I keep seeing people saying Annelise was selfish for complaining about her role as princess and I can't help but feel that they just missed the entire plot of the film.
Yes, materially she was more comfortable than Erika and was better cared for. However! She also had greater responsibilities, with no end in sight.
She was raised to always put her kingdom ahead of her own feelings and desires. It's implied that her father died when Annelise was young, and while the Queen is an incredibly strong woman, the King's death will have put an incredible pressure on Anneliese to grow up and become responsible for an entire country. While she can spend time with her hobbies, it's because she and her mother both understand that she won't have that time to herself for very long. She then gets engaged to a complete stranger, with only a week to meet them before being legally bound to each other forever. And to top it all off, that wedding would both double her workload and dramatically shorten the time Annelise could take to learn more about being a queen. Dominic is already a king, leading his kingdom, meaning Annelise would be making the jump from sheltered princess to queen and wife all in one go, with only a few weeks' notice.
And again, this is a life–long responsibility. As mentioned in the opening song "Free"; this next part of Annelise's life isn't the beginning of greater freedoms, it's the end of what little freedom she had. Her cage might have been gilded, but she was expected to stay within it for the rest of her life. Trapped in what's assumed to be a loveless marriage, running two kingdoms, with no end in sight. She'd even probably have been expected to have children with this man, in the interest of producing heirs.
Meanwhile, while Erika was significantly worse treated, she lived with the understanding that one day she would pay back her debt and escape from Madame Carp. Even as Carp kept charging interest, Erika was earning money singing in the street. There's even a chance she was hoping to save up that money and run away without paying off the rest of her debt.
Now, do I think that Annelise's lot was worse than Erika's? No, and neither is the film. I'm saying that they both had it bad in their own ways, hence the song "Girl Like You". Annelise isn't selfish for wanting her freedom and complaining about her lack thereof, especially since she is normally very accepting of her fate. We only see her complain to someone else once: to Erika, while Erika is encouraging her to do so.
Of course, hindsight is 50/50. At the end of the film we can see that Dominic wouldn't've been a bad, abusive, or neglectful husband. But I still doubt either he or Annelise would have been able to love each other in that marriage. They're too different, and Annelise would be permanently missing Julian. Who, by the way, she would likely never see again after the wedding. And at the start of the film, which is when each girl is the most upset about her circumstances? We hadn't met Dominic. We had no way of knowing he'd be a good man. And neither did Annelise.
janainaart
snowghoul
blakekathryn
baratheonpilled
kaledo-art
vaporwave
kianamaiart
jbbartram-illu
turnnoffyourmind
