“Bird Box” is a post-apocalyptic thriller film, released in 2018 by the streaming platform Netflix, directed by Susanne Bier and based on the eponymous book written by Josh Malerman, published in 2014. In the feature, Malorie (Sandra Bullock) flees with two children whose names we don't know, as they are nicknamed only "boy" and "girl" (Julian Edwards and Vivien Lyra Blair) through the woods looking for a refuge, leaving behind a bleak scenario after an unknown force devastates the world in which they live.
However, the three cannot maintain eye contact with the supernatural danger that surrounds them, as it will culminate in a drastic death. Because of this, the crossing must be done blindfolded. The film also features important actors and actresses, such as Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich and Sarah Paulson.
The story opens up a very wide range of interpretations, if we want to go beyond a movie about invisible monsters and apocalypses.
One of the most talked about theories on the internet was that “Bird Box” is a movie about depression. Shared by fans on social media, this theory gained a lot of strength by relating characters and objects in the film to very familiar human feelings: children would symbolize hope and the birds in the cage would be our happy moments and the good memories we cling to during the hard moments. All the initial survivors of the tragedy could also be going through difficult times that would be triggers for depression, such as an unwanted pregnancy (in the case of the main character herself), the recent death of a spouse, personal insecurities, etc. If these people were struggling and trying to recover, these invisible entities would be depression coming to “haunt” and drive people to suicidal thoughts.
Another theory, released by the director herself, supposes that the film would be a metaphor about motherhood. According to Susanne Bier, the main message of the film involves the character of Sandra Bullock and her children. To save them, the mother treats them in an authoritarian way, when she forces them to keep the blindfold on, for example. The main character, despite not feeling like an exemplary mother and having little affection for the children, still does everything to save them and we can see her behavior changing throughout the story. At first, reluctant with the idea of pregnancy, she goes through moments of denial and aggression, but in the end, she is able to accept motherhood and start a new life.
Another theory put forward by some viewers is that the monsters, as they never appear and are only suggested, are metaphors for environmental, natural and climatic catastrophes, which destroy humanity or change its course in the real world. In the film itself, the character Charlie (Lil Rel Howery) talks about this monster and informs that it exists in different cultures, such as in Celtic mythology (Aka Manah), in Chinese mythology (Huli Junga) and in Zoroastrianism (Pacú). What is implied is that all these societies, even living in a time far removed from the modernity and technology of the present time, were already concerned with the destruction of nature and with a “backlash” that it could give us.
Another hidden meaning of the story is contained in the Sanctuary, which is not just a school for the visually impaired, but an analogy for blind faith, one that makes us believe that it is possible, even when the world tries to show otherwise. It is with this blind faith that the protagonist, played by Sandra Bullock, manages to reach the place after taking a very risky path with her two children. In the end, the free birds released by her represent the feelings of freedom and hope that she emanates from finally achieving her goal.
Finally, some people have assumed that the fact that blinding your own eyes is the only way to avoid being attacked by the monster is a representation of that famous phrase that says ignorance is bliss, that is, only ignoring and choosing to be “blind”. it is in relation to internal problems that we can find some peace in life.
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Theories are diverse and the film was successful largely because of that, because it leaves many interpretations open to viewers, not closing the story itself and allowing each person watching to draw their own conclusions and make their own associations about the characters. , the monster, the birds and the story as a whole.
