Bird Box: A “Look” Into Propaganda

and Ableism

Vanessa Lopez, Evelyn Piña,

Wyatt Samuelson, Grace Martinez
Synopsis
Bird Box is a post-apocalyptic thriller where people start committing suicide
after seeing a mysterious “monster”.
 Characters
Malorie Girl & Boy

Tom Villains
 Scene Analysis
● Malorie must pick a child to
sacrifice
● Lake splits up, need to follow
directions
● Someone has to look
Scene Analysis
● Atypical portrayal of motherhood ● “Girl” emulating Tom w/ sacrifice

○ Reluctant, mean, cold ● Tom taught love to Malorie

● Break from a stereotypical gentle, warm ● Malorie - character growth

mother that often conveys passivity ● Girl: brave and smart—subverting gender

● Detachment is a type of agency that representation

ensures their survival ● Tom is not an “Uncle Tom” despite his

● Dealing with tragedy brings out a side of sacrifice—he is not “benign, subservient,

ourselves that hasn’t been tapped into and obedient” (Nichols, 334)

“The history of popular cinema is, in part, a history of the

evolution of stereotypical representations of different races and
ethnicities, along with nationalities, gender orientations, and
subcultures” (Nichols, 333).
Scene Analysis
● Innocence and Vulnerability
● Symbol of hope for the future
● The protection of a blanket
● Empathy in threatening situations
● Overcoming obstacles as a team
● The risk the blind essentially take everyday.
● Danger versus safety.
● Emotion versus reason.
● Nondiscriminatory.
Propaganda
“Dystopian narratives are historically aware, responding
to present conditions and informed by knowledge of
historical events and traumas” (Stock 2).

Two key examples that solidify the theme:

1. That disparity between the two channels calls to

“fake news” and media bias
- “it’s in Russia” → situated in the U.S. political
climate
2. Later when Douglas (Trump supporter) watches
the news update and says
- “We’re all going to die soon. This has a
classic bio-warfare signature. North Korea or
Iran…”
Propaganda
● Allegory about the negative impact of social media
propaganda
● Monsters prey on people’s fears/values (rhetoric)
● The deaths and suicides represent the negative social
consequences of fake news that pervades social media
○ Ex: Russia’s information warfare and trolling
● Creates oppression, confusion and disorientation
 “A Quiet Place” Comparisons
● Reviews and articles compared the two 2. Senses/disabilities
● Bird Box = a “ripoff”
● Sight vs Sound

1. Family

3. Adapt = survive
Disobedience Sacrifice
Lee saves
Girl steps off children from
boat in Bird Box creature

Start at 3:23

Beau plays with

plane Reagan gave Tom distracts “bad
him guys” as Malorie
and kids escape
 Blindness

The end.

The “sighted” people trying to navigate in a

world not meant for them. Continued.
- The roles between the blind and “sighted” - The fear/hopelessness aspect.
are switched.

- Relying on a variety of other/senses.

- Traveling into the unknown.

- Using “navigation” or assistance not 100% - Birds = Walking stick to the “sighted”
reliable.

- Ableism. - A world where the blind aren't at a

disadvantage
 Mental Health ● Allegory for people misunderstanding
mental illness and how society perceives it
Ableism Through the Portrayal
of Mental Illness
The Bad
-Villainized mental illness
-Depiction of depression and suicide

The Good
-Overall criticism of how society views
mental illness
-Depicts how victims of depression might
see the world while others are blind to it
 TheMonsters
The Monsters Monsters = Mental Illness

- Different iterations from different cultures as well as

how we each see our inner demons

- Experience deepest pain and sadness

- Survivors have already succumbed to their demons

- Not looking represents society’s refusal to

acknowledge the realities of mental illness
 Works Cited
Onsolmagno, Guy J. “Astronomy, Science Fiction and Popular Culture: 1277 to

2001 (And beyond).” The MIT Press, vol. 29, no. 2, 1996, pp. 127–132.,
https://www.jstor.org/stable/1576348.

Nichols, Bill. “Race and Ethnicity in Film.” Engaging Cinema: an Introduction to

Film Studies, by Bill Nichols, W.W. Norton & Co., 2010, pp. 325–358.

Stock, Adam. Modern Dystopian Fiction and Political Thought: Narratives of

World Politics. 2019.

Bird Box:
Propaganda,
Disability &
Mental Health
Discourse