Nabi Adhered to Advice (26 August 21)

One misconception about Nevertheless is that it teaches young women to go for toxic relationships without listening to advice. It actually ignores the fact that NB actually acted on the advice that two adult mentors gave her. Her professor and her aunt.

What is ironic is that many people praised her prof for giving her the "hard truth" of taking responsibility for her life in Ep 4. But it is this same professor that tells NB to not overthink, and to like who she wants to like.

Seeing NB grow, she understands that NB wasn't in a good place because she never owned what she wanted. She specifically looked forward to NB working with JE, because JE poured emotion freely in his art, while NB held back.

The prof saw that they could make something beautiful when they combined their strengths, however, more than anything, she wanted NB to break free of the emotional barrier she placed on herself.

NB's aunt tells her a similar thing. She encourages NB to not be afraid of what may cause her pain. When we say that NB made a risk at the end, it's not an uncalculated risk, it's not a risk of a naïve person, rather, it's a risk that was thought through.

NB's aunt is the one who knows her the best. Even better than her own mom knows her. And she knew straight away that JE was the reason NB went to her place. If it was a bad thing, if he was bad, she would've picked up on it. However, NB's aunt liked JE.

NB's growth has always been tied to not having to feel ashamed or pathetic for making choices for herself. Her life mentors gave her advice that also led to her making the eventual decision, to bravely choose her happiness, and not be afraid of potential failure.

doramaticbites

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nabi’s Sculptures and Growth (20 January 22)

Image
I found myself going back to Ep 2 and 3 -- episodes so pregnant with subtext, I'm itching to write about them. This scene in particular spoke about the gap between JE and Nabi at this time, the sculpture representing Nabi's internal struggle that comes between them.  Between them was the sculpture of a woman, bare and vulnerable, rough and seemingly unfinished. Its body facing towards Nabi's direction, like a symbol that Nabi needed to face her biggest nemesis -- her own self -- before she can finally close the gap between them. Nevertheless, towards the end, Nabi was able to conquer herself and bridge the gap between her and JE, the sculpture no longer between them but behind them, its wings spread wide open as if about to fly.  The room no longer blanketed with the shadows of doubt and hesitancy but rather illuminated by certainty. Because at last, they were able to realize that what keeps on leading them back to each other has always been what they have kept denying them...
Read more

Sex and Agency I (23 December 21)

Image
Not only did this show that it was ok for a girl to have a sex dream, it was good because she was so clearly pleasured. Coming from a relationship where she had to pleasure someone else at the risk of her own enjoyment and safety, this is what NB longs for. But more than that, what she longs for becomes reality. And lying in his arms after, she finds herself thinking, it was good. Her wonder causes you to think that perhaps it was never really that good before. And then you realise that while  JE barges in and corners her for a kiss in her dream, in reality he was about consent, about waiting for the go ahead, about stopping to check if he could continue. Ep 2 is good in its own, but even better in light of Ep 3. doramaticbites
Read more

Sex and Agency II (23 December 21)

Image
Exactly. In my draft analysis of Nabi’s dialogue, I had the same notes about Nabi’s line post coitus “But it was so good.” For the audience to have been given this bit of information is an implication that the sex must not have been good with her ex. Something that makes absolute sense because Nabi's ex couldn’t be bothered about her happiness both in and out of the bedroom.  In this scene, he did not give her the liberty to choose whether or not she wanted the condom -- he manipulated her into not using one. Nabi actually and finally enjoying sex (with JE) to the point of looking forward to it the day after the first (fixing her hair, buying beer, thinking about sex and feeling dejected when JE said he came to study) was a major step towards reclaiming her agency. "Let's just sleep." "Already?" "Yes." "Already?" "Yes. I'm sleepy." Two layers of meaning/subtext of "Already?" being asked twice: Nabi wanting to be in...
Read more