MovieChat Forums > Coraline (2009) Discussion > I have a problem

I have a problem

posted 10 years ago by lanis_cupus
19 replies | jump to latest

Maybe I'm confused, but what exactly are the filmmakers trying to say here? We have a young girl who's obviously being neglected by her workaholic parents. She goes on a dream trip and learns that her ideal childhood is an illusion and in fact things could be even worse.

Granted, Coraline's real parents are reformed to some degree by their own experience but the emphasis is on Coraline and her unrealistic desires. The tag line is even, "Be careful what you wish for."

To me, when a child is being obviously neglected, it only makes sense for them to seek refuge in a fantasy world where things are everything they imagine they could be.

I suppose if Coraline had started out a spoiled brat, the story would have been too typical. But it would have worked better for this viewer at least. In the end, I'm left to question the intent of the creators. Did I miss their real meaning or is their film just a ploy to keep inquisitive, imaginative (and underattended) children in line?

That's the most you'll ever get out of me Wordman. Ever. -Eddie Wilson

[–] dark_frances 10 years ago

The point, the way I saw it, was that people are strange and life with them is sometimes hard. But that's how the real world functions and you have to learn to cope with that, taking refuge in a sugary illusion is no way out of your problems. Whether you are an adult or a child (remember that the parents themselves were tricked by the Beldamme, probably with the same trick). Coraline didn't start as a spoiled brat, but she still needed to grow up even more in order to deal with her reality.

Children may be as inquisitive and imaginative as they want, as long as they know what's real and what is not, and as long as they are able to deal with the real. Coraline's "other world" is more than a dream, we're being told that at some point, it's far more than wishful thinking, she was doing something that made her drift away (maybe taking some drugs? maybe trying to run away from home? if we take the story metaphorically). I don't think that "not drifting away" equals "staying in line". Coraline's home life was not rosy, but it's not like we're told indirectly that she should have listened to her parents and done their bidding in every way - in fact, the one who really tries to turn Coraline into an obedient child was the evil Beldamme. She has difficult parents - who do provide for her and care, although are emotionally neglectful and keep a disorganized household -, but these are just problems she has to cope with or attempt to solve, not run away from. Also, we see her and her family in a particularly difficult moment - they had just moved to a new place, she had just separated from her old friends, and the parents have a stressful deadline to meet. We probably witnessed a very low point in their life.

there's a highway that is curling up like smoke above her shoulder

[–] lanis_cupus 10 years ago

Thanks, I appreciate your thoughts. My initial reaction is that there seems to be a bit of rationalizing required to get on board with this movie, but I will give it all some thought and return in the near future.

Do you feel that it's a child's responsibility to meet his/her parents halfway in such stressful times? Or should the bulk of the responsibility fall on the parents? (obviously my viewpoint)

That's the most you'll ever get out of me Wordman. Ever. -Eddie Wilson

[–] dark_frances 10 years ago

Sorry for the belated answer.

I believe that, ideally, it should be the responsibility of the ideal parents to take care of their ideal child even in stressful times.
But of course, none of this ever happens - there's no such thing as ideal parents and ideal children, there's only human beings. We all commit important mistakes in our lives, and that habit does not suddenly go away when we become parents. It's still us, we don't gain superpowers. So, unless actual harm and abuse is committed (and indeed in some cases the boundry between "human mistakes" and "abuse" is difficult to determine, but I don't think it was the case here, Coraline was not abused), looking for who's to blame and throwing moral judgements left and right is simply not solving anything. If the child can meet them halfway through, and forgive the human faults of the humans who brought her into the world and raised her, then they all have a chance at happiness.

there's a highway that is curling up like smoke above her shoulder

[–] PreachCaleb 10 years ago

Coraline was not neglected. I'm sorry, but as someone who worked with at-risk teens, I didn't see any real neglect warning signs.

The school year has not yet started so Coraline has a lot of free time. But the parents still have to work to pay bills. Coraline is fortunate enough that her parents work from home and don't need to hire a baby sitter.

We see at the end how loving and close the family really is. We just caught them during a transitional period, which is always difficult for everyone.

The intent of the filmmakers seems to be family is important. That can be applied to both Coraline and her parents.

Straightedge means I'm better than you.

[–] Sania696 10 years ago

I think the lesson for kids was that sometimes your parents will be busy, and that isn't because they don't love you. They work, they make money, and although that isn't fun, its for you in the end.

Her parents couldn't entertain her yes, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it was neglect. Coraline was still taken care of.

"I have to remind myself that some birds aren't meant to be caged." -Red

[–] lanis_cupus 10 years ago

I'm really not convinced Coraline's needs were taken care of. Maybe her physiological needs but what about emotional and developmental needs. There were a couple moments where it really felt like her parents weren't giving her the time of day.

I would agree that Coraline's needs were elevated due to all the changes taking place in her life but if her parents had at least attempted to meet those needs it would have shown that they care and might have kept Coraline from escaping into her ill-fated fantasy.

That's the most you'll ever get out of me Wordman. Ever. -Eddie Wilson

[–] cpheonix 10 years ago

Yeah I have to agree with this, the parents in the beginning - despite how stressed with work - were just plain mean. The mum in particular. Then at the end their characters completely changed.

I know people can get stressed but they wouldn't shout at their kids for asking for a key, for example.

It was kind of obvious at the end that the real parents would become 'good' and I think this is what was an issue for me.

[–] mountaindewslave 9 years ago

oh come off it, Coraline is like 12 years old and had enough sass herself- she was plenty aware that her mother and father loved her and cared for her, she just was bored and bugged them

we saw like one day of interaction in her life between the family and even then in moments the mother was trying to be somewhat thoughtful with Caroline regarding asking her to come along and pick whatever she wanted at the grocery store, and her father being somewhat humorous at dinner and things

there is nothing wrong with parents not constantly entertaining the kids, especially when we're talking like preteens who have too much time on their hands

If i go crazy will you still call me Superman?

[–] lanis_cupus 9 years ago

I don't know what to say except that the dynamic really got to me, enough that I came here to post about it. You can have sass and still be sensitive as a child. In fact, sass may often be a compensation.

In my mind, there's infinitely more danger from a child getting too little attention than from getting too much.

[–] jayjcski 8 years ago

I feel like the movie was a warning to not drift too far from reality. Coraline's "fantasy" was fine until she got in too deep and discovered something dark and began to lose touch with what was real or not. Even the parents seemed to become immersed in their work instead of being aware of everything.

[–] lanis_cupus 8 years ago

All true, but my point is that if Coraline's emotional needs were being met she might not have gone so far down the rabbit hole.

Personally, I don't think two writers should have children together. Their work is far too absorbing to give proper attention to a child.

[–] Flabulous 8 years ago

You're spot on. A child has emotional needs beyond security alone. Sure, the real parents provided security, which is better than what the other mother provided, but a child that's bored from neglect isn't the one at fault.

[–] PreachCaleb 8 years ago

She wasn't bored from neglect. She was just bored.

Let's be bad guys.

[–] Flabulous 8 years ago

So then what was the point of having the other mother be so attentive if not as a contrast to her own indifferent one?

[–] pandemonium91 8 years ago

As I see it, Coraline was very energetic; she just didn't have anything to spend that energy on anymore. Both her parents were working because money was tight, not to mention the fact that we don't see any other kids around except for Wyburn, and Coraline thinks he's annoying. The Other Mother is attentive to the point of being unnerving: she almost never lets Coraline out of her sight - hell, she doesn't even let her finish her meal before the next activity, the first time Coraline visits the Other World.

At the end of the movie, things were going better for them: the catalog appears to have been a success, the father played with Coraline before bed, the mother bought Coraline the more expensive gloves she wanted (which they probably couldn't afford at the time). We see the parents started participating in activities with Coraline again, namely gardening - which Coraline mentioned she liked in the beginning of the movie.

[–] Flabulous 8 years ago

So then work and its success were more important than attending to their daughter. Coraline is still neglected.

[–] pandemonium91 8 years ago

They were working so they could provide for their daughter. So yes, at that time the financial situation of the family didn't allow the parents to go out and have fun or spend time leisurely with Coraline.

The details I mentioned in the second paragraph above were clues that the parents were stressed out about money but didn't want to burden their daughter with it, and did the only thing they knew in order to make money faster and put this situation behind them: work themselves to the bone (note how worn down the father was, and the bags under the mother's eyes).

[–] Flabulous 8 years ago

Agreed, I'm sure the parents had justifiable reasons for working hard. Nevertheless, the op's comment is about how this story fits (or rather doesn't fit) together thematically. The mother was inattentive and the other mother was overly attentive, but Coraline, the protagonist, had no internal growth because it was parents who had the initial problem, not Coraline. In fact, the catalogue success was a Deus Ex Machina.

[–] pandemonium91 8 years ago

Well yes, the movie is built on the contrast between the human world and the Other World. The human world was gloomy because it's what Coraline perceived it to be, and the Other World is colorful and happy because it's what she desires.

A running theme is Coraline's flawed perception of both worlds: the real world is gloomy not because the parents hated her, but because they were working themselves to exhaustion to get more money and overcome the tough situation (if they were truly neglectful, I doubt they would care enough to garden with her or buy her the gloves she wanted). Meanwhile, the Other World appears beautiful but is actually deeply sinister and fake.

After some time, Coraline begins to see the truth about both worlds. If she didn't, she would have continued to believe (mistakenly) that her parents didn't love her, and would probably have ended up a victim of Beldam, keeping the other three ghost kids company. Coraline realizing that the parents were distant not because they didn't love her, but because they wanted the best for her, represents her character's growth and is ultimately what brings the family even closer together at the end of the movie.

In fact, the catalogue success was a Deus Ex Machina.

A Deus ex machina is a newly and abruptly introduced plot device that solves the problem. The catalog would have been a Deus ex machina if it was only mentioned at the end, whereas it was introduced near the beginning of the movie as the parents' goal.