Superhero Media: Colossal

Sometimes, superhero media can be used to talk about broader social issues, such as Speedy being addicted to Heroin, Captain Marvel being a metaphor for feminist film making or The Punisher taking on human trafficking; but what about Kaiju as a genre? Sure, the original Godzilla has a clear meaning, the Gamera series tackles environmentalism and Shin Godzilla is about Japanese bureaucracy, but how would a Kaiju film about abuse and trauma work? Colossal is an independent film about Gloria, a New York party girl who goes back to her small Seattle suburb home after getting kicked out by her boyfriend. Reconnecting with estranged childhood friends, Gloria tries to get her life back on track and takes a job working at her friend, Oscar's, bar. Then, one night, a giant monster attacks Seoul. The world is shocked at the sudden appearance of a Kaiju, but life moves on quickly and soon Gloria and friends are back drinking at the bar after hours. That is, until, Gloria figures something out; she is controlling the monster. 

The rest of this is going to be pretty spoiler-heavy, so if you're keen to watch Colossal now, stop here. What makes Colossal unique and engaging is how the characters, particularly Gloria, engage with their discovery and take steps to resolve it. After realising that she has accidentally killed hundreds of people whilst stumbling home drunk, Gloria not only resolves to tackle her borderline alcoholism, but tries to atone for her actions, even scrawling a message in Korean apologising for the pain and suffering she has caused. The conflict of the piece comes when Oscar's motivation for his altruism and friendship is revealed to not be an old crush on Gloria, but a seething jealousy that has existed since childhood. When Oscar's true nature is revealed, Gloria must figure out how to use her new powers to save lives and gain control of her own destiny once more. 

If it's action you're after, Colossal is pretty light-on, but the exploration of Kaiju as a literal metaphor for the monstrous nature of people is interesting to explore. The connection between Gloria and the unnamed Kaiju is reminiscent of the 1990s Gamera films having "The Girl Who Talked to Gamera" as a character (Midori?), though obviously the connection is much more direct here. After having watched so many Kaiju films of late, I find myself considering the relationship between humans and Kaiju and how that can be explored through narrative. Characters like Mole Man and Doctor Demonicus have direct communication with their monsters, but Midori and Gloria have a more limited control, due to the nature of their monsters. If Kaiju are typically a metaphor for a human experience, how do we have more direct interaction with them beyond getting stepped on?