Has the title left you in thought? Wondering what it could be? You guessed it right. It is one of a recent movie that has left many in seeking to read about various things at the same time. Yes, we are talking about the movie ‘Bird Box.’ It is one of the finest pieces of work in the field of thrillers.
Bird Box is a 2018 American post-apocalyptic horror thriller directed by Sussane Bier. The film follows one woman character, Sandra Bullock, who plays a stern mother who tries to survive the insane monsters or supernatural entities with two kids, revolving around the issue of mass suicide. The movie leaves you in suspense and with a lot of questions in your mind. Taking a deeper dig, we realize some underlined discourses portrayed in the film. Let’s have a look at these discourses.
Religious allegory–
There is a lot of myth surrounding religiosity and especially Christian prophecies. It can be observed that various characters in the film are discussing these prophecies to make sense of what is happening around the world. The symbol of putting a blindfold to survive resonates with the idea of blind faith. It is because every character is afraid to question the only solution they have found for their survival. They have ingrained the feeling that if anyone takes away their blindfold to see is killed off.
Mental Health Issues–
Mental health issues are another underlined theme represented in the movie. It points to the fact that if someone is guilty of something and looks directly at the entities for long enough to catch their darkness, they will end up following the path of mass suicide. Presumably, this notion of guilt and going to the dark trails represents the society’s perspective of mental illness. What society does or tells to do is to ignore such issues and move on; this is what the movie conveys, the character that blinds themselves to the problems can survive.
Unexplained Questions–
One of the prime discourses that can be identified is that there are a bunch of unanswered questions. These unanswered questions are the main reason that will keep your mind engaged even after its end. The following questions triggered my mind: ‘In what way the “entities” operate because the movie is grounded in that?’; ‘Is it a concept based on mass suicide?’; ‘Why is the significance of the name-Bird Box?’; ‘Why are the two birds kept in the box?’; ‘Are the people in the end scene blind or are they just pretending to be blind for the sake of survival?’ These are just a few questions at the top of my head. There may be many more you want to be answered.
‘Bird Box’ is genuinely worth a watch. It will leave you puzzled and amazed at the same time. And you will be pondering ‘is this movie an accurate depiction of mass suicide?’
References
- Ashcroft R., 25 things you didn’t know about Bird Box.
- Wikipedia, Bird Box.
