Reviewing Turning Red (****)
I’ll definitely need to watch this again – and not just because I enjoyed it.
Turning Red is Pixar’s latest foray into the human psyche, in many ways a spiritual successor to Inside Out – although I’m still holding out hope that we get a sequel for that film sometime in the future. Focusing on a moment of ‘unexpected development’ in the life of a 13 year old Chinese-Canadian girl, the central concept has to do with young Mei’s struggle between honouring her parents and embracing a lifestyle or code of ethic that they don’t necessarily approve of. First and foremost, I think that’s a wonderful topic to tackle. It’s one of those classic universal issues that Pixar has nailed so many times in the past. In particular, I think it’s great that Pixar tackled this issue through the perspective of a young girl and her mother. I’ve written before about the overwhelming lack of mother-daughter stories in cinema compared to father-son stories, so the fact that we get a compelling narrative here from a female side of things is refreshing. Further, I love the parallels to menstruation and puberty that are so evident in the story. When I was a young boy, I didn’t understand a thing about puberty for girls – and I certainly wasn’t comfortable learning about it. Although this film isn’t just about female puberty, there’s enough discussion to help provide an opportunity for young boys and girls wrap their heads around it. I loved that, and thought it was really important.
I also really enjoyed the Canadian-ness of this film. In a matter of minutes, we got to see the CN Tower, the TTC, and even Timbits. This didn’t feel like an attempt to win Canadian hearts as much as it felt like a genuine love letter to Canada. Heck, the final act of the film takes place inside the SkyDome. How awesome is that?!
At the same time, Turning Red has gotten a lot of flak for some of its central themes and ideas. Some of this criticism seems downright silly to me. The idea that the panda is a demonic force seems much too strong a conclusion for the kind of story that is being told here. There’s certainly a Jekyll and Hyde element to Mei’s characterization, but the panda is very clearly depicted as an expression of Mei’s independence. You can certainly throw a ‘demonic’ label on this film just as you can slap a ‘LGBT’ label on Luca. But neither film demands that interpretation. On that note, there’s a character in this film who some have said is meant to represent the LGBT community – which has drawn admiration from some and condemnation from others. Either way, there’s nothing explicit – and nothing I can remember that was even implicit – about their character, so I don’t see what all the fuss is about either way.
The main thing that makes me want to watch this movie again though is the fact that I haven’t reached a conclusion yet on how I feel about the film’s portrayal of independence and rebellion. To clarify, I would define independence as a natural and necessary development in children. It’s when you discover who you are – however similar or different that ends up being from your parents – and start charting your own course. Rebellion, on the other hand, is a natural but unnecessary development. It’s when you do the opposite of what you’ve been brought up to do, and generally, it’s done for the sake of being different. For example, deciding to become a plumber instead of a librarian like your father would probably fall into the category of independence. Becoming a book-burner would probably be rebellion. It’s difficult to fully separate the two, however. Many (if not all) of us have displayed both traits in our adolescence – to the point where it may be difficult to distinguish them at all. It’s a heart thing, I think. When you’re doing something because that’s who you are, that’s independence. When you’re doing something as a response to what someone else says you are, that’s rebellion. Some will likely disagree with me here, and that’s fine – I’m not sure I have this fully fledged out myself.
The reason I’m talking about this is because I think the film tackles both independence and rebellion – but I’d need to re-watch it to better understand whether or not both traits are celebrated. Independence is definitely a thing to celebrate, and I think we can all agree on that. Rebellion, on the other hand, isn’t something I think we should celebrate – though again, some might disagree. When Mei in panda form is slapping her butt at her monster-sized mom, it’s very clearly a rebellion moment – and it’s played for laughs. It’s very clearly not a moment saying that this is the kind of behaviour we should replicate. But at the end of the film, Mei’s about to leave home when her mother comments on her appearance. Mei’s panda ears and tail are poking out of her human form. Her mom isn’t a fan, but Mei responds with “My panda, my choice” in a blatant nod to the “My body, my choice” movement popular in modern feminism. This moment seems to be depicted as one that we, the audience, should accept and cheer on. But is this really something that we as parents (or kids) should be okay with? What Mei’s doing here is drawing a very clear line with regards to the control or authority her mother has in her life. That’s obviously been done in the movie earlier, and to much greater effect. In the film’s climax, Mei decides to keep her inner panda while her mother does not. But there’s something disquieting about this “you can’t go out looking like that” moment for me – and I didn’t have any issue with the former scene. I think it’s because the former scene has to do with Mei learning and embracing her identity as distinct from that of her mother. This final scene instead has to do with the idea that Mei has the right to behave how she wants regardless of her mother’s instruction. I have a harder time swallowing that, particularly because Mei is 13 years old. There’s a time for everyone to respectfully say to their parents, “That’s your rule, but it’s not mine”. But I don’t know if 13 is the time to do it. Maybe there isn’t a firm line on when it becomes appropriate for everyone, but either way, this scene felt slightly problematic for me.
This film is a great opportunity for kids and parents to talk about puberty, maturity, independence, and growing up. It may ruffle some feathers (as it seems to have done to me at least a little), but maybe that’s okay. At the very least, I’d recommend this purely based on its value as an ode to Canada.
Oh – and my favourite line as a whole comes less than a minute into the film from the main character:
“Not to brag, but being 13 means I’m officially a grown-up. At least according to the Toronto Transit Commission.”
Mei, the TTC will take as much money from you as they can, however they can get it. If that means calling you a grown-up, they will not hesitate.