The Babadook Explained: Ryan's Theory

Source: Hollinger, Ryan. “The Babadook Explained: Ryan’s Theory”. YouTube. uploaded by Ryan Hollinger, 16 May 2015.

You can watch this video HERE

Summary: 
This source is a video posted on YouTube. The video consists of Ryan Hollinger’s narration accompanied by scenes from the film which illustrate his key points. In its ten minutes, it offers an analysis of many of the Babadook’s key symbols, including the infamous worms, a symbol which is the subject of much debate. Additionally, it offers commentary on the relationships of the film’s main characters and the film's titular creature.   

Quality: 
This source has over one million hits on YouTube. This can be explained, I believe, due to its explanation of a movie with aggressively confusing symbolism in terms that are commonly understandable such as power and conflict: basically good vs. evil.

In this video, Ryan Hollinger effectively explains the Babadook as an internal struggle for the main character, Emilia. According to Hollinger, Emilia is being “evil” for selfishly putting her own grief over her job as a mother. Over the course of the film, she triumphs over her grief, represented by the evil Babadook. By vanquishing the Babadook, she lets go of her sorrow and embraces her motherly duties (Hollinger). This classic struggle of good vs. evil is the bread and butter of movie plots, and, based on the popularity of this video, seems to resonate with many people.

Examples of the clearly understandable good vs. evil dichotomy occur throughout Hollinger’s analysis of the film. For instance, he describes grief as a “black terrible ugly shadow”. The words “terrible” and “ugly” characterize the emotion of grief as evil. His description makes grief seem like the Babadook which is itself black, terrible, and ugly, and which certainly acts a destructive or “evil” force in the film.  

Issues: 
This source may be frustrating for some viewers because the thesis, the explanation of the confusing “worms scene,” appears at the end. At the start of the video, Ryan teases viewers, “It would be easy to give my interpretation [of the worms] right off the bat, but I’m never quite as simple as that…” The narrative here seems to be telling the viewer that this presentation will withhold the desired explanation until the end of the video for reasons that seem to be purely personal. If the video had volunteered the thesis, that the worms represent Emelia’s transition from a passive, weak character to an active, strong one then viewers may have gotten more from the video’s analysis of the film. 

 

Please consider this statement which, in the context of Hollinger’s thesis, would have much stronger thematic resonance. In speaking about the loss of Samuel’s father and its effects on his bereaved family, Ryan states, “…there is no dominant figure…Emilia no longer has her confident husband to control her child…” Taken without the thesis, this sentence may come across as sexist. The phrases “…no dominant figure…” taken with “…confident husband…” seem to suggest that a mother can’t run a family on her own. However, if the thesis came first, this statement would sound less sexist. The thesis is about Emilia growing from weak to strong. Knowing that Ryan Hollinger believes Emilia can be strong could make his words sound more like he is describing a person undergoing a growth process and less like he is describing someone who is innately incapable of raising a child because of her gender.  

Key Words: Babadook, worms, interpretation, theory, good vs. evil, grief, sexism, gender, family, mother, power

Useful Quotes:

“Samuel is the boss of their relationship, because there is no dominant figure to take control. Sexism. Emilia no longer has her confident husband to control her child…”

“Many people see the Babadook as a reflection of grief and the black terrible ugly shadow that it is”

“The big question everyone keeps pondering over is the significance of the worms”

“It would be easy to give my interpretation right off the bat, but I’m never quite as simple as that, so let’s put everything into context”.

“She loves her son unconditionally like any mother would, on the other hand she simply sees him as a burden”

“Samuel is the boss of their relationship, because there is no dominant figure to take control. Sexism. Emilia no longer has her confident husband to control her child…”

“Samuel beings out [Emilia’s] real self”

“The Babadook once again opens its arms waiting her to embrace but she refuse and she realizes her responsibility and becomes a strong an confident mother” (sic).

“She has self-control. She confronts her anger and gives herself the support that no one else will”

“‘Worm’ is a term for someone who is cowardly or pitiful. She feeds the worm to the Babadook to feed her and her son’s previous negativities. It’s almost sacrificial in nature”

“‘…even a worm will turn” submissive quiet or gentle people can retaliate if pushed to their limits. [Emilia] goes from bottling her feelings to exploding with anger until she fought back and gained the happiness she so suffered greatly for.”