In honor of the release of Freakier Friday, I wanted to discuss and analyze the film Freaky Friday. Now, many of its topics like perspective taking in psychology, the journey both mother and daughter had to take to become selfless, and the other themes found within that could be discussed in heavy details.
However, when I rewatched the film this past Thursday, in preparation for watching its sequel on today. I remembered something very important when it came to Anna's English class. Any book or film mentioned within the story, usually isn't picked at random for the sake of needing something real there, but rather because it has symbolic meaning to the film's or book's story.
A quick fun example: In Pursuit of Happyness, Will Smith (the MC of the film), whose son plays the character's son, tells a joke about a drowning man asking god for help. Three boats come by, but the man turns them away. After dying and reaching heaven, the man asks god why he didn't save him. God reprimands the man because he had sent three boats to save him, and the man refused. The joke, while humorous and cute from a child telling his father, it actually is symbolic to the film's message - opportunities are always there, we just have to seize them when they come, or even help when offered.
So, in much the same way, both 1984 and Hamlet were brought into the film for a reason. So, we will discuss this in detail today.
Let's start with 1984 by George Orwell, which Anna actually nail's its theme and central conflict on the head. At this current moment in Anna's life, she is a teenager seeking freedom from both her teacher's and mother's control over her life. She is at the mercy at Mr. Bates's grading and him not being clear if he is really caring to help or not. Tess, doesn't make things easier either, by removing Anna's door, symbolic of her privacy, and trying to understand Anna, not for the sake of really seeing from Anna's perspective, but to help Anna see how her views are wrong and correct them. The difference here is that Tess genuinely cares for Anna, and is meaning well through her intentions. The same I'm sure could not be said for the government in the novel 1984.
The second literary novel brought to light in Freaky Friday is Hamlet by William Shakespeare. This play's plot is reflected a little deeper into the film like madness, betrayal, and other elements. Some of Anna's behavior, while validated by how Tess ignores and fails to listen, but also by the loss of her father three years prior to the film's beginning. This Tess brings up at the House of Chang, which Anna deflects by shifting the subject off her father. Hamlet also had to deal with the loss of his father, who visits him. While Anna's father never visits them, his ghostly presence is felt throughout the story.
After Pepe's mom's fortune cookies switches their souls into the other the following day, the madness has begun. This becomes aptly appropriate as both mother and daughter accept that they can't tell anyone for fear of what could happen if they did - yes, others will believe they have gone mad.
The betrayal aspect of Hamlet seems out of place in Freaky Friday, but don't forget that Tess in Anna's body recognizes Mr. Bates from her years in high school. A younger Mr. Bates had a crush on Tess. When he had asked her out to the prom she turned him down. While we can't guess the nature of how she turned him down at the time, it is clear Mr. Bates had held some bitterness of her turning him down and so he took out his vendetta on Anna, instead, failing her no reason. There is also Ryan, Tess's fiancee in the film, felt this when Anna in Tess's body rode home on the back of a motorbike with Jake, Anna's crush. Ryan, may have felt a twinge of betrayal there.
Finally, we come to the final analysis of Freaky Friday with Hamlet. Anna, deep down, didn't like Ryan because he is not her father. While three year may feel like adequate time for some, like Tess, but not for others like Anna, who was still having a difficult time moving forward from his passing. Both Anna and Hamlet felt uncertain around their mother's remarrying again so quickly. To Anna, accepting Ryan into their family could feel like a betrayal to her father's memory and legacy, while also feeling betrayed that her mother could just move on from her father's passing so quickly and remarry without a second thought to her and Harry. Anna reveals as much at the end with her speech when Tess asked Anna to call off the wedding, fearing they won't switch back that night and realizing her children aren't quite ready to move forward with someone who could play a father role in their lives.
Anna doesn't call off the wedding because she learns that Ryan isn't here to threaten what is already there, but to honor it and help it remain strong as it is. This, in addition to Tess helping Anna with the audition at the House of Blues, is enough selfless love to put each soul back where they belong. Thankfully, Freaky Friday proves to have a much happier ending than Hamlet, but then again, that's Disney.
These are my thoughts and insight to something that I felt hadn't really been addressed for this film. I would love to hear yours on the matter. Remember, please keep it civil.
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