Greta Gerwig’s Barbie was the film you heard about the most in the year 2023 since it was released back on July 21, 2023. The movie based on toys by Mattel cannot be classified as an ordinary family movie. Rather, it is a bold take on society and its norms with respect to adult, identity, and the all-too-obvious quest for the ideal. Barbie, which has a captivating story, vivid images, and a large array of cast, succeeds in delivering both a feel-good and constructive message regarding how society views women and femininity today.
Introduction
The Last Duel (2021) is a feminist reimagining of the famed Barbie doll that has dominated popular culture for over 60 years. Oftentimes recalling earlier memories, many may envision the doll as an idealized figure with multiple professions, but this movie instead focuses on Barbie’s universe as a vehicle to advocate for issues such as self-worth, feminine impersonation, or the societal beauty ideal.
The film depicts a Barbieland society with endless possibilities, a place where Barbie is magnificently every-female successfully fulfilling different roles such as president, an astronaut, etc. The main protagonist named Barbie (Margot Robbie) however, strives for something beyond what has been handed to her world and embarks for the outside world in quest for the truth where she encounters many different fascinating personalities and realizes that existence is rather complex than just perfection.
Release Date
Barbie’s official launch date was July 21st, 2023 and the film was released during the summer to optimize its chances of becoming successful. As the release of the film approached, there was a lot of interest as to how the character of the doll would be brought on screen. The movie was directed by Greta Gerwig who had authored and had also a known director who was praised for her projects such as Lady Bird and Little Women so there was a fresh perspective in the movie.
Film Location
- Los Angeles, California: Much of the film was shot in and around Los Angeles, specifically at the Warner Bros. Studios. The studio’s vast stages were used to create Barbie Land’s iconic, pastel-colored houses and dream-like streets. This allowed the production to maintain a fantastical yet controlled environment where the characters could interact in a larger-than-life, stylized world.
- California Desert: For the scenes set outside Barbie Land, the filmmakers chose the California desert for its barren yet dramatic landscapes, which stood in stark contrast to the vibrant, over-the-top beauty of Barbie Land. The juxtaposition of these two worlds added to the thematic tension in the film and highlighted Barbie’s internal journey as she ventures into the real world.
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Other Locations: The filmmakers also used various locations in California to capture elements of the real world, focusing on the sense of disconnection and discomfort Barbie experiences once she steps outside her perfect society. From busy streets to quiet, mundane spaces, the film captures the confusion and beauty of the real world through Barbie’s eyes.
Song and Soundtrack
Just as the film itself, so too the Barbie soundtrack was able to gain worldwide popularity, containing energetic pop tunes and more somber ballads and thus fitting the films’ comical yet complicated nature. As the album is produced by Mark Ronson and features many artists, it also helps intensify the emotions induced by the movie.
The Barbara track by Aqua, which was re-recorded with a new way to fit the modern business model, is one of the most well-known songs. The song interacted with pop-culture and fashion for quite some time and was perfectly suited to the ambience of Barbie Land which is Technologies inspired. In conclusion, the movie carries some themes and ‘conventional’ songs spots for self-identity struggles, self-love and being a woman in today’s world.
Barbie’s wild side is captured in yet another remarkable song: “I Am Barbie”, an inspirational song about Barbie embracing herself and being fully confident to express who she really is. This earworm makes the creation come to life, radiating awesome beats and essentially, the movie’s voice.
Music is an important part of the movie who tells a story on its own – the evolution of Barbie is moving and meets its emotional arcs. With so many great records from pop to rap songs, up to ballads, the supplement musical is also worth the attention in this visual show.
Director
Greta Gerwig, famous for her rather unusual storytelling that combines humor and emotion has directed Barbie. Greta Gerwig’s portfolio, including Lady Bird (2017) and Little Women (2019), witnessed her characters and protagonists going in search for themselves and the journey being profound. In Barbie, Gerwig is reinterpreting a well-known figure that every little girl knows, while preserving her own aesthetic.
In Barbie, her orientation is playful and at the same time has an intellectual aspect as well. There are light hearted fun and fantasy elements in the film but these are also guided by deeper sinews of feminist discourse, self-image and thrift. Gerwig’s trademark humor and originality enables her to combine funny elements with self-reflection and developing a story that is equally about the magic that is Barbie and the struggles of being an adult.
Producer
Barbie was made by Margot Robbie through her production company LuckyChap Entertainment and also by Tom Ackerley and Josey McNamara. The film has also been made by Margot who plays the titular character of Barbie herself and who has been invested in the project since its inception. As a producer and an actress, Robbie was able to help mold the picture’s vision and bring to life a fun and thoughtful update of the character of Barbie.
Cast
The cast of Barbie excels as Margot Robbie plays the lead role of Barbie in the movie. It is important to note that there are many sides to Robbie’s doll, both the perfect beauty of a doll and the person behind the doll. In this case, Barbie is portrayed as a woman who is beautiful on the outside but has a lot of inner turmoil trying to fit into that image. She is comical yet dramatic and in essence, she portrays how the film’s journey should be.
Also with Robbie is Ryan Gosling who takes Ken, Barbie’s long time lover, to even greater heights. He manages to display the charming yet rather clueless Ken in a way that makes the viewer laugh but also adds a depth to the overall cinematography. He has great comedic timing, and portrays the character in a way that involves more than a mere definition associated with the doll, ‘a Ken’. As Barbie’s complement, Ken also has a world to discover and with him a certain level of relatability that Gosling provides the audience.
America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, and Will Ferrell are also important to mention, who provide some additional roles ranging from Barbie’s pals to significant personalities in real life. The actors’ good chemistry and their competence to handle the comic and the serious elements of the film make it worth watching.
Trailer
One can’t fail to recall how much energy the warm colors and humour, as well as the sharp visuals depicting Barbie Land and the real world, exuded. The world was different from the resonating Barbie who simultaneously looked both perfect and unpolished. The trailer summarized doll’s legacy, gave up hints of who she would meet and how she would change – or not – throughout her endeavors.
According to the trailer, the film is more playful in its artistic direction, featuring barbie land with pastel colored houses and extravagant clothing as one of its scenes. It did, however, touch upon some of the film’s more serious aspects, such as Barbie’s struggle with the pressure of being perfect, and needing to break the mold.
Pilot
Barbie’s fairy tale life is depicted as a perfect young lady who kind of lives in her own world where everything is pretty much perfect. But as the story unfolds and she matures, she starts to contemplate the purpose of her being. Stepping into the real world is no cake & cream, it rather involves quite the opposite, from coming to terms with own times of façade to grappling with socially constructed stereotypes.
Conclusion
Barbie is a film that remakes the classic doll for modern age. It is a delightful visual experience laced with clever humor, and an insightful exploration of who we are and how we perceive ourselves. The cinematographer Greta Gerwig has a distinctly innovative view which allows for Barbie to be fun yet a film that embraces the challenges of femininity in today’s world.
Directed by heavyweights Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, the star-studded cast has a great bearing over the story and the animation along with the superb soundtrack makes this film an exhilarating viewing experience. Whether you’ve prior knowledge of the doll or are seeing her for the first time, Barbie is a film which is bound to make an impression on the viewer. It is amusing, has tenderness and in the end, it is an appreciation of accepting who one really is.
