Reviewing Inside Out 2

Last Saturday, my mother and I blessed our eyes by watching Inside Out 2. As someone who LOVED the concept when I was 9 years old, I was super excited to watch the sequel and be privy to Riley's emotions as she grows up. 

(This contains spoilers so if you are reading this and still want to watch the movie, maybe rethink it LOL) 

In summary, Riley is now grown up (13 and naive as ever, but which 13-year-old doesn't believe that they're now an adult?). She's at hockey camp the week before high school begins and that is when she hits puberty (if you missed the blaring siren that indicated the same, check out the pimple on her chin that never leaves). It's not all fun and games (OBVIOUSLY) because 4 more emotions (anxiety, ennui, envy, and embarrassment) literally take over her and joy, anger, sadness, fear, and disgust are on a self-proclaimed mission to restore her to her original sane self. 

Firstly, I've got to commend the producers and writers on their creativity. The way that they have conceptualized the workings of the mind and brought their perceptions to life is incredible. I personally love the usage of literary devices in the production of this film. The personification of emotions is just the tip of the iceberg. The sar-chasm, train of thoughts, stream of consciousness and even 'back of the mind' is so flawlessly thought out and sheer genius. What runs through the film is the extended metaphor of emotions battling each other, being suppressed, and finally, letting loose. This is the kind of movie that I would have loved to work on. I love language and the way that it has been leveraged to elevate the movie by weaving in components of humor and food for thought is utterly phenomenal. The first thing that this does is make the audience question phrases that they've used for decades before. 

"Why do we call it a 'stream of consciousness'?" 

Frankly, I don't know. Maybe because it's flowing inexorably. Maybe because our thoughts meander lazily through the day, picking up on different things that we perceive, thus forming new thoughts and diverging into new paths, akin to a stream. This is just one example. I love a movie that makes me question everything that I know and this is one that does just that. 

French philosopher Descartes profoundly said that to know anything for sure, and to form a base of absolute knowledge that is true in every sense, one must disregard and question everything that they've ever heard first. The movie actually made me question things that I've been saying - about the mind, emotions, and even myself. And I came out of the movie knowing less about the mind, but being more sure about what I know. Less is more, right? 

The thing that I loved about the film the most though, was the concept of the 'sense of self.' Everyone who's watched the movie talks about how the writers and producers have mastered anxiety, as an emotion, and have conveyed the panic attack so vividly to the audience. However, as much as I do appreciate that, I think that the 'sense of self' must not be denigrated, but lionized in the same manner. The whole idea of Riley believing she is a good person is overrated and unrealistic. No one truly believes that. I know I've made mistakes. I've dealt with people and situations poorly. I've been cold. But despite all that, I still try. I am a good friend. But I know that sometimes I have let my friends down as well. I am kind. But I know that in some situations I have turned a blind eye to people who really needed it. That is why I could not relate to Riley's sense of self until Anxiety came in. After that, her sense of self was literally uprooted and all that she was reduced to was 4 words. 

"I'm not good enough."

As someone who puts far too much pressure on herself to excel multidimensionally, I related to that the most. This entire last year has been a rollercoaster for me because I faced something similar to what the movie revolved around. While Riley is doing her best to impress her seniors and coach to get on the hockey team, my 18-year-old self did the same when she got to university to make it to the football team. It was hard because I was (am) far from the best, but I am trying to get better. I lost all of my confidence and even started disliking the sport at one time, but I dealt with it, as soon as I embraced that I need to work harder. 

That is exactly how Riley dealt with her panic attack. Instead of enforcing her old, perfect sense of self on herself, her emotions gave her room to grow a new sense of self, and they loved her for all of her flaws and imperfections. After literally 'embracing' her new sense of self and learning to love who she was growing to be as a result of the person that she had always been, Riley recovers from her panic attack. I think the message here is often overpowered by the intensity of the scene. Whilst it is emotional and overwhelming, what should be known are the following things that were my key takeaways - 

1. You can't discard old memories and relegate them to the 'back of your mind' because every experience that you've had is instrumental in shaping your outlook towards life, beliefs, and personality. 

2. It's okay not to be okay. It may be for an hour, a couple of days, or even more. It's okay. It somehow always gets better. 

3. Making new memories and planning for the future does not equal leaving behind old experiences and memories. 

4. The easiest way to be yourself is to be honest. 

5. You can't demand your current self to be your past self, or even a realization of your future self. Anything that you were or are going to be, will only appear as a holograph. Letting yourself be and grow is what is real. And that's the best thing to be, and easiest thing to work with. 

Hope you related to this little analytical deconstruction of the movie:) 

Happy Tuesday<3 

xoxo

aishu

02-07-2024