Heather's post dated 10th Dec has managed to shed some light on why I did not enjoy "The Incredibles" as much as I felt I should have. "Last week we saw The Incredibles, a smart wee parable about forsaking your true identity and talents and embracing suburban mediocrity. Have been pondering it ever since. What most appealed to me, perhaps inevitably, was the depiction of the mother, the former Elastigirl. Shape-shifting and mutablility are frequently associated in the comic book with emergent and angst-inducing adolescent sexuality, and in the horror genre with liminal, ambivalent sexuality/gender - think lycanthropes and vampires. However in The Incredibles, the ability to change shape is depicted as a specifically maternal quality as Helen/Elastigirl wraps her arms around the dining table to hold her scrapping children apart, or morphs into a boat, a parachute, a giant bungy cord in order to protect her family. And yet glimpsing a reflection of her lycra-clad arse in her superhero costume, she emits a rueful sigh: clearly her powers don't extend to morphing her post-three-pregnancies body into a shape that she's happy with. Nifty." The answer is in there: too close to home (and I don't have any superpowers to get me out of the suburban mum role). On another subject the light box appears to be working and as a result I was chirpy at breakfast, singing off key while making breakfast while The Boy attempted to make me sound better by singing on key next to me. The general impression was that of a Duracel bunny plugged on mains. The Boy is unsure about my new happy energetic in winter self but he is going with the flow.
Another mixed bag
13.12.04 21:31
