fear – the fear himself. The Boat (watch HERE) is a 2014 psychological horror film that follows a widowed single mother and her troubled young son. The film certainly feels confident in its approach to such a deep story, and Jennifer Kent started on the screen in 2009 with the idea of exploring grief, and the fear of losing your grip. on truth. This is one of those movies that plays hard into the “fear what you can’t see” device that shrouds most of the scenes in great, crippling darkness. This seems to be partially related to the film’s limited budget, but overall it is very effective.
Amelia is a middle-class single mother whose six-year-old son doesn’t sleep – and by extension, neither does she. Amelia’s husband has been dead since the day their son was born when he was killed in a car accident on the way to the hospital. This family’s grief is heavy from the start as we see Sam exhibit disturbed and manic behavior, and Amelia struggles to hold her life together as her fame, work life, and home life collide. fall to pieces around her. The roles of our main characters are played by Essie Davis as Amelia and Noah Wiseman as Sam. The performances of these two are particularly strong in this film. They have indeed received a respectable level of critical acclaim and one of the biggest positives of this film is the relentless drama and believable acting on display from these two Australian actors.
When Sam finds a children’s book in his room called “Mister Babadook”, his mother reads it to him in the hope that he will fall asleep. Inside the book there is a series of spooky verses and even more amazing pictures that refer to the horrible events that this family is doing. This includes things like Sam going into full-on celebrity, breaking his cousin’s nose, and various social issues. The film really takes its time getting to the “monster” of the film – and when we finally get to it – hardly any time is spent killing the creature. BUT, this is only half true – See, the movie makes it very clear that the Babadook is a physical manifestation of Amelia’s sadness, anxiety and fear. So, by spending most of the film’s brisk 94-minute running time on Amelia’s daily state – the film IS defining the monster – Mister Babadook is her inner struggle. This is also supported by the film’s incredibly memorable ending but… we’ll get to that.
Sam’s character also deserves some praise. Not only is Noah Wiseman’s performance great, but the character is also well written. Sam isn’t necessarily a bad kid – if anything, we just feel bad for him throughout the film. He has the youthful naivete of a six-year-old that makes him like him at heart, and beyond his many psychological issues, he’s a good kid. Sam loves magic and is always using his sleight of hand which alone adds a magical level to contrast his appearance. At first, Amelia doesn’t believe Sam when he blames the Babadook for his erratic behavior, and even goes so far as to get prescription tranquilizers from the doctor to make Sam have a good night’s sleep. This is both good for Sam, and good for Amelia as she finally has a chance to relax. About halfway through, Amelia begins to realize that the children’s book she read Sam about the Babadook seems to have a mind of its own. Amelia can no longer ignore that the strange events happening around her and Sam cannot be explained by Sam’s mental issues. And that it seems that something much more dangerous is approaching them.
In classic horror fashion, we get a. a few attempts by Amelia to destroy the book – thinking that if the book goes away, the hunger will stop. But of course, if she hides the book, it is found. If she rips it up and throws it in the trash, it shows up at her door taped back together, if it burns… well, congratulations to the woman who destroyed the only thing you need see the police to help you. Nice.
There are a lot of little moments in this movie that make it especially chilling on repeat viewings. For example, when you know what to look for, you’ll find yourself examining each frame looking for clues to confirm your theories or to see the creepy man in black lurking in the shadows. In particular, the scene where Amelia is watching an old TV show late at night and starts seeing images of the Babadook on her TV screen. The scene is so intense because watching TV late at night is a routine for Amelia. A few times during this film where Amelia gets her… “Me time”, but when we see it in this scene, it shows how big the influence of the Babadook has been on the growth of her life. This may be a stretch, but it seems that this scene is what makes Amelia realize that there is nowhere to hide. It’s like the negative thoughts, the fear, the sadness, the sadness, whatever – the only place she can escape to when life gets too much. It’s very interesting and I like it.
So, now that Amelia is convinced that the monster in her home is real, it’s a matter of finding out what it wants, and how to get rid of it. Well… sort of.
It is established earlier in the film through one of the nursery rhymes that the Babadook cannot get rid of once you have seen it. Like many monsters throughout the horror genre, the Babadook feeds on fear and belief in its existence. And seeing as we’ve spent the entire movie waiting to see this thing, I think it’s time to talk about the character design of the Babadook.
The character is very cold and very similar to the boogeyman, he works much better when he is hidden in the shadows. See, I think the silhouette of the Baddook is scary. The hunched shoulders and long fingers and the wide eyes and smile… it’s really scary. When it comes more into the light, or when it’s seen on the TV show, it looks a little more weird, but I think that’s kind of the point. If we adhere to the idea that the Babadook represents fear and anxiety – it would make sense that it is much more frightening when it is hidden than when you finally face it. Think of it as the coat hanging in your closet that looks like a monster when you see it in the middle of the night, but once your eyes adjust you’ll see that there’s nothing to be afraid of . I believe that point is driven even further by the design of the character.
However, in terms of aesthetics, you will find that fans and critics of the film praised the eerie, minimal monster design and the creative way it was designed to be much bigger and more magnificent than it is. really.
Amelia gets possessed by the Babadook at the last minute when she’s trying to protect Sam, and this is really where Essie gets to see the sights. Basically she lets her fear get the best of her, and she unloads all her inner struggles onto her young son in a fit of pure maternal contempt. It almost made ME hurt myself.
Sam must act quickly if he wants to save himself, and his mother. He sets up a few booby traps around the house Kevin McCallister style and even uses some of his nifty magic skills to subdue the Babadook and exercise his mother. For some, the film could have ended there. It would have been a good ending with Amelia overcoming her inner demons and Sam finally being able to settle into a normal, healthy mind. However… Remember when I said you can’t get rid of the Babadook? Well, it’s true. Just like the pain in our own lives, it can never go away, but we can learn to live with it. This is the literal end of the film as we see that Amelia is keeping the Babadook in her basement and feeding him worms to keep him from getting out of control. This, to me, reads like the ultimate happy ending. Amelia didn’t completely win her cases, that wouldn’t be true. Instead she learned to control him and make him live with the happiest things in her life.
All in all, The Boat Really an original idea of a real fear that most adults have. It shows that even when everything in your life is broken, you can still find a way to rebuild if you face what brings you down. Try it, if you haven’t yet.
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