Sucker Punch Meaning
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1TOP RATED
anonymous Mar 25th 2011, 22:02 report
Sucker Punch deals with a far more real subconscious that we see everyday. This particular critic clearly needed the hand holding that Inception gave, as it explained what was happening. Sucker Punch doesn't offer that. I guess Zack Snyder expected too much from the general public when he didn't explain that his characters are doing a far more extreme version of what we all do every day by fleeing the cold reality of where we are and putting ourselves in a slightly more bearable fantasy version. Snyder's vision of the subconscious, though incredibly over the top, hits far closer to home with the everyday person. The central character faced what we all do simply by being born. She was dealt a hand that wasn't ideal. At first afraid to face it, she learned to escape it just a smidge in the hopes that she could find a way to stack the deck for herself. Her dream is freedom, ours is a family, a nice car, a large house, etc. Her deadline is a lobotomy in five days, ours is a death of old age looking back on unaccomplished goals. We all have to make our own reality to make our dreams come true. If we stopped to see the world for what it really is, most of us would take Sweet Pea's initial attitude and just give in to the odds stacked against us. At the same time, we can't get too far away or we're too busy dreaming to make things actually happen. Hence why the institution becomes a burlesque show/brothel. It's still a place where they're kept under lock and key, but it's slightly more glamorous, thus bearable. This sets the opening (or as JT would have it, the transition from the first movie to the second).
I'm left wondering if JT missed the first ten minutes, or even just the opening monologue. It clearly explains who the old man constantly pushing them along is. He's the angel known as courage. He's the guiding force that pushes us along when we're facing the tasks that scare us. Yes, his one liner pieces of advice are clichés, but that's because often we already know the answer that will drive us, we just need to hear it from a force that can drive it home. You didn't really even need to pay close attention to the opening scene to get this, you just basically had to not completely ignore it. Once again, sorry Mr. Snyder didn't hold your hand. Also, as our central heroine is lead into the institution, we watch her spot her goals. They're simple. They may not be easy to obtain, but they're everyday things that lie just out of reach. Much in the same way that our everyday goals may not always be as complicated as we make them. However, just like the girl's goals, even simple tasks seem like monumental victories when you've made them daunting ideas. Even more so, when small simple things lead to a truly challenging task being concluded. This is the beauty of the "third movie." Alas, I can understand how it's confusing when you approach it with zero imagination or critical thinking, and wait for it to simply be explained.
As far as the visuals? They were wonderful. I'm not sure what you were watching, but as a life long gamer (currently employed by a video game store) I loved it. There were some clear homages, such as the sniper rifle reticule, or certain enemies looking very similar to the Helghast from Killzone, but to say it's all rehashes? That's absurd. What game had steam punk WWI era german zombies? Oh no, you're right, that's been done a million times. gg. Also, you must by joking by comparing the fights to something like Tekken. If that's a complaint, then you should really be roasting the fighting of every movie made after Tekken's release that features some sort of martial arts. Tekken is game based on a plethora of martial arts, so clearly lots of fights are going to look similar. That may very well be your weakest complaint. Oh wait, no, there's this...
While we're on the subject of you making absurd claims in a way to just torch this movie, you mention the killing of a fairly cute sleeping animal. Seriously? Are you just hoping that the people who read this review won't bother watching the movie, and will just take your word. The picture you're painting is that it's a lamb, or a bunny, or some sweet innocent animal, when in reality it's a fire breathing dragon sleeping on a LARGE PILE OF HUMAN BONES. Oh, I guess that you aren't just totally reaching, and somehow missed that the young dragon was sleeping on a BIG ASS PILE OF HOMOSAPIEN SKELETONS. No, I guess you're right. We should feel totally removed, and possibly even disgusted by our central heroin killing a FIRE BREATHING DRAGON THAT IS SLEEPING ON MASSIVE, COLOSSAL, HUGE ASS PILE OF DEAD, PICKED CLEAN, CLEARLY ONCE FOOD, HUMAN REMAINS. I totally see your point. I detest caps, but judging by the way you seemed to miss everything this movie had to offer, I was fearful you might not see it if I didn't scream it you.
You know, since we're talking about missing things, and relating to our characters, I'm going to backtrack a bit. If you can't feel for, or be invested in Baby Doll after the opening scenes, I'm pretty sure you're an awful person. If the obvious would be beating and rape of her and her little sister that then results in tragic death of her sister and her imprisonment isn't enough to get you invested, I simply must question your moral compass. Also, since I'm assuming it's another subtlety that you didn't catch, I happened to see that as a parable on how man is forever fallible. Even someone with no malice, attempting only to do the right thing, always has the ability to terribly screw it up find themselves suffering immense pain for it. This also sets Baby Doll up as the ever vigil noble character, because she was simply too good hearted (or possibly afraid to fight) to murder the man that was about to brutally rape her younger sister.
I've already given a ton of spoilers, but I'd like to not completely ruin the ending. All I'll say that I feel Mr. Snyder was using massive amounts of style to give us an absurdist lesson on the meaning of life. Being that there is no inherent meaning. We take what we're given and create our own meaning. It's the only way to survive. Beyond even that, the noble path is shown as well. Placed in an area (to us the world as we know it, to Baby Doll the institution) where most everyone is willing to crush the others beneath their feet for their own desires, the noble path involves looking out for those close to you, and if need be, sacrificing anything you have to see others lifted up. ESPECIALLY those who have given up on changing their situation. Really, I'm surprised more critics haven't slammed this for being a hyper stylized retelling of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest. It's really a rehashing of that with enough significant differences, and without providing enough dialogue for most people to realize it. The similarities are easy enough to spot if one pays enough attention to connect the dots. Hell, it's doubly so for those who read the book after watching the movie, as only then do you get that the main character in one differ's from the other.
Yes, the story TELLING is very sparse, but that in no way means that there isn't a deeper meaning, or a compelling story for those willing to see it. There isn't a ton of dialogue, but when important lines are uttered, they're clearly there to connect the dots. Zack Snyder lit the match that will burn this film buy assuming a large enough portion of people could pick up that story without having it spoon fed to them. Like any great album, not everyone will get it. In fact, sometimes, the majority won't. We all have our own interpretations of things after all. This movie at least has a visual feast to fall back on, and attempting to say otherwise is like pissing in a mans face after you've already beaten him from behind.
Oh yeah, one last the thing. The title having nothing to do with the film? Seriously? First, the main character was dealt a sucker punched from the first few minutes (honestly, were you in the bathroom?). It's the reason she ended up in the asylum in the first place. For a deeper meaning, it's a statement about life. We deal with figurative sucker punches every day. You got laid off, you're overqualified for this job, I'm leaving you for your brother, etc. They're things that hurt, but they aren't the knock outs that make us lose the fight that is life unless we let them. A sucker punch won't feel nice, but you can overcome it to win the battle if you're creative enough. JT, how long into the movie did you stop paying attention, and simply start taking notes on why it was horrible? Be honest man. -
2TOP RATED
Intertext9 Apr 3rd 2011, 00:20 report
Lets not be too verbose here. Sucker Punch was not a dream sequence.
Sucker Punch was set in a time where mental hospitals were alleged to be prostituting their patients. This was seen in Jessica Lang's "Francis" where Francis Farmer (a real hollywood actress) was incarcerated at Western State hospital in Fort Steilacoom Washington (where I used to work).
The entire plot is encapsulated in the opening dialogue when money exchanges hands, and Baby Doll's step father pays to have her lobotomized. Don't forget that in its historical setting these things are alleged to have really happened. In Sucker Punch's historical setting, it was nearly that easy to bring a person to a hospital and have them committed against their will. This was a main point of the movie "Francis"-the biography of Hollywood actress Francis Farmer.
Immediately the scene changes into a brothel. This is not the character escaping into a fantasy world. It is a cinematic allegory to communicate to the audience a truth/plot line that could not be otherwise accurately depicted-namely that Baby Doll and all the patients in the hospital are being exploited. It is an in-your-face cinematic device to alert the viewer that the exploitation of helpless females through forced prostitution and incarceration against their own will in mental institutions was real, and historically we know that-at least in some cases-it happened in mental institutions in the United States of America.
So what's going on with Baby Doll's dance? This is once again not a retreat of the character into a protective fantasy. It is a cinematic allegory of her using her own exploitation as a device to work her plan of escape. An action packed diversionary sequences are preferable to watching several scenes where Baby Doll allows herself to be raped whilst her cohorts utilize the distraction to steal the implements that will secure their freedom. Period.
The "Sucker Punch" was the punch in the audience's face that used allegory to confront them with a philosophic theodicy.
Female leads were intentional for the reason that they are the most vivid depiction of human vulnerability and powerlessness. The battle sequences were intended to communicate to the audience that the deeds of this "frail " and "powerless" human are no less heroic than those of any other "hero" from any other action movie. In fact the sequences were intentionally "over the top" to communicate that her actions were more heroic than anything you (the audience member) have seen in any adrenaline driven action flick.
The conclusion of the movie is this: You (the audience member) are daily faced with evils in this world. This frail and powerless girl faced her evils and did not overcome them for the sake of being a hero, but she sacrificed her very being to secure the safety of a single person, and potentially end the exploitation of an entire institution. She did not "live" to see her success. Are you courageous enough to stand up for the things in this life that are worth defending? Are you willing to stand up-in the face of evil-for the things that are good? A helpless female was used in this film to confront you with the truth that courage is not a matter of ability, it is a mater of will-of determination. Are you complacent in the face of evil?When you are willing to shed your complacency you will be more courageous than any hollywood action hero. -
anonymous Mar 30th 2011, 11:23 report
Couldn't agree more with first poster.
Ok, I didn't linked it to OUR reality so deeply as you, but I must say... I recognise some of those imaginary escapes from every time I have a crappy day at work...
One more thing i got was... the story at the bourdel its actually the story of all that happened in the asylum. Their talks and their fights. It's like telling you were in an awful cave listening to a witch all day when in reality you when actualy you were just at your office listening to your boss.
Snyder also talks about the 'god-like mod' used by the girls and that they couldn't get hurt... well, IF they could get hurt in the 'fighting reality' the trolls (like himself) should ask 'Why the hell is she hurt? imagination cant hurt. This movie isn't realistic'. As for the bourdel, it tells what exactly happens in the asylum (just not with the words or images we hould expect) thats why if they get hurt there... they get hurt in reality (cant go deeper here, dont want to spoil).
And ONE more thing... Baby Doll don't say a single word till she has to save one of the girls... and her first dialogues are really shy... Maybe she really had some psychiatric problems, maybe she got it when her sister died...
Oh, one last thing... 100% of Anime lovers will LOVE this movie. Ever heard of TARGET AUDIENCE anyone?
P.S. Loved on the WWI sequence when they were walking between so many soldiers... the soldiers looked just like those background characters in an anyme that have their face shaded and don't even move.... just AWESOME adaptation to a real-life movie. ^^ -
anonymous Apr 3rd 2011, 01:41 report
Did anyone else find the ending confusing? I agree with the above posters, but... The ending was very difficult to comprehend. In the end, I think that Babydoll and Sweetpea were the same person: the scare/reluctant side of the girl, and the willing-to-fight side of the girl. She sacrificed her fight for her other side with the lobotomy. Similarities: in the transition from the asylum to the brothel, the go from Babydoll's position to Sweetpea's. Also, Babydoll's sister dies, as well as Sweetpeas. Maybe this is a connection? Snyder is right when he says that this movie is what you make of it.
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anonymous Apr 4th 2011, 02:34 report
Did you realize how the movie goes on a fast-forwarded montage starting from Babydoll's introduction to the asylum to the orbitoclast (the lobotomy needle-thing) slowly going to Baby's eyes, and the movie zaps us to Baby's fantasy. And after the fantasy over (basically the fruit of the movie), the movie transport us back to reality, post-lobotomy.
As you might have known, lots of movies goes like this; the protagonist is on the brink of death, then the movie flashes back from the beginning to the end. It basically explains how the protagonist end up like that. Well, this movie is basically that, but with the flashback cranked up to eleven with Babydoll's fantasy POV.
Let me summarize this movie, and let's call the real world version of Babydoll and the gang as the actresses' name to avoid confusion
-Emilygets submitted to Lennox House Mental Institute
-Emily meets Abbie, Jena, Jamie, and Vanessa
-Emily plans escape with the girls
-Jena, Jamie, and Vanessa is killed. Abbie survived
-In the asylum courtyard, Emily and Abbie encounters the group of orderly.
-Emily sacrificed herself for Abbie's escape.
-Emily gets lobotomized.
-And during the lobotomy, Emily had a flashback of the things she did with the girls. In the flashback; Emily is Babydoll, Abbie is Sweet Pea, Vanessa is Blondie, Jena is Rocket, Jamie is Amber, The Asylum is a Brothel, The Orderlies are guards, Dr. Gorski is Madam Gorski. Basically, everything she did became the things you see in the movie up to Sweet Pea's escape.
-After the lobotomy, Emily closed her eyes and imagined Abbie's/Sweet Pea's new life. Hence appearance the Wiseman. This means she imagined herself as Sweet Pea during the very last scene.
And if it's tl;dr. It goes like this:
Real World > Flashback of The Real World Only Exaggerated > Continues Where The Real World Left Off > Fantasy Of Abbie's/Sweet Pea's New Life -
anonymous Apr 4th 2011, 21:01 report
Even though i got the jist of this movie, i still didn't like it at all. i guess it's because i was disconnected from it, to the point where, when the audience was berated with words of encouragement or some kind of lesson at the end, i found it almost unnecessary and cheesy even.
In the end, baby doll says: "this story was never mine in the first place," i think it's because sweet pea is actually baby doll. the characters may be two sides of her personality, baby doll or sweet pea (can't pick which) was perhaps conjured up in order to allow her to deal with her problems and realize her yearning to be free.
In addition, baby doll escapes to the other fantasy world because that is her coping mechanism. think about it, in this imaginary land she is powerful, strong, and nothing can stand in her way from becoming free. it's a way for her to cope with her feelings of entrapment and suffocation from the realities of life. also note that after she defeats her enemies in this fantasy land, she develops resolve and courage in her fake-reality.
In reality, baby doll/emily underwent unimaginable trauma, which we only see in bits and pieces in the beginning and at the end. also note that the story circles into the beginning at the end and that at the beginning, we see sweet pea ripping off her wig to reveal that she is not actually baby doll; however, this bit allows the audience to think that they were the same person. and the forged papers, the woman being a doctor, all come into play once again at the end, signalling the real world as the outermost part of the story.
The fact that baby doll translates the asylum as a brothel also points to themes of powerlessness in her situation, being taken advantage of for her body, and a need to be free. the real question lies in how baby doll interprets the world she lives in through her fake-reality, and how that actually correlates to her real reality.
All in all, this story has three layers. the layer with the action and fighting was pretty easy to figure out. it's the layer we aren't told directly about that is hardest to figure out. in reality and at the end, baby doll's psychiatrist goes over a list of what she did during her stay in the asylum, and as we walk through the asylum with her, we see evidence of disruption and chaos taking place that is very similar to the fake-reality emily dreamed up.
A part of emily is trapped in the hospital, and another part leaves to go home to her mother and to live the life other sacrificed for her.
But what actually transpired in reality? who really killed baby doll's younger sister? and what of that man who played the pimp, did he kill and rape girls for money? he was most likely the person who forged the signatures that lead to the deaths/lobotomies of other young girls.
Anyway, those are open for interpretation. in the end, i felt no real connection to any of the characters. i also found the story to be very dark. Snyder definitely gave my mind a "wtf was this," but perhaps not in a good way... :/ the only way i would compare the movie to inception was in the layerings of story, but.. that's it. -
anonymous Apr 9th 2011, 00:57 report
I liked what everyone said here but I thought that Sweet Pea gets freedom because she actually doesn't belong in the asylum. She refers to the trouble Rocket got into, the thing that got them both in the asylum. Sweet Pea just went along to take care of her sister, she appears to be genuinely innocent.
On another point, and I need to watch it again to be sure... but I was under the impression that Babydoll killed her little sister to save her from being raped. That is why Babydoll can't leave at the end, she belongs there because she is guilty. She wants the lobotomy because of the freedom it offers, from that guilt. From remembering what she had to do to save her sister. -
anonymous Apr 10th 2011, 04:14 report
Black and White is the real world, Color is fantasy. The fantasy was the way the Baby Doll dealt with the reality she faced. All the characters in her world were part of her psyche, and the reason she had peace at the end (the look) was because part of herself found freedom. Notice at the end the billboard said Paradise? It was her final escape from the harsh reality life had dealt her.
There was also a moment of Wizard of Oz at the end. Showing that she used the world around her to contstruct the fantasy.
And before anyone says it, it was only said she helped one girl escape it was never said who escaped. Again this real life event was used to construct a character in her mind.
I have to say that I liked that this movie didn't hold your hand and give you the answers leaving a lot to figure out on your own. -
Jorge Ivan Aguilera Copete Apr 11th 2011, 23:31 report
Maaaaaan, I have a bone to pick with all the so-called "SuckerPunch haters". Theres time where you go to see a movie just for the thrill and the joy of entertainment that is a production, other times you go to see a movie because you want to think about life, meanings and other stuff. And then comes SuckerPunch, a movie that grabs you by the b@//$ and says " Youre going to watch something that youve been waiting a lot of time for, and plus you get to think a little about how life should be faced off" I found this movie a sweet breath from the everyday productions, that grab you by the hands ( not your b@//$) and tell you" Now, thats a car and it means transportation, and thats a horse and its ..."
What happened to the movies where you felt that it didnt end when the credits rolled, but only until you stop thinking about it?? Reading on an IGN forum, they make a pretty good point, movies such as 2001; an space odyssey or many other, would be labelled as a WTF by todays viewers standards. Movies that literally suckerpunch you are worthwhile ( Im actually really sorry if my english is kinda $h!tt& but im from Colombia, and hadnt had much time to improve my skills) I mean, that youre getting the hang of it when BAM!!!! right in the gonads. There are scenes that made literally my eyes wet, for example the futuristic train scene, the very begining of the movie, I was like " My God, with something called VISUAL MEDIA, you dont actually need to be told everything, you should at least have 5 fingers in your forehead( its a colombian expression, meaning that if have less than 5 fingers in your forehead youre dumber than a rock) to see and interpret and give a place of your life in it"
As for the art style and visual, it freaking gave an instant boner when the first scene of the 3rd movie happens, my god its as if was really shot in that location like it really existed, Im studying in college to become a Graphic Artist, and by far, this is one of the greatest adaptions of what could be called a anime/comic/videogame crossover. From the effects to the stunts and fighting scenes, it had you grab the seat and tearing the leather off them.
But since I actually couldnt grasp the various simbols that appear on the film, I would like to ask, all you good gentlemen to give me an explation on the following movie topics ( though I´ve already seen the film twice, and Im aiming to see it a third time):
¡¡¡¡¡SPOILERS!!!!
*The kid: what the hell meant that kid that appeared in the begining of the WWI scene and keeps staring at Sweet Pea, and then by the end of the film, when theyre riding the bus, he looks at her again, what does it mean????
*The Key: if youre blind, snezzed twice during the scene or even were writing about how "bad" the movie was, you must have noticed the inscription in the key of Blue "MT. Pleasant", what does it mean??
*Rocket´s death: Soo this one actually gave me and my friends quite the headaches, during the futuristic train scene, when everything goes down the $h!thole, Rocket tells her sister to promise 2 things; 1) not to be angry of the thing shes about to do, and 2) to tell their mother that she loves her. Okay here goes the mindf#$, how the hell could Rocket be aware of her death in the 2nd movie, when clearly she didnt have enough time to tell Sweet Pea to forgive her for what she was going to do, therefore she must have told Sweet Pea to promise her 1 thing only, to tell her mother she loves her, BUT clearly in the movie after she was stabbed she tells her syster " And the second thing is..." I hope I made myself clear.
Anyways, really loved the film, really want the DVD to be released here in Colombia, cause is one the films that Im willing to pay the DVD price cause of the huge effort and beatiful movie that was made, and not wait for PPV or even to be showed on any network channel. Hope you liked my rant, and please if entertainment is not your thing go watch some documentaries, cause really these bad ratings and comments are the ones that make the Hollywood industry the joke in filmaking.
Hope to see the answers, yours trully,
Jorge Aguilera -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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anonymous Apr 12th 2011, 18:03 report
Well let me start of by saying there is no simple meaning to this movie, it is far deeper than most can imagine, and judging by the great posts in here, deeper still.
I am sticking to a linear train of thought to help me and others dissect this movie and realize it's full potential a little better! (I hope!LOL)
The movie is in four segments.
Segment one is Sweetpea's incounter with Angel/wise-man, a) Her monologue in the beginning, and b) her experience on the bus at the end!!
Segment two is about Babydoll and what got her to the asylum, and ultimately what became of her.
Segment three is how she viewed what happened to her and her friends and what she was told to her by the angel, and how she told those plans to her friends! (remember this movie is really about ANGELS communicating with us!)
Segment four is the four instructions she received from the Angel/wise-man how to obtain her freedom, the fifth she figured out herself, it was selflessness! Selflessness in turn helped another Sweetpea escape as well!
Sweetpea and Babydoll are two different people as shown in the asylum, and referenced by Dr. Vera Gorski to the Lobotomist, (she helped someone escape)
Sweetpea and Babydoll shared a common bond having sisters they loved and took care of!
Sweetpea was selfless helping her sister who was tourmented and ran away and got into trouble, Sweetpea should not have been there as said by Rocket!
Babydoll was selfless as well, with her sister, as she let her Stepfather rape her instead of her sister. This was implied by the fact that the stepfather went to Babydoll's room, but was fended off by her, so he looked at Babydoll and and nodded like "Oh YEAH we shall see about that!" and locked the door and walked to Babydoll's sister's room!
Babydolls angelic instruction included a message to Sweetpea that she would encounter a little boy who needed help, ie, the boy in the trench = boy on the bus. Sweetpea did not recognize him because she never saw him, only Babydoll did in her angelic instruction that surely Babydoll told her. since it was Sweetpea who looked at him in that scene!
The Angel tells Sweetpea to get some rest because they "have a long way to go!" meaning helping the boy who is a runaway like Rocket or an orphan like Babydoll!
The whole Bordello sequence is Babydoll's way of coping with the brutality of what she is witnessing and about to endure. Blue was having the girls lobotomized, and selling the girls for sex. How Amber, Blondie, and Rocket, died seems to be a loose end? (This is where I need help!) The other orderlies told Blue they "would not hurt the girls anymore"! Dr. Vera Gorski never mentions those tragedies, just what Babydoll had done.
The Stepfather seems to have raped Babydoll because she envisioned him as a Priest (sorry not trying to offend just following the clues), and by the comment in the Bordello sequence "she's no virgin!" (remember this is Babydoll's interpretation so she has the inside track!) LOL
Babydoll's reward was freedom from all the hurt she had suffered, the Angel gave her "Paradise"
I know this submission is quite erratic and choppy, but there is way to much going on to write in great detail, such a great movie, I hope I helped a little trying to organize the story line!?!?
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anonymous Apr 24th 2011, 21:00 report
The "death" of the other two girls (Blondie and Amber) is not that they are killed but Lobotomised.
The doctor tells us that he has done the proseadure many times before, and that Gorsky has signed the dokument, and Blue tells us in the beginning that he has forged Dr. Gorskys signature many times before.
And since the girls can no longer help in the escape after the lobotomation they are seen as dead (and Blue shoots them in the head with the gun, and he says he hates guns or lobotomation as the gun resembles).
[sorry for bad spelling, english isn't my main language ;)]
Btw Brilliant posts! Helped me connect some of the dots.
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anonymous Jul 9th 2011, 01:03 report
I don't have time to read all these posts, I just read the first. So to that poster, thank you for the hand holding, it was both obviously required in my haze and also thoroughly entertaining.
I felt while watching as though the writer of this movie truly despised men (i.e. hard core feminist lesbian). Every single female character in this movie was positive and every single man was negative in some way, no matter what "reality" it was a part of. Spice that with some crotch kicking and (for myself as a woman) familiarly demoralizing size and gender differences in every fight scene. Yet, the women overcome in the end...very spice girls.
I also enjoyed the changing of antagonist in each ultimate fantasy fight, who doesn't love killing with absolutely no guilt? That's what a woman like me would need in order to kill with ease, so no judgment in enjoying robots chopped in half and steam fed Nazi/red zombies.
However, I do think the jump between dancing in a brothel and getting thrown in a mental hospital is a large leap. Still, the second leap to diamond clad, death-dealing superhero is equally as large. Yeah symmetry?
Lastly, I gotta admit I'm a sucker for a happy ending. Murder and rape are pretty heavy subjects and it struck a serious fear chord for me. A Friday night on the couch I would usually prefer something lighter, but I still appreciate the effort on the movie.
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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LV Jul 24th 2011, 20:45 report
Disclaimer: My interpretation comes from the extended version.
Let's keep this short and simple to start out:
Baby Girl never existed.
Baby Girl is a figment of Sweet Pea's imagination; a fantasy guardian angel with a strange imagined "origin story" on how she got thrown into the asylum. The brothel fantasy may be a figment of Sweet Pea's imagination entirely, or it may be, as others have put it, a representation of the asylum actually running other shady practices behind closed doors. It doesn't really matter for my purposes.
Clearly the fight sequences are a sort of fantasy-inside-the-fantasy, or maybe just some free time Sweet Pea has to fantasize about how Baby Girl would do things. It's not really terribly important to my main premise.
How many times have any of us done menial tasks or otherwise fantasized about being watched by someone else while working, or fantasized about some conspiracy that we have to unravel with our actions, despite how mundane those actions really are? Ever had an imaginary friend who encouraged you to do things, sort of like Jack Flack in Cloak and Dagger or any number of imaginary characters in other stories? Baby Girl is Sweet Pea's motivation and manifestation of bravery and courage. (No, we're not talking Fight Club here; we're not talking actual dissociative personality...)
We don't see Baby Girl's dance partly because there likely isn't any. While Sweet Pea is working through the motions of her plan, she's just concocting in her mind the fantasy that everyone is distracted by Baby Girl dancing. Reality probably is that they're just too busy doing whatever it is they do to notice her.
Sweet Pea gets away, and closes the story with Baby Girl (at least for now) with a final sequence of fantasy bits to show her ultimate sacrifice which neatly gets back at the asylum as well as the entirely fictional step-father.
Give the movie another viewing, and this time go along for the ride under the assumption that Baby Girl...never actually existed. -
anonymous Jul 29th 2011, 13:33 report
First of all I wanna thank all the people who posted their thoughts about this movie, it really helped me to understand it better and come up with my own interpretation.
I think the entire movie is an allegory for someone's subconscious mind (we'll use Sweet Pea for the sake of making this post easier to follow, but I have a sneaking suspicion it might actually be the boy who gets on the bus before her at the end). Regardless of who it is, they are clearly going through some type of severe trauma, yet continuing to fight on regardless.
My rough understanding of the subconscious mind is that it operates on a level we aren't even aware of, it's what takes over when we sleep/dream, it's what takes over when the pain of what we are going through is too difficult to bear and we block it out, and it operates on several levels. Watching this movie is like watching one of your own dreams, jumping from one level to a deeper level back to a more surface level, etc. They also say that every character in your dream is a part of your subconscious.
The most surface level is the scene where Sweet Pea gets on the bus at the end, but we'll get to that later.
The next level is Babydoll's story or the asylum. Babydoll is the part of Sweet Pea's subconscious that takes on all the pain in her life (removal from her mother, evil stepfather, death of her sister), shielding her true self from the pain. I suspect the asylum is an interpretation of Sweet Pea running away from home or being kidnapped and being caught up in some type of horrific situation. Babydoll (again, part of Sweet Pea) starts off seemingly innocent, broken and fragile but grows in strength as she deals with this personal hell.
The next level is the brothel level which is the true Sweet Pea's story. This is where she resides to stay sane. She is shielded from the hell of the asylum by Babydoll. There is a level of sexual ojectification here, but it is made somewhat glamorous and bearable. Madame Gorski is some type of protective and comforting part of her subconscious. Blue, The Cook, The Mayor and the High Roller are the monsters, the part of Sweet Pea that hates herself. Rocket is the part of Sweet Pea's subconscious that blames herself for her sister's death (Blondie and Amber are also parts of her subconscious, that might have backstories of their own that we never see).
The final level is Babydoll's dances. Which are very deep down, suggesting a traumatic event (probably rape), again Babydoll is the one taking on all the pain. At the same time, this is the level where the parts of her subconscious "work together" to gain their freedom. The idea is that she is turning her greatest pain into her greatest strength. Like she is saying "I have to go through this now in order to someday be free." Notice how the girls in this fantasy are still dressed in sexy clothes, but it comes from a place of strength rather than weakness. This is also the level where the guardian angel (the old man) points her in the right direction.
In the end, Sweet Pea lets go of her guilt for her sister's death symbollically through Rocket dying. The death of Blondie and Amber could be interpreted as a death of childhood innocence. The arrest of Blue is a sign of her demons subsiding (for the time being). Finally the lobotomy of Babydoll at the end is Sweet Pea letting go of all the pain from her past (but Babydoll doesn't die, so she is still a part of Sweet Pea).
So now, back to the beginning, the most surface level, the bus stop. Sweet Pea is charged with soldiering on. There is a part of her (the cops) that try to hold her back, she's scared, afraid of the unknown. But thanks to a little push from her guardian angel, she is able to do it.
Now, what about the boy who stares at Sweet Pea at the end? Is this level actually his story? Is this whole thing his subconscious? Is "Sweet Pea's" mission now to take on pain and make him stronger? Who knows, all I know is Zach Snyder has one crazy imagination. I can't comprehend how someone comes up with ideas like this.
The monologue at the end is basically saying: Whatever you go through, you have the weapons inside you to overcome it, a lot of it may be self-inflicted, but you can always overcome it. -
anonymous Aug 4th 2011, 22:10 report
I do agree with many of the post above. The bus driver is an angel/guardian . Though I think he's protecting Sweet Pea not Baby Doll. Blue is lobotamizing the girls and selling them but I think the "sucker punch" of the film is that Sweet Pea survives not Baby Doll. I do believe now that it was never really Baby Doll who was the main character , it's sweet Pea.
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anonymous Aug 5th 2011, 13:17 report
What I find interesting is that... everyone seems to have an opinion on the themes and story.
I understand them from the get go. I won't claim that I understood them in such detail as people presenting there here, but the point is I understood the movie.
That's all well and good, but that NOT why I don't like Sucker Punch. It has nothing to do w/ the themes, or the story, or lack of story, or 'not getting it', which, I have to be honest is a huge insult because it was really pretty obvious.
I simply did not enjoy the long, drawn out action sequences. I just didn't get the point.... no wait, let me rephrase that. I understand what they MEAN. I understand what they are and what is really going on, I get it. But the actual details in the sequences seemed... unrelated? Again, I know people are going to say I don't get it "oh, the dragon is the fire is the lighter", blah blah... yeah, I got that. cool. I'm talking about the other 5 - 10 minutes of fighting hordes of imganiary foes that seems completely unrelated to that dragon. "Oh, but its the challenge she posed for herself, in her mind". Uh. Yeah. Ok. So, if I made a short film about a guy who can't open the lid to a pickle jar... and suddenly it goes into a 10 minute fantasty sequence where he has to fight vampire and zombie hordes to obtain a magical gauntlet form the center of the Earth, you'd think my film would be clever?
I really wanted to like Sucker Punch... I liked what Snyder was trying to tell me, what he was trying to show... but in the end I was just not impressed. -
anonymous Aug 10th 2011, 02:41 report
all of the post beforehand were very well thought out refreshing even so i m just going to touch base with a short version of what i got from the movie aswell as a topic that hasnt been talked about yet
what i made out of the movie :the girls were in the mind of sweet pea who really did get abused all of them were different parts of her that she wanted to feel again as in courageous, shy, leader, seductive, guilt, even nark as a way of things being put back to order a cry out for help in better words to give up fighting. when they began to 'die' that was her way of taking on which ever girl died attributes that is why when the first girl died they all started falling
the other point i seen which i haven't seen anyone one else talking about yet is i think the little boy was a part of sweet peas reality either a little brother or son (perhaps result of the rape that put her in this boat) who seen her abused and that is why he is the only face that is seen in the first battle when the girls have to fight together suggesting to me that she remembers him out of all the trauma and is 'pulling her self back together' to get up and fight for him to show him the wisdom hence why he would be the one to be standing with her on her way home -
anonymous Oct 13th 2011, 15:51 report
Thank you for this information! I used it for my diploma thesis =)
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