The House (2022) Theories, Themes & Symbolism Explained | DEEP ANALYSIS
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- Опубликовано: 27 июл 2024
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💀 UTG DEEP ANALYSIS 💀
🎥 Theories, Themes & Symbolism
🍿 The House
🎬 Connor takes a deep dive into the complexities of The House: Netflix's incredibly divisive animated anthology movie that contains a huge amount of room for interpretation. What does Connor make of it? Find out now!
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:57 The House Theme - Money and Materialism
8:38 The House Theme - Houses Reflect The Residents
11:58 The House Theme - Outsiders and External Forces
14:42 The House Theme - Light
15:59 Outro
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Something I immediately noticed was the color GREEN of the curtains. In the Victorian era (where the first story takes place) wealthy people heavily desired that specific color "Emerald Green" of dye for dresses, wallpaper, and furniture. This dye was so vibrant because it was made with arsenic, so people got sick and died from it. As soon as I saw the scene where she puts down the baby and reaches for the fabric I knew they were going to abandon their children and end up dead. The foreshadowing was very well done. Also, this green shows up in the second story as the color of the bug killer container that eventually puts the rat in the hospital and leads to him giving in to the "pest lifestyle". Then, finally, in the third story the green color was on the wallpaper. She kept trying to put it up but it wouldn't stick, and then Cosmos opened the windows and purified it, removing the paper. The green items were all objects that they used for delusion and illusion, and arsenic has historically been used in these objects (fabric, rat poison, wallpaper), so I think this symbolizes how a lack of authenticity and self-awareness can destroy our lives, and how it is destroying our mental health and planet.
This was one of the most beautiful films I've seen in a while and definitely a new favorite. It is so chock full of symbolism and detail and is very multi layered in it's message. Mabel and Isabelle were also the cutest and my heart broke for them.
That's a really great observation. Another thing with the curtains - the mother comments that there were so many windows and used so much fabric to try to cover them up. But the windows and curtains could also symbolize a hesitancy of looking outside of one's self or looking deeper within one's self or blocking others from looking in.
And just the excess in general and neverending tasks to create the facade that cover up the actual inner foundational work that needs to be done. I think the green poison color attached to that motivation to not do the inner work it takes to literally make a home reflects the damage we do when we ignore our mental health and other life tasks that can move us forward that we don't want to deal with.
Green, the colour of money
Very well-put.
That was so insightful. You have a wonderful mind!
green also symbolises envy, so it seems as though the parents succumbed to their envy and jealousy of wealthy people and became the emotion itself.
my initial thoughts on the first story were that mr van schoonbeek was literally playing dollhouse with the family, giving them clothes and food, and hiring actors to convince the family. I think this gives a nice theme of delusion to the three stories, with the developer covering the truth about the house in fancy lies, only to become his "real" self by the end, an actual rat. and rosa was lying to herself about the state of the house and the world.
Who even was Mr Van Shoonbeek? Was he a real person? A demon? What were his goals and why was he never mentioned again in the third one?
@@Fritter_Films he may be a real person playing with the dollhouse. I think that is signalled when he is depicted SO LARGE compared to Mr. Thomas in that one scene (12:45 in this video)
@@Fritter_Films He's either one I think. Someone who the man's father made a bad deal with, they mention he had many debts with many people. Maybe someone wanting to get revenge on the family.
This makes sense with the titles of each section
I do believe it was a dollhouse. Remember the dollhouse burning in the fireplace before the fire started? I also believe in the third story, they had died in the first flood and the story was about their souls moving on from the house.
My opinion is that the 3rd story was much less creepy than the other two.
I really liked the third story, I was really able to connect with the characters more in that segment, also i love cats too so it was a win win 😂
@@anniehartshorne1654 I love the third story too! And my cat fiona looks just like Rosa lol
@@Nursegirlalexandra i have 3 cats and they look like Rosa and her tenants so i loved it
They go from darkest to lightest
@@Nursegirlalexandra I also have a cat that looks like Rosa, her name is Lilly
Something I realized about the first story:
The nasty relatives said that Raymond's father was "a whimperer", which in itself is an odd thing to say about a person.
Later were told that Mr Schoonbeek was "friends" with Raymond's father.
And finally, any instances in which Mr Thomas is "alone", he is seen... WHIMPERING.
It finally dawned on me that Raymond's father was in fact a prior VICTIM of Mr Schoonbeek, left as the whimpering mess the relatives knew him as then.
Oh wow :0
Raymond's father was also said to be an alcoholic, which Thomas is also revealed to be.
what if the father got turned into the little cabinet thing that they point out in the story?
@@gloooopgloop wow that's a good take
WHAT THE HECK?!?!?! I didn't even think about this. Excellent observation!
Also the part in Rosa's arc where cosmos tells her she's needs to start with the roots of the house, the floorboards etc links to how the rat didn't focus on fixing the inner issues of the house and focused on surface level aesthetics whilst the house was being infested
That's like how the contractor in story II didn't focus on fixing the inner issues, he just put glue over the bug hole.
@@ayosgsauce exactly! I noticed that part and when the house is finished and the potential buyers are all viewing it, there's a shot of the glued up hole in the wall
@@thedivinewayofbeing that shot was definitely intentional. Reminds me of the quote: "Pursue what is meaningful, not what is expedient."
@@thedivinewayofbeing I remember a viewer looking at the faucet's dirty water and leaving repelled away in disgust. How did the developer ever think that was a lesser priority than a disco light! He was certainly sick for sure. Rosa has also I noticed bad plumbing. But she realizes someone has to act on it and doesn't want it neglected. (Even in a flooded house which is not any use for profit anymore, its just as, if not even more so, important to have clean running water!) The water is like a visual of how the Rat and Rosa react when they see an immediate underlying issue: one ignores and covers it, the other acknowledges it does exist, and even if its a problem she tries to deny, like the flood, she DOES ultimately give her pride up and acknowledge it isnt Blindness to the problem but FEAR of change that holds her back from moving onward. Rosa is also pleased when Cosmos says he is handy and asks him to help, and he does. If the world didn't happen to be in a flood situation, her focusing on the right priorities may have actually made her dreams real. The problem in her story is unfortunately "good plans can still have wrong timing."
I thought the house was a metaphor for his mental issues not being addressed in the 2nd story.
One tidbit I noticed was the "negative energy" that Cosmos felt upon arrival. Instead of it being Rosa, I think he could sense the curse of house from the getgo (another reason he tried help the others escape).
Woooaahhhhh!!!!
Thats why Cosmos stayed in a tent outside instead of one of the vacant rooms of the house.
I seriously wasn't expecting that guy to be an actual hero per se. Good to know I was wrong
There was definitely something about that third story that struck me the most. It was almost like the three stories were all coming to one point, as Rosa climbed physically on top of the house, conquering it in a way. You had this cursed building, weighing its victims down for generations, until finally Rosa broke the pattern and used the same house that once trapped her in order to move on from her past. (Not going to lie I may have cried a little bit)
I cried a lot
That arc really i spired me to be a cosmos in someone's life
@@iamV10010 I just finished watching it and that third story hit hard even though the ending was quite uplifting. Haven't finished watching this analysis but for me it seemed to address accepting death and moving on or even leaving behind your old life and moving on to a new one
👍
I find it interesting how the three of them portray scenarios of house wreck anyone would be horrified by: a fire, an infestation or a flood. But those events are what ultimately transform or set the characters free. Although both the first endings are disturbing I find the characters are still liberated in a way.
I can see how they're liberated.
In the first part, they are liberated by death.
In the second part, he is liberated by just giving up on it and having emotional freedom.
In the third part, she is liberated by finding opportunity.
You're so bright!
One theme that I find interesting and that is mentioned in the End Credits song is the difference between a "House" and a "Home".
A "home" is a place where love and life can flourish, a "house" is "nothing but a collection of bricks"
Mr. Van Schoonbeek's building is clearly a "House": in the first story, the family is torn apart and left without their affection or livelihood. They obsess so much over the material wealth that they sacrifice their family bonds, which is shown symbolically by them burning away their old "home".
In the second story, the Developer lives in the house, but is alone and has no real loving attachment to the House. The visitors also don’t see the building as a potential home, they almost completely ignore it for the most part. The only ones that see it as a "Home" are the ones that already live there, the pests and vermin that the rat joins in the end, when the couple tells him "Time to get you home."
And finally the third story. Rosa starts off believing that the house itself really was her home, before she realized the importance that Jen and Elias gave it. In the End, Rosa is able to really unmake the "House"’s evil influence, by turning it into a real "Home", when she uses it to follow her friends, her family.
this house was never a home !!
Late, but Mabel refers to their old house as “our home” while the new one is merely “the house.”
I don’t know if anyone else noticed this, but one of the crying baby mice at the house viewing is named Isobel. (Thanks subtitles)
Most certainly true.
And if you look at the first story at the very beginning, you can see Mabel playing with dolls, whose shape resemble the vermin couple from the second story
Yes and you can see a cockroach passing by in story III making each story linked to each other subtly
I noticed this and audibly shouted WHAT
I was literally just checking to see if ANYONE else noticed this!! 😮
The sewing machine is also in the rubbish bins at the beginning
Something that came to mind in story 2. When the mouse was having his open house and talking it up to the viewers they seemed almost put off and not impressed. As if they were seeing something different. We only saw the hoise looking as good as it was, but it was actually the dump in the end.
Great observation! Perhaps it was always a dump. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder after all, and people often see whatever they are looking for, even if that’s an adopted version of reality. Rose tinted specs and all that!! Stu
I thought maybe he was always a rat. He was in his head until the hospital then he comes home and there’s all the other rats shaped like the beetles.
Yeah I think the end scene of the house was the actual house. I don’t think he even orders the “fancy food”. I think he orders the noodles and didn’t realize it.
@@TheMcKenzieHaus I forgot about that part it does seem to be that way. Overall I liked them all.
Victoria Barna interesting, that would make alot of sense
One theory me and my mom made is the fog. The fog symbolizes Rosa blindness, ignoring the bigger problem which is the flood, acting like everything is normal.
As well I also notice something that Rosa haves that the other characters in the 2 story's don't, a caring family.
the way my jaw dropped when l realized, you and your mum are geniuses!
I definitely agree, as the other characters start to leave her and her vision of the future collapses the fog only gets thicker, and once Jen walks out the door the fog envelopes her and she finally realizes that if she continues to stay in the past she will lose everything.
In my theory, the fog symbolizes the unknown. She knows the house, the layout. But her caring friends let the fog make its way into her home. Now she’s lost sight of everything and can only look to/reference the past to help her move forwards. She looks back to events that could have been (watching TV with her friends) and realizes she has blocked herself from truly experiencing what it is to be alive, which is connecting with others and yourself. She then sees herself alone on the couch crying, and realizes that is the future awaiting her if she doesn’t make a change
She watched as her friends disappear into the fog, the unknown. She didn’t understand how they can sail right into their future without knowing what’s going to show up. Later, when she finally made the decision to change, a decision that HAD to be hers and hers alone, her friends make their way back to her, they guide her through the fear and the blindness that plagues her. While I believe the whole movie was spectacular, the third story specifically felt extremely special to me. Perhaps because I related to it so much. 🤍
Also, the house symbolizes Rosa’s future she wrote for herself, but the flood came, people left, and she was holding onto her original dreams and ideas, she stopped herself from moving forward. She doesn’t want to talk about the flood because “it will make no difference” but she only tells herself and everyone else this because deep inside she knows the flood makes ALL the difference. It requires her to adapt and potentially change her entire dream. I especially love the symbolism in this with the mist coming into her home, throwing her ideas/plans in writing everywhere, getting her notes wet and making them (her dreams) illegible. It’s quite a beautiful story.
Yep, people are easily ignorant when they don’t lack what others don’t have.
Good analysis 👍
One of my personal theories about story 2 is that the rat/bug hybrids don't actually exist. It's clear that the developer had problems with recognizing reality before they were introduced, and his delusions of success may have combined with his anxiety about the infestation. I think that the dancing bug scene supports this theory the most, since it is bizarre and incongruent with the rest of the storyline, making me more inclined to believe it's all in his head. I don't know if the intention was to portray the developer as mentally ill/schizophrenic, but the scenes with the bugs/the ending of the story suggest a mental break to an already unstable mind.
Also, in the beginning when he found a researched the bugs, he began throwing poison all around this house. And I think part of his hallucinations have to do with him breathing in all of chemicals.
I agree that the rat/bugs are a figment of his imagination, after seeing how the people coming to the open house track in mud, smear ice cream on the fish tank, show less enthusiasm than him etc. from his perspective the line between potential buyer and literal pest is blurred. In the end they both only serve to invade and ruin his obsessive vision of his perfect house
The explain the hospital scene
That and when he gets back from the hospital he's still In his hospital gown almost as if he didn't really get properly discharged but just ran out desperate to get back to the house.
I agree 100% that what i thought too
The first story was the strongest. What most stirred me up, is that in the end, two inocent little girls lives were ruined forever, because of their parents greed.
I don't think the mother was actually greedy in the beginning, she was hesitant to accept the house in the first place. I think as soon as she stepped in the house it was over for her, she fell under its curse.
I wouldn't say that Rosa moves on. She takes the house with her - she doesn't let it go and the house doesn't let her go either. It lives on and, while Rosa has liberated herself of the "unmovability" of the house, she still needs to take care of it and drag it around with her.
The house did give her the illusion that she is in power, but in reality it is the house that is dependant on her and not the other way around. By forcing her to stay for too long it also forces her to ensure its own survival.
just like jen said "love your past but travel on"
I agree, I think there's more of an emphasis on transformation than liberation, both literally in terms of the house and figuratively in terms of Rosa's mindset/priorities.
She "takes it as it is" instead of setting it free. She grows with it. It's seams rlly symbolic of relationships. Maybe good relationships just involve working with what u have and seeing a bigger perspective that it's a mutual need to have someone around to not be lonely. Otherwise to learn to adapt to this
i think that rosa didn’t necessarily need to let go of the house- rather she needed to learn to coexist with it. when one has trouble accepting their past they often ignore it- rosa ignoring that the flood was coming in, etc. in order to move on you don’t ignore your past altogether- you learn to live alongside it without letting it completely define you or control you. rosa wasn’t dragging the house along with her, she was learning to navigate her life while still living with her pain.
“why don’t you talk about the flood?”
“there’s nothing to talk about.”
Another thing that attracted my attention in the first movie was that while the parents were in the dining room the light was becoming greener and greener. Then the green in their clothes. In the 7 deadly sins greed is represented with green. Also the girls didn’t fall for this sin because kids, especially at that age have no concept of greediness.
I enjoyed a lot the three movies.
Brilliant
Probably it was already said but I just want to talk about clocks in beginning of episodes.
1) Wooden Clock / Fire/Gas Light
2) Digital Clock / Electricity
3) Sun Clock / Sun Light
I feel there's something symbolic about the fish in the second story. As the story progresses we see shots in between of it (presumably) eating regular fish food, eating the ice cream, and dying. The ice cream, although larger, sweeter, and seemingly better than fish food, couldn't provide the fish what it really needed to live. It's like a representation of the overall theme in a much more simplified sequence of events.
Poor little guy didn't know what he was doing though. :(
The last story, for me, represents trauma and the ability to move on from trauma/learning from our trauma. We can’t change the past, and our experiences never leave us, but we take them in stride and try to live a life that is fulfilling. I think the house represents Rosa’s traumatic experience, and the fact that she doesn’t actually leave the house/demolish it, kind of represents how it’s still a part of her but the house hasn’t completely consumed her like trauma is known to do.
tldr: the last story is basically an allegory for PTSD/living with trauma
I felt that too. Especially when her parents are not there, they’re only appearing in the picture. Or how she needs to carry the house along, and how she doesn’t like to talk about the flood.
I felt it was an underlying that her parents died in the flood while they were building their own dreams for the house and Rosa felt she can be free and find comfort in finishing what they started.
Reminds me of Stockholm syndrome
rosa i related so hard, the "i can't" when everyone had moved on when she felt like she was still stuck and alone? OUCH
To me the first story is about a dependent parent. When the dad falls asleep drunk, with his head on he plate, the mother acts like this is normal. The new house is alcoholism. The father who drinks, and the mother who is an enabler. The house changes everyday. The children never knows, what he house is going to look like. The older child have to take care of the baby. No one is feeding them. At the end they can’t leave the house. The feeling of being captured, is normal for children growing up in this kind of environment.
The second story I believe about mental illnesses.
The third; well if you have ever been in a relationship to long, even though you know, that it isn’t going to work, then you will recognise the setup😊. It’s is about staying in something, and trying to fix it even though the walls are falling down around you.
This has been my favorite interpretation so far
Wonderful ! I noticed it for the first one, but not about the third! Great job ! :) Could you talk more about the second story ? How could it talks about mental illenesses ? Im curious ! :) (Sorry for my bad english haha)
So that is why i was sobbing from the 3rd story
Thank you, yes I agree with your analysis!
Could you Elaborate more on the second story? How it ties to mental illness.
one thing ive seen nearly everyone completely gloss over in the story of the developer is the fact that the elderly couple that come in to live rent free physically resemble the beetles and worms respectively, and especially at the end of the story when the house is completely infested by them, you can see that the large male rats have 4 arms and two legs (like the beetle's 6 legs) and the tall rat women have body segments like the worms, further strengthening their connection to the insects
i realized that in the middle of that part, very smart
Also seems relevant that they're called "Fur Beetles" and that the descriptions being read out by the computer seemed to be cut off while talking about the larvae.
I saw this on my first watch through lol also the doll house is the same design as the actual house
@@kagenokishi21 Oh yeah! And in the beginning of the first episode I couldn't make out what the dolls were due to the video resolution, but they almost looked like they might have been characters from the other two stories.
@@ns8158 Ayo this might be case good eyes my friend
Did anyone else notice the family pic in Rosa’s room?? I had a theory thinking that she lost them to the flood, which is why she pretends that it’s not there, and why she’s so controlling over Elias, as if he was her own son.
I went to see that scene again and noticed that the two adults in the photo were actually Rosa's parents and she was the little one. However, your theory that she may have lost her family in the flood still stands.
@@joohan6616I think that's what the commenter meant but yeah I noticed that
I loved this movie and found the character of the contractor to be so heartbreaking: a possessed man unable to connect to others, and obsessing over a fictional love. I wonder if the object of his desire was written to be a dentist, because rodents' teeth keep growing constantly, just like his greed/obsession did?
Oh that's clever 😯
But he didn’t have any problems with his teeth, and I don’t think he had dentistry skills either.
a quick thought Van Schoonbeek is actually a dutch name, literally translated it means "Beautiful river/stream" This maybe explains his motivation of him being obsessed with beautiful material things, obsessed with creating an empire of nice, luxurious architecture. And designing every aspect of it, the exterior, interior, furniture and even people. This explains why the parents ultimately become furniture, Van Schoonbeek uses them as tools, things to complete his vision. Playing with them as dolls.
Maybe its a nod to the Anime movie Spirited Away, which has a similar plot which focuses on a river spirit.
i feel like maybe it could be him finding a way to get rid of the people in poverty, because they aren’t part of his vision so they become the house as a way to dispose of them and their old house, therefore ‘beautifying’ the world and cleaning up the things he sees as messes
For story 3, If you can't leave the past then keep going with it. Sometimes the past even helps you to keep going. Sorry for my bad english.
Your English was excellent August! Amazing comment! :D
and have you realized the windows at the top of the house represent the number of people who own it? in the first story it has 2 windows: penny and raymond, the second story, only one: the developer, the third story, 3: elias, rosa, jen
also the house that is burned in story 1 only has 1 window and closely represents the house that is built
I think what Van wanted in the first story was the fruits of the labor of the two parents, which is why they both worked themselves to death essentially. The mom with her sewing and the dad with the fireplace. But because the story is told through the perspective of the child who is too young to understand money, jobs, and work thinks her family got the house for free. It’s a story about working yourself so hard hoping to live a more lavish life that you get taken advantage of until your family and all parts of your personality are stripped away from you.
One thing I noticed that caught my eye was the recurrent use of eyes, or the feeling of being watched - either by characters, or by the furniture itself. In part one, the design of the wallpaper ressembles eyes, and that is accentuated when there is a close up on the wallpaper and later with the overlay of mr Van schoonbeeck's eyes over the windows of the house. In part two, as you mentioned, the eyes on the wall with the fireplace look like a face, in part three, there is a poster on the wall with the same kind of yellow eyes (like seen at 6:52). I interpreted it as being watched by the house itself (as if it were a character of its own, and as it morphs to ressemble the residents). Or it could be that the house is like a dollhouse - after all it is the same as Mabel's dollhouse in part one. The eyes would symbolise a bigger being watching over the house and the tenants, and toying with them as you would with dolls in a dollhouse. After all, the house kinda brings misfortune to those who live in it. Other than that I don't really know what to make of it, but it's just something I noticed that I found interesting.
Woahh!!!!
Its the same house in all three stories
Did anyone notice the dolls that Mabel was playing with look just like the “bugs/mice” in the second story?
And how the Developer was planning to buy a speed boat whereas the third story is all about a flooded mass of nothingness?
Drama-wise it is one consecutive story of one person. Grows up with material-oriented mindset, then finds it doesn't work out and faces personality crisis, and overcomes fears and doubts through understanding one's feelings and thoughts and finally moves on open to new perspectives. So the House is a mind.
Oh myyyy goshhh!!! This is mind blowing😱😱😱
Oh my God I think you nailed the whole movie.
@@PalmurcioWorld yep, looks like I did.
I am loving the theories so far. Let me offer my own thoughts; particularly about story two. The home developer is probably one of the most tragic characters throughout the three stories. He doesn't seem to have a home as he sleeps in the basement of the house. He makes a point of call work colleagues by their first names (trying to establish friendships with the people he works with) and, above all, he makes up an imaginary relationship with his dentist. The dentist is probably the only person outside of his working life that he has. The home developer seems to think that, if he can get this house sold. he'll win the affection of his dentist, already planning a holiday while talking sweetly over the phone. The most important symbol of this isolation can be found when he's in hospital. The whole room is blue and grey, but the empty vistor's chair is bright orange, highlighting how nobody is there for him. In a way, the ending is a happy one, as he is accepted by the mouse-bug creatures and becomes feral just like them. Its not ideal but now he has a family and a home.
I actually felt happy for him when he got home from the hospital and they were all waiting for him and clapping for him
@@kassjazzyi felt really freaked out
Sending hotel ideas to a dentist????????????? WTF Did he not even know he was phoning his dentist? You cannot legally fraternize with a dentist or talk sweetly over the phone to him. I’m glad the developer had the book thrown at him.
Another thing is that the reason the second guy didn’t notice what was happening that CLEARLY that couple looks exactly like insects is because he is so focused on the exterior of not only things, but people. All he needed was fur and a lot of money to sell the house. He didn’t care to even see that they weren’t who they said they were. He was literally blinded by money.
Yeah! He didn't even know their names
In the first film, he wanted to be the talk of the town and have everyone envy him but once they moved in the house they made no outside contact they got engulfed in greed. Crazy
Interesting theories. For me, story 2 was an allegory for mental illness. It starts out normal enough. Guy doing his own work to save a buck and talking to/giving updates to his partner.
Then he sees the bugs, a LOT of bugs. This makes me feel like the house doesn't look as nice as WE see it (as he does) which is why it shows that hole that is kinda sloppily filled and painted.
Then it gets darker and he starts to hallucinate the bugs dancing and hallucinates the bugs as buyers. Then it gets EVEN darker when you find out he is obsessively calling his dentist against his wishes, most likely fabricating a deeper relationship. No one listens to him about the invasive couple because it's just bugs. We are just watching him decline mentally, struggling to get out if his pit/debt/depression and eventually gives up and let's the house (what he saw as his life investment, his stability) go. He let's the bugs (vermin) just take over and becomes less socially acceptable (becoming more like a rat)
That's how I saw that one.
To add to your post OP I believe that the perfect house he "worked on" for a night for the viewing was also him hallucinating. Pay attention to his guests (not the bug ones). Their expressions were not of wonder and that looks amazing that you would expect but of confusion and disgust. Now imagine the host rambling on about it like he did. Also notice how his guests walked in mud, if that was carpet they would never do that. But it wasn't mud, just unfinished floor boards.
@@smit1000 That's a good observation. Watching it again the buyers did look really unimpressed or disgusted even tho we the viewers see this fantastic display. Nice catch!
The guests are unimpressed because the house is all superficial. The sinks dont work, the curtains fall off, the white carpet picks up any dirt, the "fancy food" is cheetos and soda. Its a crappy house with a fancy aesthetic
Just like how everyone can see that the contractor is a hot mess, everyone can see that the house is a mess, except the contractor.
@@smit1000 I thought there were something wrong about those guests. I thought that my standards just got painfully low cos I thought that the 'house' looked pretty great lmao
@@TrademarkedIPAdress the director said she wanted to make the house look like an mtv cribs house, or a Kylie Jenner house. So maybe All about style but not a lot of heart
Great analysis! I watched the film yesterday and I was looking for a video like this with theories and interpretations.
Mabel's parents in story 1 reminded me of Chihiro's parents in Spirited Away, the way they become so engrossed with the food and the wealth.
I like that you point out that the stories are clearly past-present-future situated (in that order), and the fact that the future involves a massive flood could be (or actually is) an environmentalist message.
Yes I also noticed the Spirited Away connection!
@@petalchild same, that movie sure made me freak out when I was a kid in that pig scene , that's why I ain't showing that movie (The House) to my young nephews yet haha, one day !
The name of the baby girl and the baby rat in the hamper is Isobel.
Cats are also fearful of water, the house was surrounded by it, the house offered the illusion of safety from what would have been her best option of escape, also notice it was the water which provided the very fish she was being fed.
See also how the father also became a snob by looking down on the calamity of his old house and life like his family did him at the beginning.
I originally thought the Van Rich Guy was a Gypsy by the horseless carriage and glowing light in the middle of the woods. He granted the father's wishes and was pretty mysterious and mystical throughout the plot.
The realtor joining in on the chaos at the end confused me upon my first watch but now I understand his story.
After he calls the police in a last ditch effort to get the vermin to leave, we learn the person he’d been calling for days, the person we ASSUMED was his irritated wife, was actually his dentist. He’d been phoning him all hours of the day to vent, and even went as far as to call him inappropriate pet names. It’s here we learn that he HIMSELF is a parasite, just like the bugs. Hence why the vermin give him such a warm welcome when he arrives home, he’s one of them now.
He and the house are characterized very much the same, cleaned up and outfitted with a flashy exterior but hollow and full of rot inside. Beneath the suit and the false charisma, he’s a lonely emotionally parasitic shell of a man trying desperately to sell something nobody wants. It’s only at the end, when the outside of the houses walls match the inside, that he gives in to his true nature
I don’t think he ever was married. And nobody calls a dentist “darling” or “sweetheart”. It should have ended with him getting arrested, taken to court, and thrown in prison with all sorts of bugs and parasites.
I think on the second story, the rats could symbolize bad people that come in to someone’s life to take advantage of them , he was frustrated and desperate and allowed them in, he saw red flags but chose to ignore them hoping they could somehow get him out of his own problems, he lets them stay until they turn him into one of them. They brought out the worse In him .
You can see the rat get frustrated with them and wants them gone until he is told, "Were very much interested in the house." He's so desperate for the sale he doesn't see those red flags.
@@stevens4492If I heard someone say that in real life, it would be a squatter.
The one thing this movie reminded me of was generational trauma. It seems to take place in the past, present and future showing how really far the roots of generation after generation can go and the trauma that came with.
I think the man at the beginning that makes the deal with thomas and creates the house, is the one that started everything possibly a great grandfather (also judging by his very victorian appearance. He also is described as a very impatient man. He also forces the family to live in the house with a certain placement of things, but only when he wants to change something things actually do change. so the family is forced to put their own belongings away to make way for his, until they are forced to get rid of everything and succumbing to what he started, abuse. But they are able to free their children from all of it by telling them to escape and leave the house, wich they do and this succesfully ends the generation of trauma for this family, as the kids are not doomed to repeat it anymore.) The grandfather clearly caused Thomases father to have mental issues wich started his alchoholism and also by making the other family members despise him but they have also been affected by the great grandfathers actions aswell. I also like to think the dresser that thomases father left behind is actually the father, just as how thomas and his wife turned into a chair and curtains inside the house because they've now been also affected by what happened in the house through generations. But the children are freed by leaving the house, leaving the house is an important detail. The kids leave the house and they dont die along the fire wich is the abuse. the rat in the second story instead stays in the house, and he also "becomes infested" he clearly has some sort of mental health issues. His issues spiral while he is building the house and even more once the two rat like beings come in. After trying to make the outside of the house nice he still cant get rid of the disgusting lingering inside that is filled with bugs. I think the bugs represent everything that is actually going on in his life and he tries to hide them. The bugs disguised as rats that get obsessed with the house i think are a representation of a toxic family, thag is the cause of his mental health issues. After his breakdown and him getting hospitalized, The bugs or his "family" welcome him back home. i think the infestetion part is also a representation of living with toxic people, they infest the house he tried so hard to make home and he ends up being affected by them because of his issues. so he ends up just like them as the family forced him to come back because he has no other choice, he was lost to the abuse that has been going on and he cant do anything about it, and he is forced to continue it. thus becoming infested. Late in the future the cat is trying so hard to restore the house to what she wants it to be and only focusing on the bad things inside of it. Instead of using abuse to try to make the house just as she wants to, she instead tries her best alone to make the house to her liking. she tries to ignore the flood and fog that is around the house.
Instead of living in an unhealthy enviroment like the others in the previous story she is actually surrounded by people who care about her, but she just doesnt realize it. Everyone around her has been leaving the house in the past but she has refused to as she is so set on trying to make the house perfect. But after realizing how lonely she will be if nothing changes and how she was loved, instead of staying there alone she finally decides to go with the people who love her and pursue something new, the thing that she tried so hard to ignore. And also ending whatever was going on in the home by leaving.
This was kinda teribly explained as its very hard for me to forms words out of everything that im thinking abt, also its midnight and im very tired lol
the first story reminded me of studio ghibli’s spirited away, where chihiro’s parents ignorantly and greedly eat the feast and are cursed into turning into pigs. it’s similar to how mabel and isobel’s parents were cursed into an armchair and curtains by greedily and selfishly indulging in the superficial luxury of the new house. the daughters sensed danger and a false exterior the whole time but the parents ignored them out of their own selfishness. it ended up being in the hands of their children to navigate a dangerous and magical world to attempt to save their parents.
there were also similarities in the idea of signing yourself, your soul away with a contract. yubabba forced chihiro to sign one and the parents in the house signed one, both contracts promised the signers would be turned into inanimate objects or creatures. one could also draw similarities between yubabba and Mr. Van Schoonbeek
I had assumed on the second story that the rat had poisoned itself with those bug chemicals, or had put himself in a physcosis and the bugs eventually drove him mad.
something that I kept thinking in the 3rd story was trauma. Rosa seems to can’t move on from something that is clearly negative and is affecting her badly, just like what trauma does to people. you are stuck in this mental state while everyone else seems to move on and continue with their lives,
and *because* trauma is a part of you, you can’t seem to just “build a boat and get over it”, you have to find a way to heal and take the whole house (the trauma) with you when you move on. A way that people do that is to change their perspective on the trauma and see it as some thing that has strengthened them. Just like how Cosmos helped Rosa change her perspective on her situation.
(ps. i’m not saying Rosa is traumatized as a character, chances are she’s not because it is not really implied anywhere and she seems to have a good relationship with her family, but I definitely saw the similarities between individuals who does have trauma and her)
To be honest I kinda thought Van Schoonbeek in the first story was suppose to be a representation of the devil considering how Raymond makes a deal with him. As for the second story, I didn't notice the little detail about how the wall in one room looked liked a face; infact here's a crazy theory what if that face was the developer and the whole story is just him slowly losing his mind? Think about it did anyone else see the two giant rats standing in front of the oven or even come inside? I know that sounds a bit far fetched. Then there's the third story and if I'm gonna be honest it was the best one seeing as how it's about accepting change and moving on.
Normally I don't say this about a lot animated movies on Netflix but I will say that this is they're best one. Infact I'm not gonna lie but the art style did give me vibes of Maurice Sendak especially in the third story. One last thing about this movie I will say is I have another song sung by Jarvis Cocker to listen too.
Another theme -> decadence leading to actualization.
The mother and father fell into decadence and were corrupted with the new house, but eventually they actualized their true selves by sacrificing themselves for their children.
The contrator fell into decadence by putting all his hopes into a facade, trying to trick himself into believing that creating the appearance of a nice house that has severe flaws underneath the surface will save him. He's corrupted by his delusions. Eventually, he actualizes himself by accepting who he truly is with the people he shares an identity with.
The inn owner experiences decadence as she ignores the mist and flood to try to fulfill her dream of fixing the house. She has a set plan that blinds her. Eventually, she actualizes herself by having the courage to venture into uncertainty and the unknown, being free in the process.
i would say the couple that are infesting the house is a hallouzination cause in one moment the dev. sits on his bed and acts scared by insects while there are no insects in the room. that means that this scene was the only one from a viewer perspective where no insects can be seen. the couple start apearing when all the other real mices are gone and he is alone so they dont have any contact to the other real mices. that means the dev. is mentaly infested by the house and the wish of selling it and then in the moment every one is leaving he starts to manifest his obsessions and his smaller hallouzinations (the smaller insects) into the couple representing his creates wishes (persons who wants to buy his house) and his greatest fears (an infesting plague no one besides him really cares about and that is unstoppably destroying his live)
That's smart
maybe he hallucinates because he keeps breathing in bug-killing chemicals (he never wears a mask when using them)
this theory could work, because the vermin couple never interact with no one other than The Developer. Not even during the cops shows up, and the hospital
Those green and gold curtains SCREAMED "Gone With the Wind" inspiration. In GWTW, taking place in the 1860s, Scarlett O'Hara takes down her mother's green and gold curtains that she's now inherited, against her Mamie's judgment, and sews them into a beautiful dress. It's post war, they are starving and she needs money to pay the taxes on her beloved childhood home, which is named Tara, and the dress is to lure a wealthy man named Rhett Butler, to want to marry her, and pay the taxes so they don't lose her precious childhood plantation home. Also, later in this "House movie" the rat-bug is sniffing the curtains, which remind me of another of Scarlett's dresses. Also another strange connection: was the writer a Jim Morrison fan, for there is a poem that JM made called "Dead Rats, Dead Cats" which talks about dead rats, dead cats, and aristocrats! And aristocrats are exactly what the people in the first episode are trying to be! The final theme I noticed in this movie, is that the people were quite pushovers, who had trouble standing up for themselves, which made their survival difficult.
I'm not sure if people noticed but in the first story you can see the daughter playing with the house and two dolls, one is a rat and the others is a cat.
Also I'm not even sure if the "vermin rats" ever blinked.
I love the detail of the sewing machine from episode 1 in episode 2 in the bin outside
The animation is STUNNING and also the way it conveys sertain emotions to viewers. Ofc, didn't understand the meaning of the plot, but that's why we have RUclips and your channel 😅
I don’t know why but I feel like the house makes the first two characters go into darker paths when the house is trying to be fixed up and I feel that Rosa doesn’t go down that darker path because she understands to let the house go to a certain extent and not try to fix it up and excepts that the house does not cage her in darkness. Like the house makes people go crazy or something when they try and fix it up to the desired goal of what the house should look like.
I love this interpretation.
I feel like Rosa also didn’t go down a darker path because she had people who cared enough to not let her. Even when she refused they built her a lever just in case she did want to leave.
The rat had no one. He was alone
The first family dad was a drunk and mom was an enabler. The children were too young to stop them from going to a darker path
A detail I found interesting in skit #2 is that the rat was saying that the piéce de rèsistance of the home was the rotisserie oven when showing the home. Cut to the end and he's turned the oven into a tunnel
In the second story in the rubbish at the front of the house, the sewing machine from the first story is there a charred.
also, Father Reymond ask, why isnt the fireplace working? it wasnt working when he was burning normal wood. But when he burned his old possessions then the fireplace worked. I think the main theme in this movie is 'letting go.' by burning his own possessions he was letting go of his past self so that he could become this wealthy looking man. if he never let go, than he would have never truly been able to live that life. maybe its about not letting your old self go, but learning how to change yourself for the better; for the changing world. and keeping what is still good of yourself with you
I highly recommend “Ce magnifique gâteau”, it’s a movie from the same Belgian directors! It’s about the colonisation of Congo and it really left its mark on me
One theme I think was missed out was the theme of ambition. In each story we see a character (the builder, the renovator and the land lord) attempting to build the house into something greater, but this always ends in travesty. First the family who are negatively affected by the builder's ambitions, then the renovator who is undone by his own ambitions, and then the Land Lord who comes to realise how unsustainable and unrealistic her ambitions were. She doesn't move away from the house, and I was initially troubled when discovering she didn't move away from the house, but I think its less about her learning to move away from the house and more learning to accept it for what it is. In a way I think that's what the movie is trying to say about life.
I just noticed the wallpaper in thw first story had eyeballs, that I think symbolizes that Mr. Van Schoonbeek is always watching them.
One thing that resonated with me was the song from the credits.
Especially the line “But following instructions only leads to self-destruction”. In all 3 stories you have characters following a tightly set plan without any second thoughts. And this ultimately leads to the downfall of said characters.
In the first story the parents blindly did whatever Van Schoonbeek wanted them to do. “I will build a gigantic house for you and all you have to do for it is leave your old house.” They don’t ask any questions whatsoever. “The new house already has furniture in it. You don’t need your old furniture, leave it behind”. Ok seems fair, doesn’t matter if it has important memories connected to it. “Every night we serve you some special food” They don’t even question where it comes from. Heck we don’t even see a kitchen?!
“Wear these ridiculous clothes.” Okay whatever you say. They were quite literally like dolls in a dollhouse.
In the second story the only thing on the developers mind is making the house and himself look fancy and presentable. He completely disregards that the house is infected with bugs and instead tries to cover it up. Just so HE can sell it, despite the fact that he is in severe dept and should honestly just give up and sell the house to a company so that maybe he can get at least a little bit of the money back. Said company would have taken care of the pest problem. Properly. But at the end he most likely went insane from all the stress (and maybe the bug powder) and became what he desperately tried to hide. A pest.
In the 3rd story we find out that Rosa seems to have lived in the house for a while. In her room we see a picture of her and her parents standing in front of what looks like the houses front door. So she has a deep emotional connection to the house. She is obsessed with renovating the house, having everything planed out to a t. This results in her having an extremely distant relationship to her tenants, despite the fact that Elias and Jen are her only company. She didn’t know that Elias can draw and didn’t spend any time with Jen and Elias, like when they watched TV together.
She’s also obsessed with getting some actual money for rent. Despite the fact that a, money has no value and b, where are Jen and Elias supposed to get money? Rose is desperately trying to cling on to the one familiar thing that was left after the flood. The house. It’s not until Cosmos shows up that Rosa starts to change. She actually spends some time with her tenants for once, even joining in on them dancing (although they had to force her). When Jen finally opens the window to let the fog in Rosa finally sees the truth. She finally realises that her obsession makes her oblivious to the thread of the flood which comes closer and closer. That if she stays behind, she is going to be alone and is eventually going to drown in a prison she created for herself. And if it wasn’t for Cosmos she would have.
But as it turns out Rosa didn’t need to leave the house behind. Cosmos noticed how much the house means to Rosa and transformed it into a boat. At the end Rosa was able to leave her plans behind her and take Jens advice “love your past and travel on”. Because sometimes you don’t need a plan. It’s okay to be impulsive every once in a while and sail of into the unknown (literally in the case of our 4 kitties).
I think that all the 3 stories are exaggerations of what is going on in the mind of the protagonists. In the first story, the protagonist's father was a gambler and he gambled away the savings of the family. This has made the protagonist scared of owning more than he requires. He is afraid that he will gamble away his family for wealth. That is exactly how the story ends. In the second story, the rat is mentally ill and that is what the infestation of bugs symbolises. He is trying to hold everything together in the house by changing its appearances just like he is trying to look nice and talk to people(even if it's his dentist) when he actually has some major psychological problems. In the 3rd story, the cat has abandonment issues, maybe her parents died when she was young. The way she reacts when one of her tenants left was clearly an indication of her abandonment issues. She overcomes those issues by going after the people she cares about .
My thoughts are that the house has the same theme and demise: once you’re in, you cannot leave. For part 1, it’s obvious the parents can’t leave but the two daughters weren’t affected. And for part 2, we see that the mice and the couple who stayed there didn’t leave too. Part 3, is slightly light and less dark. Where the house physically changed into a boat and moved. However, we see the cat unable to ‘leave’ the house too.
For the final story the water/flood better represents chaos not death. Chaos is the unknown, which gives birth to new knowledge but is also destructive. She stays blind to it, arrogant to leave the known territory and adapt to it. This will eventually kill her if she fails to acknowledge it.
The last one was about the philosophy of zen. It was teaching us that attachments are the root of all suffering. Attachments lead to a devide between one's self and those they love. We fail to notice and value aspects of those we love due to missing the present moment, being attached to the idea of a dream.
We must let go of the idea of how life should be, and accept life as it comes.
The unknown is a scary place for most. But indeed the comfort zone is the danger zone.
We must accept what is, let go of what was and have faith in what will be.
I felt bad for Rosa at first until I realized it was basically a flood apocalypse. Then I was like... bruh money is worthless now😅
I think story number 3 is about losing someone you love and the different stages of griff.
Think about it, rosa is always seen as a negative person who is going through a crises.
The stages of grieff from what i know are : denial,seeing the situation as it is, acceptance, and moving on.
like the reality the home is not going to survive the flood like a person she knew didn't survive something else.
Only when rosa staired at the house and said "let me leave" she has finally
Able to see the truth to her situation and accept it, and after all the stages of grief, she finally let go.
She took her house which represent a struggle she had, and made it into something good.
A big boat in a flodded world.
She didn't leave the house because even a died love one will never leave you completely, he will stay with you until you die.
Also, when she said let me leave, it's like she's talking to the person she lost and telling him she needs to put the past away to get a better future.
I would be happy to hear your opinion on it.
As im not sure of it myself, it was just my perspective as someone who lost a loved one ones.
Something I noticed is the number of the circular windows on the outside of the houses. Mabel’s doll house had one window, the newly constructed house had two windows which represented Vansherbeek’s eyes. Later on there are three windows.
The vermin were also said to live in the house before the developer. Once taking over the house, the vermin ruined all the new gadgets and revocations, maybe bringing the house back to how it was before the developer arrived.
Omw when Mable plays in front of her Doll's house she is playing with a cat and a mouse doll, foreshadowing the mice and cats in the second and third part 🤯
AMAZING detail! Well spotted Hanlie!
One thing that caught my attention in story 1 is that they became the furniture, but there's more to it I think. A lot of loose points to people's theories and that is what makes everything more interesting. While the children were walking through the house they saw the workers at first building up and then after a few scenes taking everything apart, but why the parents couldn't see them escapes me. Later the father noticed their home being taken down and literally said they might need the materials, of course not coz their house were stored in the basement and the new house was given on a plate, the thing is the father himself destroyed their things - even his daughter's dollhouse, or his father's furniture -, destroying every piece of his past getting consumed by all that greed etc. The mother, unfortunately, got carried away as soon as she sees the sewing machine and put the baby down, choosing that over her child. In a few seconds, the house is shown with two lights at the window and then Mr Van faintly appears matching his eyes with the lights, at that time I knew he was the house, being everywhere seeing all (even talking to Mr Thomas). So the parents becoming the furniture at the end means that they belonged to Mr Van, but luckily they've managed to save their daughters. I guess the bottom line is appearances don't help us at all, and the cost might be too high.
Also, in story 2, when the bug people asked him what insulation he used, he said it wasnt fiborous but shredded paper and cotton. That in itself will atract bugs.
I'd like to point out though how in the part II when the developer was in a call, he mentioned that the street where the House was standing was in Van Schoonbeek Street.
The story that scared me the most is the second one:
In the first one you at least have the view point from the children and can sympathize with them in their situation.
In the third one, there are other cats trying to help the protagonist to move on.
In the second one, there is nobody who will help the protagonist or any characters getting out of the cursed place,there isn’t even a way to see a different prospective of the situation.
I thought that the first story was a metaphor for how art is beautiful, but when you keep on adding it becomes something different. And the last one was an euphemism for death and letting go
I realised that in the 3rd story, the other people are trying to help Rosa move on from something that she is attached to. Trying to get her to accept change in her life and leave it behind her without worrying so much.
For the first story, what crossed my mind is how if its too good to be true it probably is. The parents expected to get a much bigger and lavish house for free but they end up giving up their souls and neglecting their children until they eventually die just because they could not be content with their current house.
This is a FANTASTIC analysis, I agree to pretty much everything.
Additional thoughts:
- The developer trying to delete the vermin problem with very low effort is adding to his downfall.
- It's Van SchooNbeek with a pronounced n, not Van Surebeek with an r... but when I told you that in the last video it was already too late I guess.
- I don't know if I'm sure Van Schoonbeek is greedy... maybe he just likes to mess with people, who knows
- Not sure the vermin in story 2 are "greedy"... I think they are just insect like doing what they do but at first reflect the developer (or his desires) and are more in a disguise this way
I never thought of high quality videos on such a small channel (compared to others), nice work, I didn't notice much of these details!
Your theories are all greats and really makes me revise my view about the entire movie, so thanks. But about the second story, initially I had another impression: I thought it was weird that a rat himself behave as a common person, considering indeed that in first story real people are played by real people. But during the story, images of insect pests appear over and over, and rats himself are pests too for people's house. So during the story he try his best to look a normal "person" but he have such struggle with his similar which take the home over as a real rats do. So eventually he even doesn't try to not to be the true himself, and begin to behave as a rat do. In my opinion the story is about the struggle of man to fight against his nature and animal instinct.
Okay but the bug musical number was kind of a banger 😩‼️
I love the second story. It makes me feel obsessed with it.
Great video! I wanted to point out the idea of the house being cursed and how the first part clarified where the house had to be built and what it would look like etc. was out of the families control. The father made “a deal with the devil” in the woods that night he got drunk. I’d say that the curse was connected to where the house was initially built and every owner of it was possessed or controlled by the house. It wasn’t until the house (in part 3) was physically moved up off the land, effectively ending the curse and is why the Cat looks so liberated at the end (the house no longer has control because the curse is lifted.
I also enjoyed how each story kind of signified being lost and then found. Part 1, we see the 2 girls lose their family. Part two, we see the effects of being lonely. Part 3 we see finding family again.
I also have questions..
Any idea why the characters went from human to rats, to cats??
Maybe the human world went through an apocalypse and the rats were able to survive by being underground. They would have evolved and adapted over time to the rats we see in part 2. Then maybe for part 3 cats became the dominant species because they are rats’ predators and also don’t like water. So when the flood came, they were more desperate and better able to survive it. Idk really just spit balling.
I think the species of the three owners has to do more with symbolism.
@@lilyovalle7254 what do you think they symbolize?
@@vicentelopez7843 The second owner was a rodent, a creature that is often considered vermin, so it's kinda ironic that he spends his whole story fighting against vermin, but I think that's the point. He is trying to conceal all that away, without realizing it is ingrained within his own very nature.
Meanwhile, the third owner is a cat who's facing a flood. Cats usually are associated with hating water, so I think it's no coincidence the fact that she's a cat and hates to talk about the flood. It gives another layer to her not wanting to abandon the house, and makes even more impressive and uplifting the fact that she finally leaves.
I have no ideas for the first one, tho.
@@lilyovalle7254 I think the first one is human because as they say man is insatiable...
Wonderful ideas
The eyes on the wall are a returning motive:
The developers story eyes, on 7:56 the eyes on a painting and the first story has wallpaper which almost looks like eyes and the scene transition with the builder and the two lit windows as his eyes.
The house is always watching
I think the face (on the wall) in the second story resembles a cat (playing into the theme of "you can't fight who you are" because the cat is the nemesis of mice/rats and in effect, when we relate it to humans, the "nemesis" would be our own nature - trying to be whom we are not. The fact that the TV is the "brain" and the eyes look evil make me see it as not a victim who has been consumed by the house, but the house/materialism/consumerism/dependency/addiction to technology as the culprit who will consume YOU (the residents). Also, the fireplace is a central part of story 1, where Raymond burns his belongings/past/dreams, but also what ultimately ends their lives by setting everything on fire. I really liked your analysis, and your accent is awesome!
I don't think the stories are necessarily directly connected, rather they are all house-themed short stories.
The architecture of the house is constantly changing, with the only similarity being the stairs. The setting changes from humans to animals of differing species, showing the house is not the exact same one.
The house then represents things like status in story 1, compulsion in 2, and finally burden or weight in 3.
Otherwise, my literal interpretation is that Van Schoonbeek is a artist who works with the devil, thus allowing him to prey on Raymond. The art of turning people into furniture amuses Van Schoonbeek as an artistic expression. This also explains his inhuman workers. The land becomes haunted. In a future reincarnation of the house, the story of the developer occurs. And in ep 3, the reason Rosa's house doesn't flood is because the Van Schoonbeek house was shown to be on a hill.
There is still things I do not understand, this being the butler from the story one and his rumbligs. He seems deeply disturbed, and admits to Mabel and Isobel that he was an actor, and that he was forced to read scripts, again and again.
What I also noticed is that, on story two, though that man who gave the house to the parents on story one seems long gone, the street received his name, as if he was still there, toying with whoever ended up with that house.
On my first time watching this movie, I saw that man as the devil himself. On the forest, Mabel's father sees a light (like fire) in the middle of nowhere, inviting him to a litter with no horses/servants to carry around? There, a man, shrouded from the viewer, offers him a deal. This seems like something that clicks to me, the idea that, in the first story, the devil offered wealth, so he could distract the family to take them away. By allowing this to happen, the parents end up burning.
In second second story, the conversion of behaviours and forms of rats into being bug like reminded me that the novel "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka. There was also a miserable(?) transition like the main rat character had in the story.
im still sorting out the symbolism myself so I cant do a full in depth analysis but something that bugs me is showing the desire for money as evil and then, by extension, making each character evil as well. i don't think the money is the problem, I think its a conduit. each of the affected characters in the three parts want a home. be it one their family wont look down on, one that will look nice and pay for better lodging, or one that will be comfortable and warm and happy. i don't think any of these characters are bad for wanting money to facilitate their happiness, the house feeds on that desire for closure in its victims. in the first story, the father has clearly dealt with this verbal abuse from his extended family before and i can understand wanting that to end. in the second, the developer needs this house to sell so he can get a home of his own (and, probably, psychiatric help) and he's seen living in the basement of the house. in the third story, rosa needs to fix the house, to make enough cash to fix it up and eventually have it for her own (she specifically mentions she wants to raise a family, as i recall).
tldr i dont think any of the characters intentions are selfish, but the house took hold of their desperation for money as a means to be happy and corrupted them. only rosa was able to break free from it with the help of those she loved and cared for.
Just finished it , I sobbed my eyes out at the end . But the entire time I was just saying “ UH OH “ when something spooky happened
I honestly think the house is symbolism , which is just a thought.
The first story could be saying that we always think the grass is greener on the other side and forget what we already have.
The second story is not taking care of your problems thoroughly, and the eventually having to live with every single one of your problems forever.
The third one(my favourite because I love cats) is about letting go. Sometimes you can't fix everything and you need to let go.
That's my take on the story!
But there are some interesting discussions regarding the first story which I do believe to be true
The third story was by far the one I liked the most and the one that made the most impact on me. It reminded me a lot of how it feels o deal with grief after my mom died. A beautiful movie overall.
Very good insight! The first story immediately draw so many similarities with politics of Europe, UN, NATO etc.( as I see it). To be short-
-Family being independent countries
-House being open market and all the extras of it
-Dad being head of the country
-Van Shoonbeek being satan "the 1%", Iluminati, the devil, rothschild or all his legion (Idk call him as you want- the force of evil )
-Thomas being all the marionettes (visual representators of the evil) like so Brandon and so many else
- Kids being the nation
-Old house being all the cultural heritage (traditions, moral values)
But in general all stories are about material possessions and how can they destroy us if we hold them too close. Wonderful cartoon, that I'm showing my kids when I'll have them.
I immediately linked the first story and the last one as ways to dig into the unknown once you have to move on from one state to another, rather meaning physically or metaphorically. Both houses are full of memories, and memories are what make us who we really are. In the first scenario, they literally destroy the memories of the house leading to their destruction but in the last story, Rosa finds salvation into the realization that she can carry memories with her and that will protect her in the unknown future. That links with the materialism, ergo, the true value of a house as a home is not the physical structure or even its monetary value, but rather the moments lived there.
I just realized while watching this video that the rats that were interested in the house, while being oddly shaped, they were shaped like the beetles and caterpillars that were infesting the house
This was a amazing movie and I would love if they make more stop motion anthologies like this.
Thank you for the video! One other thing I've thought of while reading the (amazing) comments is the fact that the second and third house owners had to give in so much of their energy and resources for the building. It's like the first family invested nothing in the deal, so they (and the following creatures) ended up paying a heavy price. The house've kept feeding, until Rosa (with the help from Cosmos et al.) takes from the house (I guess?). Maybe, by repurposing it she is the first owner to receive genuine pleasure (not greed-natured), so she gets to be happy in the house
I felt bad for the rat. Rosa had friends that cared about her enough to help her out of the situation she was trapping herself in, and Raymond had a whole family to lean on. But the rat never really had a chance. There wasn't a single person in his life to even try and help him out in any way.
When I first watched the second story I thought it was about trying to do everything by yourself because the rat never hired an exterminator to take care of the bugs, I never knew he was in debt during the story
One line I noticed in the second part was a baby being named Isabelle.
There is just a short clip in one of the scenes where a mother is seen trying to console her baby named Isabelle.
In the first part, the baby is also named Isabelle.
I don't know what it means, it was just something off-hand that I caught.
Iam a huge fan of coraline and this movie is just like coraline!There are sm similarities to coraline,like the 2 story somewhere in the beginning ot shows the small coraline portal door but then it disappeared.There is sm more small details like that thats referring to the movie coraline!Like the last story,it shows the brown water and how Rosa goes to the shower to check it out.Rhen while shes in the shower brown splashes all over her like in coraline.
Same! I watched this movie mainly because it's a stop motion movie with dark stories like coraline
When the couple rats kept on saying that they were extremely interested in the house actualyy meant that they were interested in not living in it but in eating it.
I love how people study symbolisms within this film, very good movie!
The fireplace face is probably like the eye wall paper in the first story