Nimona [Netflix, 2023]
Nimona’s Netflix poster! Watch it on Netflix if you are fond of animated films and a meaningful plot that isn’t predictable.
There was an hour and a half to go before I had to leave for dinner with my boyfriend and his family at the airport (today is the day my boyfriend leaves for his studies in New Zealand!). I scrolled through the options available on Netflix, wondering which show I should watch.
My mind flashed back to an Instagram Story posted by my ex-colleague-turned-friend several days ago (Chris, that’s you).
“Nimona.”
I remembered nothing about what she posted about it, except for the level of excitement I experienced from her on her social media regarding this movie. And that was enough for me to move the cursor to the search bar to pull up this film.
So, here’s an animated adventure film, set in a futuristic medieval world.
And here are my raw and unfiltered thoughts and insights from watching Nimona for the first time.
Trust is built through witnessed choices.
Trust isn’t built through time. It’s built via the choices we witness the other party.
Because our choices reveal what we deeply believe in, who we deeply believe in.
Our choices reveal what matters more to us, and who matters more to us.
Seeing Ballister confused and in disbelief over Ambrosius’s clear decision to believe he killed the queen,
I found myself having this statement as titled above.
I’m reminded that sometimes, it doesn’t matter how many unseen and unknown choices I’ve made for a person.
What matters more is what they SEE from me.
“Monster”
I had goosebumps when Nimona said this line that I can’t remember word for word, but its message was about how being seen as a monster simply because she was signficantly different.
Nimona wasn’t dangerous. She was just different, in the way she could shape shift into different animals and even humans whenever she wanted to.
She never intentionally hurt anyone, and all she wanted was to belong. To find someone who would stay with her despite her differences.
Who would love her, with her differences.
Who would see her, beyond all her differences.
Nimona’s words got me to wonder.
In our own lives, how easily and quickly do we label someone
as a person who is a ‘monster’,
as a person who is dangerous, weird, and someone to stay away from?
Do we truly try to first know them, and understand them beyond their choices and how they look on the outside?
Because most times, deep down,
people lash out and act up because they’ve been hurt, or they’re scared of being hurt.
Can we work harder to understand them at this level, rather than just reacting to what’s shown on the surface?
When duty clashes with love, which do you choose?
When Ballister accidentally kills the queen with a sabotaged sword, his lover (Ambrosius) began perceiving him with a different eye. And throughout the movie, there were several moments that greatly upsetted me about the choices Ambrosius was making.
“How could he do that to Ballister?”
“He is his lover, and yet he chose to do this?!”
“Why can’t he trust him? THEY WERE TOGETHER”
“Does he even love him?!”
One part of me was high on anger and disbelief. The other part of me was noticeably more mellow, calmly observing.
And understanding that both parties were truly doing the best they could, given the circumstances.
Can I see that Ambrosius was doing his best, given what was happening for him?
He was trained to protect the Queen, and to see his partner kill her must have been hard on him. He has his duty as a knight of the Institution, and he clearly owns a strong sense of loyalty and care for the people of the city. To suddenly see his partner associate with a shapeshifting creature they have never encountered in their territory, must have shocked him and riled up so many emotions and thoughts and triggered beliefs within him.
Also, from the movie, its obvious that the people who grew up in this city are constantly exposed to fight ‘monsters’. Of course it would make sense that Ambrosius would have a deeply-embedded belief of how monsters are dangerous and should be killed.
So, maybe the focus shouldnt be about the title here. Because this isn’t about choosing between duty and love.
This is about seeing the choices each character makes in the face of love and duty, and understanding that choosing one doesn’t mean they don’t have the other.
In our own lives, can we also see that everyone is always doing our best,
given the beliefs we have learnt, the things we see, the values we hold onto?
Quirky, playful, deeply hurt Nimona.
She’s ADORABLE. Her personality speaks to my inner child, and she’s so feisty and honest and funny and sharp-tongued all at once.
But amidst all of that? Nimona’s values stand loud and clear. She’s fiercely loyal to Ballister, running to his rescue even though they had just had a fight.
She’s also a badly hurt child. All this girl needs is to be seen beyond her abilities, to be loved for her personality. But unfortunately, her abilities trigger the greatest fears and beliefs of people, and even more unfortunately, these people give a lot of power to what they’ve been taught to believe;
that anyone who’s different is a monster they must eliminate.
My heart shattered, and a gasping darkness spread through my chest when Nimona revealed that she doesn’t know what she was more scared of.
“Kids. Little kids. They grow up believing that they can be a hero if they drive a sword into the heart of anything different. And I’m the monster? I don’t know what’s scarier. The fact that everyone in this kingdom wants to run a sword through my heart... or that sometimes, I just wanna let ‘em.”
Her words revealed the depth of her pain, and the cruel ways that the actions of those around her have affected her. And the saddest thing is, I highly doubt any of these people would do the same if they took time to truly know who she is beyond what they see.
My mind was running all over.
This is one reason why people want to commit suicide;
when they’re so unseen for what’s most real for them, so misunderstood for who they truly are, that they’ve lost hope for having things be different for them in this life.
And this is why it’s ever so important for each one of us to always do our best to listen. To ask about people, with the intention of being there with them, exactly as they are. No need to fix them, no need to change them.
People who have suicidal thoughts are not broken.
That’s all the raw and unfiltered thoughts and insights I have for this film so far. If you’ve watched Nimona and other thoughts have come up for you regarding this film, do share them with me! It’ll be interesting to understand the way different minds and hearts react to this movie too :)
Also, I want to remind us all that there are no right or wrong thoughts. We all have our own thoughts in response to something we see and engage with, and every thought is real and valid.
till the next movie I watch!
val
