Turning Red Directed by Domee Shi, A Review by Asiyah, Grade 12 - 4/5
Turning Red follows Mei Lee, a 13-year-old Chinese Canadian, attempting to navigate 8th grade with the challenge of her genetic curse that transforms her into a giant red panda at the whim of intense emotion. The film also depicts Mei’s struggles to balance her need to please her mother with academic achievements and good behaviour while maintaining her personal interests and social life with her friends. When Mei first learns of her giant red panda genetics, she despises it and her mother informs her that the curse can be sealed away on the night of the lunar eclipse. When Mei’s friends discover her transformation abilities, they take a liking to the red panda version of Mei and Mei becomes conflicted about whether she wants to seal her abilities away.
Turning Red is the first Pixar movie that is entirely directed by a woman. I was actually quite shocked to hear this as this movie was released in 2022 and Pixar was founded in 1986, and yet this was their first movie that a woman solely directed. Nonetheless, the movie itself showcased some themes that are extremely accurate to being the child of immigrant parents in a Western country. As this film takes place in Toronto, it is clear that Mei and her mother both have different values as they grew up in different countries in different time periods. The battle of pleasing your parents or validating your own identity is accurately represented through Mei’s red panda as it often feels like the two cannot coexist. This film also caused some controversy by referencing first periods, however, I enjoyed this addition to the film as this is a moment in an adolescent's life that should be more normalized and not considered taboo to discuss.
It’s not difficult to see why so many immigrants, especially Asian immigrants, resonated with this movie so strongly. The pressures and expectations that immigrant children bear can sometimes feel stifling, however, this movie showcases that it is possible to break away from that burden without alienating yourself from your culture and family.