At times films work for you not for how good or bad they intrinsically are, but in terms of the larger meaning and significance their narratives may hold for you at a certain juncture in your own life. Inspired by A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard’s book Winnie-the-Pooh the live action-CGI film, talks to the Christopher Robin within us. We, who live from one deadline to another, who have a never-ending list of things to do, who keep forsaking an evening out with friends for a business meeting, for whom life is a constant dash from one appointment to another, for whom weekends are about work rather than a break from it. Forget about spending quality time with family it’s about those of us, who may not have been able to take some time out in the constant rush of urban life.
So you have the adult Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor), caught in the mechanised work routine, reclaiming his imaginativeness and sense of adventure with a little help from his old friend – Pooh. The stuffed bear makes Robin realise the need for a Hundred Acre Wood to re-energise himself and that he has to slay the fear of Heffalumps and Woozles in his life. Robin is lost, and it’s for Pooh to help him find himself.
A grown man running around in London with a stuffed toy and a red balloon – is the quirky image that encapsulates the film. There is something eminently adult about this family film despite the sheer absence of complexities, a predictable arc, simplistic answers and naive resolution to serious issues in life. The bitter-sweet, feel-good packaging, helps make it inclusive; the enchanted world on screen reaches out to both the old and the young alike.
There is Pooh talking about Robin’s office briefcase that he is married to. Much like we are to our laptops.
There are other philosophical musings—about doing nothing, how “the very best of something” comes from doing nothing. The film also assures you that it’s ok to be a bear of very little brain but a very big heart.
I kept nodding my head in agreement with all these life’s lessons. But was soon back to checking WhatsApp messages, texts and emails on the phone as soon as the film ended and the credits (with Richard M. Sherman performing ‘Busy Doing Nothing’) stopped rolling.
That’s the irony at the core of Christopher Robin—it may seem life-altering but is just a 100-minute escape after which it is back to being a busybody.