Ways “Encanto” Fell Short
Encanto is a visually beautiful film with a lovely appreciation for Colombian culture, presenting a diverse cast and a clear amount of heart and soul that was poured into it.
But despite that, I kind of felt underwhelmed by it. Why is that? Well…
Why doesn’t Maribel have a gift? The movie never answers this question. That’s really weird, considering it is the main question of the film. The ending seems to imply that she somehow re-established the miracle when placing the doorknob on the house. But was this her gift all along? Did she just now get a gift? Or was it just the miracle returning thanks to family unity? It’s never made clear, and I learn towards the last option.
Where does the magic even come from? No one knows and no one seems to care. You’d think you’d want to find the source of the magic if you’re going to fix it. But Maribel doesn’t even think about it. (Honestly, I was expecting it to be Pedro all along).
Why do Maribel and Isabela hate each other? This one is actually explained, but it doesn’t really feel like there’s much weight to it. We only see the two glare at each other and Isabela tell Maribel to behave during the proposal before their big conflict. It’s all tell and no show. We don’t see Maribel being treated badly by Isabela and we don’t ever see Maribel “ruining” Isabela’s life until the events of the film. No past incidents are ever mentioned.
On that note, Maribel doesn’t really seem to have caused any trouble or conflict in the past except for just not getting a power. Is that really all it takes for her grandmother to look down on her? Abuela acts like Maribel has been a source of trouble for a long time, but that’s it? We should have seen how her lack of powers impacted the family in serious ways.
Hell, the entire stakes of the film feel lackluster for a similar reason. We see Luisa helping out with stuff and a brief clip of healing from Julieta, but that’s it. We never see the family doing anything big that really establishes that “wow these people are huge pillars in this community”. Why not a scene of people being sick and Julieta healing them all? Or Pepa clearing a cyclone? Or Dolores locating lost children?
Luisa struggling to drag things is a good show of the weakening miracle. I just kinda wish the other family members also started noticing something odd about their powers? It seems Luisa was the only one having trouble for most of the film.
Bruno is undoubtedly an important character and one of the most endearing. But there’s so little of him! And this isn’t just from a fan perspective. None of his prophecies seem oh so terrible aside from the hurricane and Maribel. A dead fish? Balding? Isabella having everything she hoped for? How is any of that terrible and foreboding?
- If the movie wanted to establish Bruno as a big bad or someone with truly frightening powers, it fails. Why not have Bruno foretell floods? Deaths? Illness? Things that would truly make people fear him and think he’s a harbinger of misery? Things that would make him a true outcast among his family, since it would seem like he’s doing the exact opposite of them, causing harm instead of lending aid.
* On a more personal note, I kind of expected there to be more significant parallels between Bruno and Maribel that would help them bond maybe? This could have been better established if the previous points of Bruno’s prophecies being worse and Maribel causing legitimate issues was done.
Casita, too, is an important character, even though it’s a house. It clearly has its own personality and looks out for everyone. You’d think that three generations of living with Casita would make it part of the family right? Or at least someone to grieve over? But everyone seems more upset about losing the miracle and being homeless than the fact that they lost Casita, a being that spent its last moments protecting them.
Frankly, since the main message here is family, I think there should have been some scene of the entire family (or at least a good portion) banding together towards some goal. The closest thing we get is the proposal dinner and calling out for Maribel.
Given that all the children have supposedly been under pressure, why didn’t they come to Maribel’s defense against Abuela at the very least?
I actually thought the scene where Abuela was led to believe Maribel somehow caused Luisa to lose her strength because she talked to her was going be significant. It would have been interesting if all the kids spoke up about their stress and anxieties, only for Abuela to shut them down and blame their weakening powers on Maribel. At the same time, the house would start cracking apart because of this developing rift. It’d be a pretty good moment to show Abuela’s blindness to the harm she is causing.
If Dolores can hear the tiniest sounds from far away, how did she not hear Bruno during his prophecy of Maribel? He must have exclaimed and talked to himself or something. Even just him shattering the prophecy should have caught her attention. Can she not hear things from inside someone else’s room?
- I think it would have been interesting if she had heard something that night. But being a young child at the time, it frightened her, especially since Bruno disappeared after that. Then she would have either chosen to keep quiet or was told to by the adults who just wanted to move on. This could have been a puzzle piece for Maribel to find Bruno and a way to establish a stronger connection between her and Dolores for the audience to see.
What exactly does Camilo do that is helpful? Don’t get me wrong, I like him. But how is transformation an especially helpful power? I guess he can transform into people better suited for certain jobs, like a tall man to retrieve things or a small person to slip into a tiny space, but we never see what he does beyond messing around.
Why didn’t the kids already know that Maribel doesn’t have a gift? They look about 5 to 7 years old, an age by which most kids know the basics of their culture. Given how important the Madrigals are to the town, you’d think parents would tell their kids all about them from a very young age. You’d definitely think everyone knows what powers each family member has. And since literally the whole town attends the gift ceremonies, everyone absolutely knows about Maribel.
Obviously, Encanto still has good scenes that translate well to the audience.
Bruno’s drawn plate is only shown for a few seconds, but it is immediately heart-wrenching. It communicates everything we need to know about his feelings for his family and his loneliness without words. That’s what makes “show don’t tell” so powerful.
“We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is excellent. Camilo and Dolores stole the whole show. All the music is pretty good, but this one hits the spot.
The prophecy scene. Nuff said.
Maribel finally talking back to Abuela. Yes, get it, girl.
