The film “Marerittet”, released this year, caused a wide public outcry. Some people consider this picture a new masterpiece of world cinema. Others say the movie didn’t live up to their expectations after watching the trailer. Regarding the meaning that was invested in the work, there is also a lot of controversy. What do the events in the film tell us and what thoughts should they prompt the viewer? Let’s figure it out together!
The film was directed by Kjersti Rasmunsen. The woman graduated from the Danish national film school. In previous films shot by Rasmunsen, there are already attempts to show the viewer “another dimension”, something radically new. For example, she shot the short film Voyager, in which an asteroid fell on Svalbard, and soon an alien appeared there who kissed the dugout. The strangest and most incredible things began to happen to the girl.
“Marerittet” is no exception: it is full of fantasy and semantic nuances, which can only be fully appreciated with careful and thoughtful viewing. About everything in order.
The plot of the picture
Mona and Robbie are a young couple who are just starting to build a life together. Robbie gets a high-paying job, and the family buys an apartment where they throw a party with friends about the move. Comrades are interested in how they managed to acquire such a luxurious apartment. Young people with ease in their voice say that they got housing at a very favorable price. It so happened that a woman who was pregnant died there. But Robbie and Mona are not bothered by this. Noisy neighbors who now and then quarrel behind the wall do not bother them either.
However, over time, Mona realizes that this house depresses her. Since Robbie worked a lot, she did the repairs. One day, the girl tore off the wallpaper to stick new ones, and saw the inscription on the wall: “I’m not sleeping.” Then she discovered a secret room in which there was a crib for a baby.
Soon after, Mona became pregnant, but she was in no hurry to tell Robbie about it. Pregnancy brings her just awful sensations. The girl is constantly tormented by terrible dreams in which a man comes to her, in many ways similar to her lover. This person instills fear in her, as she realizes that this is someone from the other world. Over time, Mona begins to feel the gap between real life and dream.
The baby dies shortly after birth. Mona is terribly afraid of becoming pregnant again: everything experienced over the past year has brought her terrible torment. In her now familiar state between dream and reality, she makes love to someone who looks like Robbie. And a real guy at this time notices how his beloved walks in a dream. What kind of demon visits Mona in a dream? This is the main mystery of the film.
Criticism of patriarchy
Fairy tales about pregnancy from a demon are often found in cinema and even in folklore. As a rule, the same evil sorcerers are born from such fantastic connections in stories. The atmosphere that reigns in the house of a young couple makes the viewer willingly believe in everything that happens on the screen.
In this one can trace a certain reference to the patriarchal system, the influence of which in many families in different countries of the world is still great. Perhaps the demon that appears in the guise of Robbie is Robbie himself. A girl is forced into a love affair when she doesn’t want to. Manage her life and hobbies for the sake of their own desires. It seems that she no longer belongs to herself.
With this interpretation, all the feeling of something mystical disappears. We understand that everything that happens to Mona is a reaction of her psyche to the horrors that she has to experience. The death of the child of the neighbors can be explained by the postpartum depression that the girl faced.
Reproductive pressure story
Robbie seems to be very considerate and caring towards Mona. But there is a huge and serious “BUT” in their relationship: the guy decided in advance that Mona should give birth to children for him. Motherhood is not included in the plans of the girl, at least at the moment. Her priority is graduating and building a career. But Robbie is not worried about this, and he puts pressure on her in every possible way with the question of the birth of a child.
That is why Mona hesitates to tell him that she is pregnant. And even in the clinic where she came to terminate her pregnancy, she is not provided with support. The doctor persuades her to give birth, putting pressure on pity for the unborn child. The fruit seemed to take over her body. Even after she has taken special medication, he stays with her. There is a certain metaphor in this: society is putting enormous pressure on girls and women who do not want to become mothers at the moment.
Conclusion
The film “Marerittet” reflects the ideas about the destructive influence of patriarchy and reproductive pressure on a woman’s life. Each of us can give examples of how gender stereotypes have a negative impact on people and their destinies. Thanks to the film, we can feel all the horror experienced by a woman who finds herself locked in a life scenario that she herself did not choose.
