Turning Red

September 20.2022

I just saw a movie that I had heard about while traveling on a bus and some teenage girls were commenting on it, Turning Red.

The plot centers on a girl who turns into a giant red panda. This occurs when their emotions overflow in situations of stress characteristic of puberty, such as complexes and insecurities, platonic love, character changes, overprotection by their parents, physical, emotional, social and sexual changes.

Red pandas exist in real life, at first when I started watching the movie I thought they were some mythological animal from Chinese culture, since the movie is set in Toronto Canada, but Mei Lee's family the protagonist, is of Chinese origin. They are relatives of the giant pandas, although they look a lot like a giant raccoon to me.

Knowing what the movie was about and the background of the story, I tried to see it from different points of view. The whole movie has a metaphorical meaning, and sometimes without realizing it you are constantly in each dialogue, in each scene looking for the message they wanted to convey.

The movie is for different audiences, and everyone may like it. This movie can be enjoyed at different stages of life and you will see it differently. If she is a little girl who still does not know about these transformations, she will not see beyond a beautiful giant red panda, sweet, that looks like a stuffed animal and a girl crazy with emotions and dreams trying to control the transformations from human to panda that make her be in trouble. On the other hand, a teenager can connect with Mei and see himself represented. And if you are already a father or mother, you can see yourself reflected in Mei's parents.

According to its director, Domee Shi, the color red was chosen because it is the color that represents menstruation, it is the color of adolescent cheeks when you see your crush at school, or when you are embarrassed or angry.

This movie made many uncomfortable. And it is that even many of these themes, typical of feminine nature, which are addressed here metaphorically, are, despite the century in which we live, difficult to approach openly and cause controversy.