Coraline

I watched the movie “Coraline” with my buddy Porshia Foster, and it was crazy. While we were thinking that it was just a kid’s movie, we soon learned that it was not. I had already begun watching the movie, so I had some idea what it was about, but I was still not prepared for the depth of the movie as we watched together. From the beginning, it was clear that something strange was happening from the way the doll is made. It was clear that this was not the first doll to be made, and whatever it was, it was designed for a specific person. The person who it was made for was a little girl who recently moved and was essentially ignored by her parents. Being a curious young lady (presumably around the age of 12), she was curious and explored everything. She was given a doll that looked exactly like her, and that same day, she found a little door, behind which there was a brick wall. Shrugging it off, she goes to bed, but is later lured by a mouse back to the door, which know has a tunnel behind it to a house that looks like her own… yet, it’s different. In this house, everything seems to be as she desires – her parents are attentive and her mother cooks actual food. The neighbors are entertaining instead of crazy, the little boy who drives her crazy cannot talk, and everything just seems perfect.


Now, I don’t want to ruin the movie, because you’re going to want to see it, but I will tell you that it showed me some things about life. One, life cannot be perfect. Anything that seems perfect always has its flaws. Everything cannot be catered to us or make us happy without a price. This thought ties into the second lesson – things are not always as they seem. Just because something looks amazing and promising and better than what you have doesn’t mean that it’s better for you. When you look closer and get beyond your own desire to be the center of attention, you will most likely see the problems. This also relates to people who we may think are a little off. Even though they seem to be quirky or whatever, they may be the most in touch with divine things and just see life in a different way. Three, people do crazy things in the name of love. Anyone who wants to love you so much that their whole life revolves around you will soon drain the life from you. I’m not saying that it’s bad to love someone deeply and generously, but if the person cannot exist outside that love for you, they will begin expecting and desiring things of you to draw them into that kind of existence. If a person cannot exist outside of you, that is a problem, and the relationship will not be good.

There’s more to this movie, but I’d have to watch it again to remember it all. Just know that is a worthwhile movie that’s less than 2 hours.