Opal

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LadyE B CW: Child abuse, SA I wanted to love this film, but can't. First off, the film description gave an entirely different impression than what I was presented. The film was described as a fantasy film with a young princess as the protaganist, fighting to save her kingdom. Fairytale-esque, with an atypical protagonist is what drew me to see the film at a local film festival. But what I was given, wasn't quite like that. Essentially the film is an allegory for child abuse. What we are seeing is Opal deep within her psyche in this fictious world that represents her psyche dealing with PTSD after years of abuse buried deep within her mind. Her "magic" is her innocence of youth, stolen away by her father every night when he slips into her bedroom unbeknownst to Opal's mother. Her kingdom is her mind and body, falling into the stress of carrying such a heavy mental load. Her weapon is... *sigh*.... the power of love to overcome the other emotions to "save" the kingdom. I see the message is trying to say, but presenting anger - a very legitimate emotion to feel after being harmed- as a simple emotion to dismiss is a real disservice to the heroine and honestly anyone else who has experienced trauma and been told to "smile through the pain". Some parts of the messaging is very heavy-handed and other parts are quite rugged and harsh and problably would have benefitted from a softer approach. The film ends with a presumed mental health professional telling an adult Opal that there is no more left because she has done what was needed. I think a message along the lines of "you did a lot of good work today and should rest before continuing to parent your inner child who lost years of innocence due to this trauma" would have been better and more effective here, because the work is certainly an ongoing effort. The voice acting was wooden in some scenes, and the animation was clunky at times. I realize this film was made on a very tight budget, and the team did a lot with what they were given. I hope they continue to do more projects and develop their skills further to bring different stories to life on screen. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 06/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Opal

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