Music is an essential part of our humanity. I have always believed that music is the language of the soul, as it can be used as a tool for us to express aspects of ourselves we have no other way of expressing. Maybe that's why I have a bit of an impartial bias towards musical films and even many stage musicals, because they emphasize the show-stopping aspect of the musical number so greatly, that they lose sight of the humanity that singing character is trying to show. I know that many of my blogs have discussed the ways that these films take influences from several films/styles, fuse them together, and create something new, unique, and powerful. Sorry, but Stuart Murdoch's God Help the Girl (2014) once again achieves this through its combination of real-world strife and its depiction of music as a force of immense goodness.
Several musicals in the last few decades have managed to discuss real world issues and humanistic themes, with mixed results. Bob Fosse's film adaptation of Cabaret (1972) showcased the ugly side of humanity through a gritty lens in his examination of a burlesque cabaret club being the only place where the true, terrible nature of people can be revealed, explored, and commented on. Tom Hooper's film adaptation of Les Miserables (2012) looked at the ways that we feel unfulfilled and conflicted in our lives, seeing love as the only solution to the misery of the world. God Help the Girl explores ideas from both of these films, albeit predominantly in its non-musical portions. Eve hates herself and is trapped in the troubled confines of a young girl with anorexia. She doesn't know how to deal with her problems, so she always runs from them, illustrated in the opening of the film when she escapes the psychiatric hospital she was staying in. Over the course of the film, Eve takes drugs to dilute the pain that she feels at being unfulfilled and tries to find love through some ill-conceived sexual trysts with men, most notably the unabashed d-bag Anton.
Obviously, one of the most important aspects of a movie musical is the music itself, and how it is used. It is here that God Help the Girl finds some unlikely inspiration: The musical films of John Carney. Carney's musicals are all variations on similar themes, but that doesn't stop each of them from being fun, moving, and electric. In his films such as Once (2006) and Sing Street (2015), Carney's protagonists find happiness through music as they find themselves committing to an artistic expression and forming authentic bonds with others that share the same passion and vision. Eve comes to life when she makes music, and finds an unlikely source of love in her band mates James and Cassie, who grow to be their own makeshift musical family. Surprisingly considering all of the pain Eve exhibits and endures throughout the film, God Help the Girl concludes on an uplifting note, as Eve leaves Glasgow for London to study music at a musical college. By grounding the film in a relatable, real-world story with layered characters while also allowing the sheer power that is music to seep into the film's core, God Help the Girl emerges as something special.
Some connections made, but still focusing on the film. Explore your idea of music more. Tease it out.
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