The anticipation for this movie stirred a commotion in me usually only brought forth by the name of Tim Burton. It helped that the movie features music from the seventh album of the same name by the Finnish symphonic metal group Nightwish. Their songs, which were mostly instrumental, guided the movie as vignettes. As though each new song was a new act, from the intro piece “Find your own Story” to the closing song “From G to E minor” the music, much to the benefit of Nightwish fans, played a significant role. Although this concept in itself was already attractive, the story should never be overlooked.
The movie tells the story of 75 year old
Thomas Whiteman, a former songwriter and musician suffering from dementia. As
he falls into a coma, his distanced daughter Gem has to decide whether or not
to pull the plug. It is during Whiteman’s coma that we are taken on a ride into
his subconscious, where we meet a 10-year-old orphan who ends up befriending a
mysterious snowman named Mr. White. Throughout his journey, the boy comes to
meet different people and objects, eventually growing into Mr. Whiteman as he
relentlessly advances towards the rediscovery of his derelict subconscious.
There is always something we cannot let go
of in life, something that haunts us and takes a part of us. This movie shows
us through imaginary symbols how complex that something can be. Gradually this illusory
journey reveals to us Mr. Whiteman’s life and consciousness, while in the real
world, Gem, with the help of her father’s former band mate Ann, tries to makes
sense of the type of man her father was.
Parallelisms, symbolism, metaphors,
psychoanalysis and artistry guide the plot of the movie, which makes it more
complex and worthwhile, as the story immediately requires your full attention.
“Imaginaerum” captures the essence of life
and its hardships, especially when it comes to relationships with our family
members, friends or loved ones. We all have key moments that haunt us for the
rest of our lives and that have engraved themselves in our subconscious. Some
of us manage to overcome them while others may never know they’re there.
“Traumdeutung” (dream interpretation) in the Freudian sense finds itself within
the medium of film in a piece of art. For Freud, dreams, in the simple manner
of speaking, incorporate intimate messages from a deeper psychological state and
allow the undertaking of a journey to self-awareness through the decoding of
your own dream. It would not be far from the truth to say that this is exactly
the kind of journey we witness in “Imaginaerum.”
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