Cruella: A Tale of Healing and Self-Reconstruction
After my initial viewing of “Cruella,” a thought immediately struck me: Cruella’s journey of growth and transformation is essentially a successful case study of healing from childhood trauma and reconstructing one’s self.
Following a second viewing, this conclusion felt even more solid, leading me to write this review.
The Unresolved Past
In the realm of psychoanalysis, there’s a famous saying: “All illnesses stem from a lack of differentiation.” This refers to the psychological issues that arise from an individual’s failure to fully separate from their caregivers during development. Common examples include “mama’s boys,” “daddy’s girls,” individuals excessively supporting their siblings, or those who deliberately avoid discussing their background or origins.
No one can completely detach from their family of origin. Our lives are a constant negotiation with its influence. Those with healthy, independent personalities have generally achieved good differentiation, while those who are overly dependent or fiercely independent “lone wolves” are often too psychologically intertwined with their families.
Cruella’s Triumph Over Trauma
Over the course of nearly two hours, Cruella’s journey exemplifies successful differentiation from her family of origin. Despite being abandoned as an infant, losing her adoptive mother early, and growing up as an orphan, she constantly grapples with her roots.
Unlike reality, Cruella emerges victorious in this struggle.
Like many, Cruella is initially influenced unconsciously. She attempts to change, only to find herself becoming the very caregiver she despises. Fortunately, she recognizes her inherent nature and chooses to embrace it, including her birth mother, who repeatedly tried to kill her.
Embracing the Good and the Bad
A family’s positive and negative aspects are integral to an individual. Accepting both signifies a healthy psychological separation, allowing for the development of a more complete and healthy self. While some rise from humble beginnings to become inspirational figures, others are pejoratively labeled “nouveau riche.” The key difference lies in the health of their differentiation from their family.
The Inevitable Influence
Being influenced and subtly shaped by one’s family is a necessary part of growing up. Although raised with kindness by her adoptive mother, young Cruella couldn’t suppress the madness inherited from her birth mother.
Her inherent nature represents Cruella’s id, while her adoptive mother’s teachings represent her superego. These conflicting standards create psychological division, visually represented by her half-black, half-white hair.
Conflicting family values are a common experience. Many parents teach their children to be kind but also to retaliate when wronged. While adults understand the nuances between “kindness” and “fighting back,” children often see the world in black and white, struggling to analyze situations and choosing only between aggression and submission.
In normal development, children waver between extremes of love and hate. Cruella is no exception.
From Estella to Cruella
After witnessing her adoptive mother’s death, caused by her own actions, Cruella is dominated by her adoptive mother’s kindness. She seemingly reforms, dyeing her hair, suppressing her madness, and working as a thief with her friends Jasper and Horace, living like an ordinary girl.
However, when she sees the Baroness casually dismiss her adoptive mother’s murder, Cruella’s inherent nature and the unhealthy narcissism inherited from her birth mother take over, driving her towards revenge.
Recognizing the Unwanted Reflection
Realizing you’re becoming the parent you dislike is the first step towards differentiation and self-reconstruction.
Cruella’s reaction to discovering her parentage resonates with many. Denying and rejecting the resemblance to an unwanted elder is common. Cruella expresses her feelings by saying, “That crazy woman can’t be my mother.”
Accepting the Total Self
“Accepting the total self” is essential for growth and self-reconstruction. Some struggle to move on from failed relationships because they “cannot accept the self that failed in love.”
After learning the truth, Cruella goes to the Regent’s Park fountain, a place of emotional connection with her adoptive mother. After much thought, she delivers a long monologue, encompassing her entire struggle with her family. To better understand, I’ll break it down:
- “What a tangled web we weave. My greatest enemy is my own mother, and she killed my other mother. You were always afraid, weren’t you? Afraid I’d become a monster, like her.” - The primal fear of one’s family. During development, children experience the Oedipus complex and are unconsciously influenced by their families.
- “No wonder you always said, ‘Be good, be kind.’ You wanted to teach me through love. I tried, I really did, because I loved you. But the thing is, I’m not lovable Estella. No matter how hard I try, I can’t be her.” - The inescapable family curse. Despite efforts to change, one still becomes the person they least want to be.
- “I’m Cruella, born brilliant, born bad, and a little bit mad.” - Accepting the total self. Embracing both the good and bad inherited from one’s family, while consciously separating oneself from it.
- “But I’m not like her. I’m better.” - Beginning healthy self-reconstruction. Transcending family constraints to become a better individual.
- “Anyway, I’ve got to go. I’ve got revenge and destruction to plan.” - Action. All growth requires action. Without it, Cruella would remain the wronged Estella, never becoming a more powerful villain than the Baroness.
- “But I really do love you. Always.” - Defining one’s villainous style. The best action is driven by purpose. What would a better villain than the Baroness look like? A villain who understands love and has a family.
The Six Steps to Freedom
Cruella’s struggle with her family involves six steps: being subtly influenced, attempting to change but failing, accepting everything (including the bad and one’s failures), reconstructing the self, taking action, and adhering to a standard superior to that of one’s family.
Overcoming the Oedipus Complex
In psychoanalysis, a crucial concept and a significant factor in analyzing psychological growth impediments is the “Oedipus complex.” A primary aspect of this complex is the “desire for success and the fear of punishment after success.”
The film portrays this conflict through Cruella’s significant growth experiences. Cruella’s first success is her birth, but the Baroness attempts to kill her as an infant while her husband is away. When Cruella begins to shine in the fashion world, the Baroness steals her designs. After Cruella’s successful revenge, the Baroness tries to murder her again. Even at the end, the Baroness seeks to eliminate the more famous Cruella.
Heinz Kohut, the founder of self-psychology, believed that the Oedipus complex arises when parents respond inadequately, leaving the child in a state of wanting to win but fearing the consequences. The Baroness’s unhealthy narcissism grants her a strong sense of self, and her “bad” behavior paradoxically “helps” Cruella’s growth. Her “hatred” for her daughter prevents the intergenerational transmission of the Oedipus complex, allowing Cruella to become a “better” villain without restraint.
A New Kind of Villain
In the end, Cruella remains a fearsome fashion icon, inheriting not only her father’s wealth but also the Baroness’s fashion talent and madness, while embracing the kindness of her adoptive mother and the support of her friends.
For an individual, when the past and family no longer represent resistance, the future becomes a realm of unlimited growth.