warning: spoilers.

finally watched animal.

some people adore it. they blindly worship the main character. they resonate with him, and they want to be like him. be a badass like him. fight like him. treat women the way he treats them. they think women should be subservient, but now society has become a mess because women finally have the opportunity to work and be free. women no longer “need” men, they say, and it’s destroying the very fabric of society. we need to get back to the “good old times” when women used to stay at home, and feed kids, and ask the husband for money, like a “good wife”. uhh…

another group of people hate the movie. they label it offensive, misogynistic, and everything. they call for banning such movies, because “ban alcohol and nobody would drink!”. they say women are expected to be subservient and forgive every single time, and the whole reason is the patriarchy and it must be dismantled. power must be wielded by women, because “look at the mess men have created! we will do a better job than them.” not accounting for psychological conditions, merely attaching merit to gender, and lumping all men into one group is not a good idea either.

what i understood from movies like these is: it’s a portrayal of how trauma and unresolved issues can destroy lives and relationships.

you see how generations passing down hatred is detrimental. you see how trauma can have a destructive impact on the self. you see how a father’s misunderstanding and ill-treatment of the child can skew the father-son dynamic, and leave the son clamoring for his father’s love. you see how dysfunctional families end up in chaos. you see how trauma leads women to stick to toxic circumstances and create a dependency on their oppressors, even though they want out. you see how infidelity denigrates the sanctity of marriage, reduces the individual to a mere accessory, and destroys respect and trust, no matter how much one justifies it. you see how unresolved issues can lead to rage and destruction.

moviemakers are not preachers. you can’t expect them to pause the movie in the middle of the scene and show a text box saying “look guys, how this father is treating his son, and how it messes him up. don’t be like anil kapoor’s character.” that’s for you to understand.

but i agree that people laud and try to mimic the cautionary tales portrayed in cinema and TV. everyone loves walter white’s “i am the danger” edits, but i guess nobody remembers how messed up his family became and how it all went down. everyone remembers how michael corleone killed all the key leaders of the five families during his nephew’s baptism and thought it was the rise of the new don, but i guess nobody remembers how absolutely F-ed up the family became: connie, fredo, michael, kay, mary, santino, vincenzo, just to name a few. every “sigma” wannabe kid worships patrick bateman, but fails to realize that’s the guy you should not become.

to be honest, i don’t have a solution to this.

btw, i gotta say, i never knew rashmika could act this well. i mean, that scene where she has a conversation with ranbir’s character, oh my God. so much depth, and, idk man, i’m no expert, but her performance beats diane keaton’s (kay adams) in the godfather part ii. i used to dislike her, and i think it’s because every other director used her as a mere eyecandy.