The world of a young girl collapses after the death of her mother. The villainous stepfather does not give her life, and one of the quarrels ends in the death of her beloved sister. Because of the false accusations of her guardian, she is drugged with sedatives and sent to a hospital for the mentally ill. Unable to cope with the nightmares of her life, she invents new worlds where, in the company of her friends, she wages war against the forces of evil. The meaning of the film Sucker Punch is the escape of the mind from an unbearable reality into a world of illusions or escopism.
What is the film Sucker Punch about?
The plot of the film unfolds linearly, but the main character spends most of the time in fantasies. She plans to escape from the psychiatric hospital, but for this she needs to get five things. Five items – five episodes of dangerous sorties into the camp of the enemy. Unreal battles with monsters and robots, explosions and beautiful dances – this is how Babydoll’s sick imagination interprets reality.
The film is full of bright scenes, groovy music, shots of beautiful girls in sexy attire. Maybe that’s why many did not see the deep meaning behind such vivid pictures or simply did not want to understand further. Even critics did not appreciate the work of Zack Snyder.
So is there a deeper meaning to the story of a mentally ill girl, more than half invented by herself?
The meaning of the film Sucker Punch
The meaning of the film Sucker Punch is to escape from a nightmare life with the help of a sick imagination. Escopism or, simply put, escape from reality into the world of fantasy is the main theme of the film. The main character has no name, she is called Babydoll or Dolly. In her imagination, reality is refracted into several worlds, from which one can distinguish the world of a brothel and the world of unrestrained fantasy, where there is a war with the forces of evil. Actually, the world of reality itself does not seem too real, but very simulated, theatrical. It contains fragments of the girl’s memories, served under the sauce of her subjective perception. Therefore, it is also not necessary to fully believe in the presented “reality”.
The world of the brothel is how Babydoll sees the inner world of the psychiatric hospital, but in a more attractive light. Dances are psychotherapy sessions. In Dr. Gorsky’s office, the metronome beats the rhythm, and in the brothel, she herself with her cane. But in the world of fantasy, imagination rages to the fullest, and fills the film with images and adventures never seen before. The girl is actually fighting for her existence, because she has been given very little time.
The stepfather doesn’t want Babydoll to ever leave the asylum. He is quite satisfied that all the property is at his disposal, and the girl was blamed for the death of his younger stepdaughter. He bribes one of the employees of the psychiatric hospital, and he forges the doctor’s signature in the direction of the lobotomy. The lobotomy specialist will be able to arrive in a few days, by which time Babydoll should be able to get out.
In the search for the items necessary for the escape, the main character is helped by her friends, inhabitants of the brothel world. Together they organize a squad that fights against enemies. Finding each item is a dangerous mission, one of which ends with the death of Rocket, Sweet Pea’s sister. Sweet Pea is another ward of Dr. Gorsky, an inhabitant of the hospital.
Finally, all the items are collected, everything is ready to escape, but Babydoll remains in a psychiatric hospital and almost voluntarily goes for a lobotomy. Why? The answer to this question in the film is the words that this story from the very beginning was about another heroine. And, while Dolly is undergoing surgery, Sweet Pea manages to escape from the hospital and go by bus to a new life.
On this score, there is an interesting opinion that Babydoll is actually just a figment of Sweet Pea’s imagination: this is how she sees herself and her story from the outside. At the same time, the rest of the girls also represent different roles of Sweet Pi, this is her alter ego. The story of Babydoll is the past of Sweet Pi herself, her gloomy story, in which one of the key moments is the death of her younger sister. In the imaginary world, she is alive, although she is constantly in danger. Gradually, the consciousness of the heroine accepts the fact of her sister’s death, and Rocket dies in one of the episodes. Guilt in the death of a loved one corrodes the girl’s psyche, so in the fictional world, Rocket is killed by a disgusting-looking cook.
The theory is actually very interesting and in favor of it you can find a lot of evidence in the film. Sucker Punch is generally replete with various images, and everyone can interpret them in their own way.
Let’s go back to Babydoll. After the operation, the fact of forgery of the signature is revealed. Dr. Gorski is generally against such extreme measures as a lobotomy, and calls the police. But for Babydoll, this no longer matters, her battles and nightmares ended at the moment of impact of the orbitoclast.
The doctor who did the lobotomy was surprised by the conscious and humble look of the girl. Her desire to undergo a terrible procedure not only shocks, but even frightens him. That is why he shares his observation with Dr. Gorsky. They realize that they have just closed the door to the world of normal people forever for a young patient.
The meaning of the ending of the film Sucker Punch
The meaning of the ending is that leaving the world of reality can become a kind of escape for the human mind. When there is no strength to fight with their own demons and the world around them, the brain can create its own illusory world, but even there one cannot always find peace. Babydoll decided to put an end to her nightmares for good, and preferred the lobotomy to a further battle with her illness and too painful memories.
Write in the comments your meaning of the film Sucker Punch. We look forward to waiting!
