Presented at SXSW 2021, and previously selected at the Berlinale 2021, Norwegian feature Ninjababy, directed by Yngvild Sve Flikke, is a brilliant and quirky dramedy about womanhood and the fear of pregnancy.
As part of our coverage of the 2021 SXSW Film Festival, we were delighted to discover a Nordic gem called Ninjababy, directed by Yngvild Sve Flikke.
Drawing, partying, fucking, 23 years-old Rakel has no specific goal in life. She seems to have a “no future” kind of mindset, letting herself to have fun with no ambition. Expressing her thoughts through drawing and some voice-over, we can read her mind quite easily. At home, her best friend and roommate Ingrid realizes that Rakel’s body, habits and sense have changed : she drinks a lot of nectar juices, is always bloated, has bigger boobs, is repulsed by strong smells… Worried that she might be sick, Ingrid pulls out a pregnancy test. It turns out that Rakel is pregnant, she is surprised because she takes the pill and uses protection. Questioning her future, animated scenes illustrate what she could have become : an astronaut, a beer taster, a forest ranger… she wanted to be anything, but a mother.
During their aikido classes, Rakel is telling Ingrid that she had sex the other night with the teacher, Mos. He re-enters her life awkwardly and asks her for a coffee date. Weighing the pros and cons on an animated list, she emphasizes on him smelling like butter. Too preoccupied by the pregnancy, Rakel does not accept the coffee date but let him accompany her at the clinic, in order to have an abortion. The doctor announces that she is in fact pregnant by six months and a half. Mos is then not the father. This is quite a dramatic event that character Rakel has to deal with, but also the director : the film seemed light, funny and somewhat relatable. By adding a new character, director Yngvild Sve Flikke managed to keep these tones during the whole film. The funny and witty mask-wearing Ninja baby appears only animated, adding many details to Rakel’s expression, resonating with her passion for drawing.
Rakel’s loose and ungrateful attitude shows no interest into keeping the baby, tackling the stereotypes of womanhood and maternity. She wants to get rid of it at all costs : she re-contacts the presumed father who is a sex and alcohol addicted guy surnamed “Dick Jesus”, and looks into the possibilities of adoption. The end of her maternity is filled with playing Warhammer with Mos, some hanging out with Ingrid, solutions research… but also doubts, is she getting attached to Ninja baby ?
Even if Rakel, the main character, is not depicted as likeable, her chaotic behaviour and human factor create a high relatability, therefore loveable. Yngvild Sve Flikke succeeds to put the finger on the committed standpoint that all women do not want children. By directing and putting Ninjababy into the world, she offers another representation of mothers and women. Some details and dialogues of the film highlight an important question that remains in almost all women’s heads : contraception. With humour, quirkiness and creativity, Flikke and her team deliver an accessible film about womanhood and the fear of pregnancy.
