Warning: Spoilers ahead!
If you’re like me, the first time you watched Matilda you were star-struck. From the amazing wardrobe to the full kids cast, this film was something to wow over. I’m here today to talk about how Matilda is a movie about healing our inner child wounds (it definitely did for me) and how to do it in a world that says, ‘you’re not a miracle’.
At the beginning of the movie, we are introduced to the main character, Matilda, and her sad and unnatural living situation. It’s not long before the audience is made aware of her parents’ abusive nature. It seemed like the only way she could escape the real world was by reading a good book. Matilda’s life is suddenly changed when the town she lives in demands her parents to send her to school for the first time. The young girl is excited to be somewhere where she can not only be away from home but also, can do what she loves most: learning.
It is not until we reach the rusted gates of her new school that Matilda learns from the older children that this will be the place her young spirit dies in. The headmistress, Trunchbull, is as wicked and vile as a fully grown adult can come. Trunchbull takes pleasure in punishing the children for just merely being alive and trying to have fun, her weapon of choice being the chokey. Chokey turns out to be the Department of Children and Families’ worst nightmare, a wooden box with nails, wooden splinters, and chains. Later in the movie, we learn that the children are not the only victims of Trunchbull’s cruel treatment—with adults being subjected to the same fate. Ms. Honey, for instance (who shares the lead role with Matilda), tries to stay strong for her students but in reality, is living the same hell.
It wasn’t until halfway through the movie that I realized Ms. Honey and Matilda are metaphors for how children and adults process trauma in their everyday lives, whether it’s in the past or presently occurring. Throughout the movie, we watch as the two team up to bring down this external bully. The inner child is wounded but prevails with the hope of being seen by someone who loves them. This teaming up and empowerment helps the characters break free from Trunchbull’s physical and emotional burden. This is also seen in the last number, when Ms. Honey adopts Matilda and they finally become a family. They sing, thanking each other for their love and support, as these characters pushed one another to grow, not with the negative spiral Trunchbull attempted to create but rather, with kindness and understanding.
So, next time you feel the world crashing down on you and that your story may be written out of your control, take time to give yourself well-needed love. You are not your experiences and your trauma; if anything, you’re a miracle.