Critique: Brave (Film) 1/2

Merida, Princess of a Scottish Kingdom, gets constantly criticised by her mother, Queen Elinor. When a betrothal gets arranged without Merida’s knowledge, she turns to magic to change her fate.

 

*****SPOILERS*****

 

Queries

 

Will-o’-the wisp lead people astray in marshes/bogs to die in mythology. In this film, wisps lead people to their fate. These are not remotely the same but I think I know from where this confusion arises.

            In mythologies, creatures are often said to ‘lead someone to their fate’. However, in these accounts it’s already been stated (or later clarified) that the creature causes death. Thus there is a very clear meaning that the fate they’re talking about is death.

            So, it seems like someone making the film read that wisps ‘lead people to their fate’ and then took it wildly out of context. Not to mention the wisps in the film are in a forest, not a marshy environment, so wisps were taken out of their location/physical context, too.

 

At the start of the film, Merida does a voiceover about destiny.

She says different people’s destinies weave together like a cloth. She also says destiny is tied to the land. The film perfectly shows how destinies of different people are intertwined. However, the film doesn’t showcase how destiny is tied to the land. Yes, people are tied to the land and those we interact with usually share the same land. However, this is not the same as destiny being tied to the land itself.

Merida says people look for their destiny. The film is about Merida changing her destiny, not looking for it. She’s not trying to find out what her fate is but rather change the fate that’s been shoved upon her.

 

At the end, Merida concludes, “Fate is beyond our command. That destiny is not our own. Our fate lives within us. We only have to be brave enough to see it.”

            Until this final line, the title of the film doesn’t make sense. But Merida was brave enough to see what her destiny was and then accept it. So ‘Brave’ is a good, unexpected title. If this line wasn’t in the film, it wouldn’t change the film in any significant way. Hence the fact the title successfully manages to sum up the film with something that’s largely irrelevant is an amazing achievement.

            However, if fate is beyond our control, this means that something will happen no matter what you do about it. Maybe even all our actions are predetermined. It’s a bit defeatist, like it’s telling the audience to just give in and to never try. This is not a positive message to give to people and potentially ruins the film.

But maybe I’m predetermined to think this. So the final lines of the film open up a philosophical debate but then it abandons the audience to grapple with it. That’s certainly one way to keep the film on the mind.

 

 

Positives

 

Merida wants a spell to change her mum because that will change Merida’s fate.

The spell becomes permanent unless, by the second sunrise, they ‘mend the bond torn by pride’. Merida doesn’t want to hear this because, if everything goes back to as it was, this means the betrothal she’s trying to escape will still be on.

Then she thinks that as the tapestry was torn, mending that would prevent the spell from being permanent. This doesn’t work. But Merida taking responsibility, saying, “This is all my fault. I did this to you. To us,” does. Taking responsibility where once she rejected it is great character development that’s also believable.

 

Merida and Queen Elinor come to an ancient throne room. There’s a relief showing four guys, one split off from the rest. Merida thinks of the four princes from her mum’s story.

Then seeing so many skeletons, she remembers the whittler saying a prince ask for the strength of ten men. Like a bear.

The whittler turned her mum into a bear, so she might have turned the prince into a bear too: the demon bear Mor’du. The whittler only produced bear carvings. It’s no surprise that her spells only produced bears, too.

 

Based in Scotland, this film takes its setting seriously.

            A festival of sorts precedes the archery competition. Many traditionally Scottish things are there, including log tossing and highland cattle.

            Usually, Scottish characters are relegated to comic relief. So an entire film of Scottish character with a plot and message that has a serious tone? Nicely done.

 

The suitors for Merida’s hand in marriage provides many opportunities for creative cleverness.

The Queen says, “They’ve all accepted,” to which Merida replies, “What did I do now?” The response clearly doesn’t match the queen’s original comment. So that throws the audience off. But it goes to show just how primed Merida is to think that whatever the Queen says of her is a criticism. That was cleverly done.

The first born of each Clan can present a suiter to fight for Merida’s hand in marriage, competing in archer. Merida, as the firstborn of her clan, decides to fight for her own hand in marriage. This was so clever and original.

 

The triplets cut off a guard’s moustache then disappear around a corner to the right.

When the screen zooms out, it shows (to the right) a small indent, like a bricked-up window, and later on a corner. The ex-window isn’t deep enough for the triplets to hide in. The corner was too far away for them to have disappeared around at the speec they were travelling in. So what happened?

It’s revealed later in the film that the triplets travel along passageways hidden behind random wall and floor stones. The film answers what would otherwise be a major floor without bringing so much as a word to it!

 

Merida says the Queen turning into a bear isn’t her fault.

Merida coerced the witch for the spell so the spell overall is Merida’s fault. Merida didn’t specify how she wanted her mother to change so the witch had to fill in the blanks, so Merida is at fault for not setting out clearer instructions. Merida pushed a spell onto her mother without her mother’s permission, so the lack of consent is Merida’s fault.

From whatever angle, Merida’s at fault. She refuses to take responsibility when she clearly should. Though is this really a surprise? Taking responsibility is acknowledging that you’ve done something wrong. Her mother is always criticising her, tell her she’s doing something wrong. Merida feels like she has to defend herself from every angle, especially those concerning her mother. Just because now is a genuine reason for taking responsibility doesn’t mean she can alter her long-conditioned behaviour.