The Babadook and Facing the Shadow-Self
Mental affliction is a social concern that is exploited by the media, whilst being unjustly overlooked by the healthcare system. The attempt to visually distinguish psychiatric illness attracted exaggerated and dramatized depictions of insanity in both academic works and circulating media. Similarly, in her examination of popular films, Livingston concludes that media’s “unrealistic portrayal of psychiatric disorders” is both informed by and shapes cultural beliefs (124). The inaccurate portrayal of the mentally afflicted contributes to the stigmatization and marginalization of people with mental illness (Eisenhauer 14). A disturbing association of mental illness with aggressive – and, at times homicidal – behavior is particularly apparent in horror films (Livingston 119). This essay centers on Jennifer Kent’s horror feature The Babadook (2014) and on the way the film addresses mental illness without stigmatizing its characters. …show more content…
The argument is organized into sections and subsections that examine the film’s formal structure and interpret its narrative elements as they pertain to the film’s statement on and contribution to the depiction of mental illness and associated problems. The Babadook explores the familiar family dynamic that is compromised by suppressed grief and denial. The monster in the film, Mister Babadook, is not merely a supernatural presence, but a psychological one as well. Therefore, the term “monster” here signifies both Mister Babadook’s physical presence and the suppressed trauma he
Mental affliction is a social concern that is exploited by the media, whilst being unjustly overlooked by the healthcare system. The attempt to visually distinguish psychiatric illness attracted exaggerated and dramatized depictions of insanity in both academic works and circulating media. Similarly, in her examination of popular films, Livingston concludes that media’s “unrealistic portrayal of psychiatric disorders” is both informed by and shapes cultural beliefs (124). The inaccurate portrayal of the mentally afflicted contributes to the stigmatization and marginalization of people with mental illness (Eisenhauer 14). A disturbing association of mental illness with aggressive – and, at times homicidal – behavior is particularly apparent in horror films (Livingston 119). This essay centers on Jennifer Kent’s horror feature The Babadook (2014) and on the way the film addresses mental illness without stigmatizing its characters. …show more content…
The argument is organized into sections and subsections that examine the film’s formal structure and interpret its narrative elements as they pertain to the film’s statement on and contribution to the depiction of mental illness and associated problems. The Babadook explores the familiar family dynamic that is compromised by suppressed grief and denial. The monster in the film, Mister Babadook, is not merely a supernatural presence, but a psychological one as well. Therefore, the term “monster” here signifies both Mister Babadook’s physical presence and the suppressed trauma he