Judy U0026 Punch: A Fable From The Past?

Criticism, vindication and fantasy come together in Judy & Punch , a fable that could well have been written in the Middle Ages, in the 19th century or in any past era, but whose values ​​cannot be more current.

The Australian filmmaker and actress, Mirrah Foulkes, writes and directs this feature film, which won the Best Screenplay award at the Sitges Film Festival and which was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year.

Judy & Punch tells us, in the form of a story, the story of a married couple that is recognized and successful thanks to their puppet show. However, while Punch takes all the glory, his wife Judy is relegated to the background: she takes care of her son and much of the show, but the praise goes to her husband.

Soon, Punch’s addiction to alcohol will take its toll on his family life and, after a beating of his wife, he will pretend to have been the victim of a tragic murder committed against his family, abandoning and hiding Judy’s lifeless body in the woods.

What Punch doesn’t know is that Judy is not dead, but is still alive. With the help of a group of people excluded and convicted of practicing witchcraft, he begins to plan his revenge.

Along these lines, we immerse ourselves in a story deeply rooted in popular tales, in fantasy and period films that will surely not leave anyone indifferent. The music is perfectly combined with the images and with the moments of greatest tension, creating an aesthetic worthy of the genre that will end up leading to a great and necessary vindication. 

A powerful fable

If the fables have taught us anything, it is that, behind their innocent appearance, there is a strong didactic intention. In the case of Judy & Punch , far from talking about animals with human characteristics as in the traditional fable, they talk about our species, our past mistakes and how to solve them.

In the past, women had little relevance in the artistic world and, in the marriage formed by the main duo, we see an unequal situation in which women are relegated to darkness, to shadows. Despite possessing great skill with puppets, the entire burden of her performances falls on her husband.

However, it didn’t take long for us to understand that her husband is nothing more than an animal of habit, a well-off being who pretends to live by appearances and who has serious alcoholism problems.

The world that is presented in Seaside, the town where the action takes place, has a strict law towards those people who escape the normative. Thus, those who have great healing abilities, with plants or with any element that escapes the norm, will be condemned for witchcraft. The people, without the intention of thinking too much, happily attend the stoning and harsh sentences of those they consider criminals.

In this way, the person who has knowledge in matters that violates the system ends up being condemned, while the abuser is rewarded. Mia Wasikowska plays a perfect Judy at first, but it won’t take long to condemn her husband’s addictions until she finally finds her freedom in the most unexpected place.

Despite this, Judy & Punch does not present a tragic scenario, but instead makes use of elements present in comedy and in the fantasy genre to draw a scenario that is not so distant from our past history. The humorous element skillfully takes over the scene, without disconcerting the viewer and assuming relief from what could well be a tragic situation.

All this to, finally, hit the right key and awaken in us a critical look, judging the one who condemns without evidence and unfairly, while we support the one who would be condemned in said society. And it is that the law seems to be tailored to whoever creates it, but Judy will gather her strength to overcome this barrier and, once and for all, do justice, even if she has to take it by hand.

As in fables or stories, the reader – in this case the spectator – will begin to empathize with the protagonist and wish that his plans come to fruition, while the evil one, Punch, is punished.

Judy & Punch: Revenge of the Underdog

In the form of a dark comedy, Judy & Punch becomes a protest film, extolling differences and offering hope in the face of very bleak times. It does not matter that the witches are condemned, for Judy will find an alliance in them; beings who, like her, fight for their survival and whom she will provide with the necessary strength to claim their place in the world.

The condemned seem to have surrendered, they seem to have assumed the established order; while Judy, guided by the injustice that stalks her family, decides to end such oppression. Thus, a revenge is brewing on Punch that, despite everything, is not as catastrophic as one might expect.

Likewise, it offers all those who had been forgotten in exile the opportunity to assert their differences and claim their place in Seaside.

Somehow, Judy & Punch gives us a break, a glimmer of confidence in the future, and a show of bravery. Judy, far from being depressed, decides to fight for her rights, those of hers and those of those who were not too lucky. Punch, however, is shown as a weak and cowardly man, unable to take control of his life.

Judy & Punch is still a fable, a story, but that does not mean it is included within the irrelevant; rather, it gives us a powerful message of struggle and effort that should not go unnoticed. We are no longer talking about women’s rights, but about the fight against injustice and human rights in general.

Thus, with storytelling and comic overtones, we adopt a critical gaze that will make us reflect on our past, but also our present. And like Judy, vindicate our differences, those that make us unique and essential.