Written by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach
Essay by Emily Saliers
A day before the movie “Barbie,” written by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, premiered in the U.S., I was on vacation in the Faroe Islands, where I desperately snagged the last ticket to see it in the local Torshavn theater. Navigating my way through unfamiliar concession stands and ticketing, I found my seat and sat back, with delirious anticipation, watching the Danish subtitles roll. I had no clue what to expect.
What followed was a fairly thorough exploration of so many of the issues that make this world a hard place: misogyny, patriarchy, sexism, vapid capitalism, aggressive reach for power, and your run-of-the-mill dehumanization.
Add some sugar, please.
Everything in “Barbie” is sparkly fun to look at and good enough to eat: the colors are confectionary dazzling, the pink is oh-so-candy-pink and the roller skates are lime-green fluorescent; this is pop sensibility synesthesia at its finest.
The music and the dancing pulses envelop the audience with infectious disco grooves and heavy bass. It was impossible for me to take my eyes off of Ken, line dancing with perfectly choreographed moves and hand claps to boot, and how could I not feel sheer joy to see the gleam in Barbie’s eyes as she twirls in her perfect Barbie world?
Suddenly, rudely, in the midst of my sonic sugar high, the needle scratches violently across the vinyl, and it all comes to an abrupt stop. The party’s over.
Of course, not really. Because there is a delight in the journey of self-discovery to follow, as “stereotypical” Barbie, appropriately mentored by “weird” Barbie in all her queer wisdom, sets out to discover why she exists.
Watching Barbie is like sucking on a sweetly complex, existential lollipop.
Lest we forget our brothers and the internal loneliness of their male-dominated world, we have Ken to take us through his own journey of discovery and self-worth.
With her remarkably deft touch, director Greta Gerwig playfully and deliciously zooms us through a myriad of scenes: a mother losing touch with her teenage daughter, an absurd corporate board room full of yes-men, an elderly ghost-like motherly figure who touches our childhood hearts, Ken’s confidence fattening as he gorges on real-world patriarchy, a war scene chock-full of flying toy arrows and full fantasy martial arts moves, and a complete breakdown and subsequent reconstruction of a feminist/humanist governing paradigm in Barbie World. Whew. What a ride.
With its brilliant stylization and feast for the senses, “Barbie” dazzled and entertained me to the max. Yet, as I left the theater, I found myself thoughtful and provoked, digging through the complex human struggles and layered issues that lie at the heart of the film. That’s no accident. “Barbie” is an absolute feat of brilliant writing and directing — with a spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go down.
Emily Saliers is half of the Indigo Girls, whose hit “Closer to Fine” is featured prominently in “Barbie.”