The Cruel in Cruella

I got to go to the movies again recently (one of my favourite past-times in the whole world!!) and was struck by so many things—the fabulous acting, the out-of-this-world wardrobe design and styling, the crisp and dynamic cinematography/narrative flow, the absolutely killer soundtrack ... but more so than anything, I was deeply moved by the mere *presence* of it all. The energy embodied by the characters, and consequently evoked within me, throughout this creative masterpiece were, simply put, nothing short of awe-inspiring (and I'm talking Old Testament/wrath-of-God kind of awe here, folks). 

But what is this film actually about? We're almost all familiar with the original 1961 Disney classic "101 Dalmatians" (and, perhaps to a lesser extent, its live-action adaptation from 1996), but this newly vamped-up version seriously takes the meaning of "De Vil" to a whole new level. This version is dark, it's intense, and for the first time since Disney took it upon themselves to introduce us to her, I think it's safe to say that we're only just now getting a glimpse of what it means for Cruella to be truly "cruel." 

In my view, it is a film about power. The power of genius, the power of creativity, the power of unapologetically being and asserting yourself ... but all of this dances upon the razor's edge of cut-throat ambition and, frankly, not giving a rat's ass about anybody else. It's a film that is obviously meant to be empowerING, particularly to women (at least, according to the film's marketing ... it isn't directly thematized in the plot at all, really), but as far as I can see, this empowerment is dangerously hollow, genuinely abusive, and has nothing in particular to do with true feminine power, or the power any of us should really be cultivating in general, period. 

The power displayed in this film is a state of HAVING power—i.e. wielding influence, having an effect, the freedom and confidence that comes with being able to assert one's personal will, instead of becoming influenced and detrimentally BEING affected by the will, desires, and actions of someone else. But this is very different from being IN our power, in my opinion. Being IN your power is a state where you do connect to a sense of confidence and self-respect, but not at the loss of considering another human being or the cost of hardening yourself so completely that you become as unaffected (i.e. no longer hurt, controlled or overpowered) by them as possible. The trick, I think, is to ultimately not allow that inner core of self-worth to be shaken, DESPITE the vulnerability of openness. For example, I can still feel hurt by someone or a situation and know that I have value; I can be faced with challenging and unwanted circumstances from outside myself and still have the grace and self-control/regulation to not react from a wounded ego or be manipulated into doing things outside of my integrity, my boundaries, or my own desires due to low self-esteem. What comes at me isn't about me. It doesn't DEFINE me or ultimately have a hold over me, even if I allow myself to consider or be affected by it for a moment.

Granted, that is not an easy feat for anyone and, understandably, some of us have been overly considerate for far too long and have allowed our power to be taken from us (regardless of gender, I might add), which is why a movie like "Cruella" is even here and relevant, in my opinion. But it unfortunately kind of misses the mark, ultimately. I mean, do we really want to simply HAVE power at the expense of everyone else? A film such as this makes the prospect very tempting indeed. I think it's an interesting (and I dare say even important) emotional/thought experiment which can serve as a stepping stone in our development to becoming truly IN our power (because so many of us don't even know what having/wielding power really feels like to begin with), but it should not be the end of the line. At least, it is not where I desire to be headed. I want to be a woman, a person, who remains empowered within openness and vulnerability towards others. To allow others to affect me without being intrinsically shaken. And, hopefully, the more we each cultivate this individually, it will (truly) empower others to do the same. <3