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Sunday, January 27, 2008

From the movies of babes

The following scene is from the Disney movie "Finding Nemo". The characters are Dory and Marlin (they're both fish). The two are on a search for Marlin's son, Nemo and find themselves trapped in the mouth of a whale. I think this is a wonderful analogy to birth and all the surrounds it.

[Dory is happily riding on the current as water drifts in and out of the whale's mouth]

Marlin: Would you just stop it?
Dory: Why? What's wrong?
Marlin: We're in a whale! Don't you get it?
Dory: A whale?
Marlin: A whale! 'Cause you had to ask for help and now we're stuck here.
Dory: Wow, a whale. You know, I speak whale.
Marlin: No, you're insane, you can't speak whale. [Marlin now franticlly throws himself against the inside of the whale's mouth] I have to get out! I have to find my son! I have to tell him how long sea turtles live! [now lying on the whales tongue, Marlin sobs]
Dory: Hey- you okay? [no answer from Marlin] There, there. It's all right. It'll be okay...
Marlin: No, no it won't.
Dory: Sure it will. You'll see!
Marlin: Nooo. I promised him I'd never let anything happen to him.
Dory: Oh, that's a funny thing to promise.
Marlin: Wha-what?
Dory: Well, you can't never let anything happen to him. Then nothin' would ever happen to him. (pause) Not much fun for little Harpo.
Marlin: (sigh)
Dory: Hmm...
Marlin: What's going on?
Dory: Don't know. I'll ask him [says something in "whale speak"]
Marlin: Dory...
Dory: [whale speak]
Marlin: Dory.
Dory: [whale speak]
Marlin: Dory!
[whole whale shakes and rumbles]
Dory: I think he says we've stopped.
Marlin: Well of course we've stopped! Just stop trying to speak whale. You're gonna make things worse.
[whale moans]
Marlin: (gasp) What is that noise? Oh, no! Look what you did! The water's going down! It's, it's it's going down!
Dory: Really? You sure 'bout that?
Marlin: Look, already it's half empty!
Dory: Hmm. I'd say it's half full. . .
Marlin: stop that! It's half empty!
[whale moans]
Dory: Okay, that one was a little tougher. He either said we should go to the back of the throat or... he wants a root beer float-
Marlin: -of course he wants us to go there, that's eating us! How do I taste Moby? Huh? Do I taste good? [now to Dory] You tell him I'm not interested in being lunch!
Dory: Okay-he...
Marlin: Stop talking to him!
[whale's tongue flips Dory and Marlin to the back of his throat but Marlin hangs on and grabs Dory's fin]
Marlin: What is going on?
Dory: I'll check! [in whale speak] What-
Marlin: No! No more whale. You. can't. speak. whale!
Dory: Yes I can!
Marlin: No you can't! You think you can do these things but you can't Nemo!
[as Marlin realizes he's said Nemo's name instead of Dory's, whale begins to groan louder]
Dory: [in answer to what the whale groaned] Okay! [lets go to drop, but Marlin catches her]
Marlin: Dory!
Dory: He says it's time to let go! Everything's gonna be alright.
Marlin: How do you know? How do you know something bad isn't gonna happen?

Dory: I don't.

[Marlin thinks for a moment, then lets go]

2 comments:

  1. Interesting... so who is Dory and who is Marlin? I am thinking Dory is someone who trusts birth (could be mom or care provider) and Marlin is someone who fears birth (could be mom or care provider)

    What were you thinking?

    Sheridan

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