MIFF Movie Reviews: ParaNorman (2012)

Childhood is always a difficult time in our lives. It’s a time when we’re most vulnerable to the cruelty that life has to offer. I don’t think anyone ever goes through adolescence without asking themselves if they belong at least once. For Norman I guess having the ability to talk to ghosts and the inability to open up to the people around him makes belonging that little bit more arduous for him than everyone else. To fill this vacant void in his life he immerses himself in the glorious splendour of B-movie horror, turning up the volume and sitting close to the screen in hopes that those schlocky flicks push back that chatter that seems to follow him around like a plague. So while he may be suffering from a very specific phantasmagoric condition, his fears and his doubts are universal.

When things begin to go awry, if life wasn’t already so difficult for Norman, like a crazy hobo uncle, zombies rising from the grave and maybe the curse of a witch, he could easily slip into resignation and defeat. He could grab a pitchfork and join the townspeople in their manic fervour, answering the obstacles in life with destruction and death, it would certainly be easier. However he understands what it’s like to be an outcast, to be misunderstood and to be judged unfairly.

Ultimately he rejects war and instead chooses to understand these problems, answering them with a calm head on his shoulders and an open ear, acknowledging that just because this earth, society and the people on it may be corrupt and unfair at times we shouldn’t just let ourselves be swept up in the mob. We won’t be any prouder having absolved ourselves of responsibility, no wiser for ignoring what differences can teach us and no happier getting revenge on those who do us wrong. Instead we should do the best we can to find those people who will shrug their shoulders and just smile along with you in the face of it all.

**** 4 Undead Stars