Cruella

Star rating: 4/5 

Synopsis:

Estella is a young aspiring fashion designer, who decided to follow her dreams after her mother’s passing. After being invited to the House of the Baroness, she tries her best to impress the Baroness, but discovers terrible secrets about her past self that allows her to embrace who she truly is.

Review: 

Cruella De Vil is probably one of the most complex characters that forces viewers to question whether she is indeed the protagonist, or a ‘good’ antagonist. Starring Emma Thompson as the Baroness and Emma Stone as Cruella De Vil/Estella, the film is set in the 1970s in London—also known as ‘the decade of ready to wear’—where the fashion industry was thriving. The film delves into the background of Estella and her desires, and explores the path she takes as she finds out who the Baroness truly is.

The movie starts off with Cruella De Vil retelling her story from the past as she narrates the course of her life. She was characterised as an extremely strong-willed girl, known for her half black and half white hair. We notice how this particular element changes throughout the movie, as Estella 

temporarily removes this unique trait by dyeing her hair red to blend in with the crowd, but eventually restores it when she discovers life changing secrets. 

Craigs Gillespie did a good job at the start of the movie by showing how Estella was trained by her mother to tuck away ‘Cruella’ during her schooling years, and to focus on being known as ‘Estella’ instead of ‘Cruella’. However, when Estella was left on her own to make her own decisions, she ultimately realises that Estella was better off dead, because she would be unable to survive in the cruel world she was in. Hence, she goes against her mother’s wishes by tucking away ‘Estella’ instead of ‘Cruella’. 

The Baroness and Estella/Cruella do share certain similarities in terms of characterisation which makes Cruella a questionable protagonist. The Baroness is known to be an arrogant, controlling freak who makes use of filthy means to eliminate any form of competition that threatens her. Similarly, Estella makes use of her ‘thieving’ experience to get accepted into the Liberty of London to chase her dreams. After the transformation, we see how Cruella becomes a cunning, vicious character, a character foil to Estella that stooped down to the Baroness’s level to eliminate her, in the same way the Baroness eliminated the others. Unlike other Disney movies, where the main message was often ‘the good triumphs over evil’, Cruella De Vil sends a message that is the exact opposite—there is a possibility that ‘evil triumphs over evil’, which is a fascinating idea to think about when analysing the connections between Cruella and the Baroness. 

Cruella De Vil is definitely a significant character to think about when analysing Disney characters. It is hard to tell whether she is a protagonist or not; given what she went through, the secrets that were exposed, as well as the true face of the person she once looked up to, her actions seem quite justifiable. Perhaps, as how Craigs Gillespie would have intended, viewers would view her as the ultimate hero. 

However, ignoring the word play on her actual name will not do justice to her identity as a character. A fancy nickname—‘De Vil’—is a wordplay on the word devil, as Cruella makes use of the emotions of other characters to get what she wants. The script delves into the psychological complexity of her transformation from Estella to Cruella, as she still kept her own promise of becoming a renowned fashion designer, as well as to fight against the evil Baroness. However, Craigs Gillespie directs the transformation in a way that makes us question her motives as a ‘hero’. Is Cruella really interested in pursuing justice? Or is she making use of this concept just to expand her business? As she famously says in the movie, ‘Hello, Cruel World’, it is as if she has absorbed the cruelty in order to get what she wants, but can anyone really blame her for that? The script is both thought-evoking and equally complex, as the back and forth between Estella and Cruella would make readers question how good or bad Cruella really is.

As much as this is a thought-evoking and beautifully written Disney Film peppered with cliffhangers, Craigs Gillespie definitely lacked in bringing out Estella’s gradual character transformation, as it felt extremely abrupt. Though this could possibly depict how psychologically affected Estella was, that she destroyed this ‘angelic’ character overnight, it was not enough for viewers to fully appreciate the transformation, at least for me. It felt rushed, as if the writers wanted to bring out Cruella as fast as possible, since that is the main idea of the film. Her emotions after finding out her first life changing secret was not enough, therefore her transformation felt largely awkward. However, considering how the overall plot unfolds, I could definitely overlook this shortcoming, and still am able to appreciate Cruella as a character. 

As a whole, Cruella is a complex character with a lot of symbolism, and character foils may be hard to follow. However, the writing was coupled with its own sense of humour, making it a comedic, yet thought-provoking piece. Craigs Gillespie truly showed that Cruella De Vil is not your typical Disney princess living in a fantastical world. On the contrary, Cruella is easily one of the most realistic characters, showing what psychological trauma and broken family ties can do to a person—forgoing a part of themselves, and becoming a totally different person. 

With the vibrant colours and exuberance of the settings of the ‘70s, Cruella leaves the viewers in awe and fascination at her growth and maturity, coupled with her talent in the fashion industry. It is a film to be remembered and cherished for a very long time.