Embracing Sadness: the lesson of Inside Out
Inside Out is an animated film which deserves to be seen by anyone who cares for children or young adults. I've seen it twice, I may take it in a third time. I have started recommending it to my clients who are parents and who are trying to understand the emotional lives of their children.
Inside Out is a beautifully crafted film on two levels: first, the graphics, the characters, the sound, all of the artistic and technical aspects of the film are incredibly detailed and beautiful to watch; second, the psychological information and the way in which the script unfolds are truly first class. My eight-year old grandson was able to sit, transfixed, throughout the whole of the film and at the end delivered a summary of the film's message in a short, precise sentence. The script writers knew what they were doing and they did it better than most pop psychology authors and speakers.
There are five principal characters, each representing one of five basic feelings: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust and Anger which are experienced by the most human-like character in the film, a little 12 year old girl. There are also two aspects of human memory which are featured: Long-term memories and Core memories. The term Long-term memory is self-explanatory; Core memory refers to those deeply embedded memories which we form during childhood, memories which are wrapped up in emotion, which involve those we love and who loved us, or events which caused us to have extreme feelings. The collection of our Core memories defines us; they make up our personality and while we might add some as we grow towards adulthood, most are the property of our childhood.
Most film and stage 'plots' have an arc that describes the changes which the lead actors go through from the beginning to the end of the script. Inside Out has two arcs: one is described by Joy who learns that while it is necessary to cherish and to protect our Core memories we sometimes have to see that these are the products of our very young immature selves: sometimes distorted, sometimes pure fantasy. At the beginning of the film, Joy does all she can to preserve the Core memories intact and safe from any hint of negative feeling. By the end of the film she surrenders and allows the other lead character - Sadness - to interact with and to affect the Core memories.
Sadness starts off the film being truly downcast and lacking in any sense of self-worth. She learns quite quickly that she is capable of influencing the Core memories - imparting a touch of sadness to them or completely recolouring them in her own image. By the end of the film Sadness accepts the fact that she occupies a valid place among the little girl's feelings and as the girl grows up she can experience loss and grief and that sadness has a rightful place among her other feelings. Joy changes by experiencing some "reality testing" - not everything can be happy forever; Sadness changes by learning she is a valid part of life and that she is just as real as Joy.
At the end of the movie the characters gloss over the next stage of development, "Puberty", and what their roles might become. It is an obvious door to a sequel and I for one can hardly wait.
