May it be live-action or animated, what makes these movies interesting is how they present characters, characters where people can see themselves, a representation in which everyone will appreciate and recognize.
What is Generational Trauma?
Generational trauma is psychological trauma that can be caused by a variety of factors including war, abuse, deprivation, natural disasters, and social or political oppression. This trauma can influence the way families to interact with each other, and if not addressed it may lead to psychological complications in future generations.
Now that we have an idea about what generational trauma is and how significant it is, we listed some of the best films which tackle the theme in a creative and metaphoric way that will subtly help you to unpack your trauma and heal.
Turning Red (2022)
Set in the early 2000’s, Turning Red is an animated film about an Asian girl named “Mei,” related to a family with a long generation of women turning into a red panda. Due to the passed down shapeshifting gift, Mei’s mother “Ming,” had a hard time building a great relationship with her own mother. It led to her panda emerging and harming her mom, leaving a big permanent scar on her face.
After that incident, Ming sealed her Panda away and tried to be a mom like her mother’s way of parenting, by being an overprotective and controlling mother. Unfortunately, it all terribly affected Mei, as she had a hard time trying to recognize herself and became afraid of making decisions and mistakes in life. Turning Red helped the audience to know how the relationship established within the family affects everyone’s feelings and ability to open-up with each other, denoting that if the trauma is not addressed, it will leave a permanent scar and can have a long-lasting impact on families.
Encanto (2021)
Encanto is focused on the characters of “Mirabel” and her abuela, “Alma,” who turned out to be disappointed when Mirabel didn’t get her magical powers. As Abuela Alma wanted to protect the house and whole community, she only gave more attention to her relatives who were considered special because of their gifted powers, and this made Mirabel feel inferior with the whole family.
Abuela Alma portrays a character who takes so much pride with the gifts to the point where she becomes controlling and stops realizing that her children and grandchildren are human beings, too. The pressure on the Madrigal’s to act and live up to the sacrifices of their ancestors almost tears the family and the house apart. Encanto is an animation film set in Colombia. The whole narrative revolves around intergenerational trauma, the immigrant experience, family bonds, and down-side of perfectionism.
Cruella (2021)
Cruella is known as the main villain of the “101 Dalmatians,” but this Cruella origin story film is way far from what we have known her. This Cruella is driven by dreams of building an empire in the fashion industry as she was threatened by the fashion icon who is responsible for her mother’s death. This trauma led her to be miserable and due to the inhumane death of her mother, she sees Dalmatians as a reminder of a nightmare, seeing these huge canines as they aggressively attack her mother to death. From being a cruel puppy-killer, eager for fur coats, to a woman defeating her childhood trauma, this film created a new point of view and how the audience perceive her root of evil.
Coco (2017)
With a great representation of Mexican culture, Coco shows how some traditions have an impact on them very much. The main character, “Miguel,” is passionate about music, however as the adults around him made decisions for him, it made Miguel feel terrible. And by accidentally entering the land of the dead, Miguel met his long-lost great-great-grandfather, and learned so much about his family history and all the struggles their family went through.
Coco is a great example of a film where it teaches us how healing ourselves also helps our own families to heal, may it be dead or alive. As this movie reveals how hard it is to heal a trauma, it also teaches compassion and acceptance which can help us to move forward in the future, crushing the trauma of the past.
Generational trauma has indeed an overwhelming effect on individuals and families. Considering these films, dealing with trauma is a lot of work, but it’s better to deal with it, than to bury it inside you (like what Cruella did). Understanding generational trauma is essential and it’s up to you to break it.
