Film Program & Lecture Series: Lecture #5 Character & Storytelling Film Analysis

 Opposing Characters in Suckerpunch (2011)

Suckerpunch is a grim film that deals with real issues (mental health, grief,) alongside the fantastical through the eyes of Baby Doll, an orphaned girl who is forced  by her stepfather into a metal asylum after the death of her mother and manslaughter of her sister. Baby Doll's stepfather bribes the Asylum's orderly, Blue Jones, into lobotomising Doll to keep her from telling the truth about her abusive stepfather. The film spans the five days of Baby Dolls stay and the countdown to her lobotomy, with Blue obsessively breathing down her neck. She uses her vivid imagination as a form of escapism, plotting a pretend escape with other girls within the asylum by completing fantastical missions and collecting McGuffins. 

The gritty style of Suckerpunch makes opposing characters difficult to identify; misfortune is rampant. Instead, It's about a characters' reaction to environmental factors. This is where we can notice the difference between Baby Doll and Blue Jones. 

These two characters deal with misfortune in different ways, manifesting as various physical actions and decisions. 

Both characters experience trauma from their surroundings; Baby Doll has had a scarring experience by accidentally killing her sister and being abused by her stepfather before getting imprisoned in an asylum, Blue is constantly surrounded by the depressive  atmosphere of the corrupt asylum he works within. These experiences are handled differently by both characters; Blue abuses his power as an orderly by torturing patients, taking bribes and forcing lobotomies. Baby Doll is able to supress her desire for revenge and eventually sacrifices herself to let another inmate escape safely. In this example, Blue is overwhelmed by his shadow and is eventually arrested, but Doll is able to find her purer  personality to help an ally.