Paddington In Peru & The Call Within: Discovering One’s Roots And Origins
Last week, I came across a good cinema ticket deal on o2 priority and decided to go and watch Paddington In Peru as I had come across the trailer in the summer and it seemed quite interesting.
With no set expectations for this film, I went in with an open heart ready to follow the storyline for what it was. Little did I know that I would be leaving the cinema inspired by this film.
Watching Paddington return back to his homeland and “involuntarily” reconnect with his roots and origins as some may argue was inspiring. Whilst the search to find Aunt Lucy was riddled with various trials and tribulations, Paddington was able to find out where he is from and what tribe he comes from.
And as someone who has recently opened their heart to the thought/idea of wanting to discover their paternal lineage and homelands the meaning of this film was deeper for me than for most. Like Paddington, not knowing the exact location of what home looks like and where it is for my paternal side of my heritage has always been a source of confusion for me and often left me with the why’s. Why don’t I know this? And why did my father never tell me any of this information?
Seeing Paddington journey into the unknown also reminded me that this process of discovering the missing pieces is a journey and that the answers to the questions that brew inside us often find us and not on demand when we want them.
Whilst the film Paddington In Peru explores various themes such as bravery, exploration, betrayal, and the meaning of family, what stood out to me the most was the first scene in London where Paddington was drawn to the Peruvian statute and the final scenes in El Dorado. I will first begin with the scene in London, where Paddington astral projects to the Peruvian jungle and and witnesses vast greenery and the depths of the jungle. Unbeknown to him this will be a place of significant interest later on in the story, as it is where guardians of the jungle whose duty it is to guard the sought after El Dorado reside later assist him.
To me, this transportation into the realm of the unknown is of spiritual significance and symbolises the call within, that cannot be ignored and sometimes a cultural item or totem could spark that connection as seen in the film. Other times, it is just that feeling/thought/emotion that keeps bugging you about a particular place, culture, or country because the energy of those who came before you innately lives within you. Seeing Paddington’s immediate pull to the Peruvian statute also foreshadows that which is yet to come, which viewers find out later on in the film that this statue is also situated in the Amazon jungle and plays a role in Paddington finding the sacred temple.
Additionally, this scene also reminded me that those who are connected to us by blood and by spirit will always call us home no matter the time or distance apart.
When examining my own experience with the call within that keeps calling until you pick up the call, I had always been aware quite early on that one side of my dual-background/identity had been suppressed due to family politics, but this in turn left me with many questions about who I am and why I did I have to hide this side of my identity? As I grew older, there were cultural foods and music which helped to connect to the other side of my heritage/identity that had been suppressed, and whilst geographically, I was unable to connect to the lands like Paddington has, through music and food I was able to do so.
Throughout the various Paddington films, it is commonly known that Paddington has always loved marmalade sandwiches and when we connect the missing pieces of the puzzle together, viewers may notice a link between the first scene in the film in which Paddington as a young cub is seen to be chasing after a single orange which is partially dangling from a unstable tree branch. Throughout the film, Paddington someway and somehow manages to sneak a marmalade sandwich underneath his hat and towards the end of the film when Paddington unlocks the wall and enters El Dorado, viewers are able to see the multitude of orange trees throughout the land.
The spiritual symbolism of the orange tree can also be compared to the biblical tree of life which is said to be a giver of life and birth new things, likewise the vast number of orange trees which have also been referred as “gold” by myths and fortune hunters and who seek to ransack the “gold” in El Dorado, also symbolise/illustrate what has been keeping Paddington’s tribe alive and healthy.
This full circle moment allows viewers to connect the dots and understand that everything we have seen so far is connected El Dorado (Paddington’s birth home). Aunt Lucy also informs Paddington that this is his tribe and where his mother and father are from, as the bracelet he was given as a baby was the key to opening the wall which protects El Dorado from invaders.
The second scene I would like to draw your attention to, is the scene in which Paddington approaches the Browns after interacting and teaching his tribe how to make marmalade and Mrs Brown believes that she will have to let Paddington go and allow him to be with his community and tribe. Paddington struggles to express his desires and wishes, whilst Mrs Brown seeks to finish Paddington’s sentences as she can see that he is struggling to say what he needs to say. I must also state that if you are anything like me and are a sucker for sad endings, please note you may get emotional during this scene which is perfectly fine. And if you are someone who fares quite well with emotional scenes, then no need to worry you may continue to read on!
What strikes me at this point, is Paddington’s choice to remain with the Browns but also the reason for which he had chosen to do so. Paddington states and reassures the Browns but most importantly the audience (or a least it felt that way), that you can have mixed feelings about where you are from but you are also not tied or fixed to a specific location or place because it is your birth home. Home can be anywhere you make it, and in that immediate moment this reminder made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
And you must be thinking why? It’s just a film? But the meaning for me is deeper, and these words soothed my soul but also left me feeling at peace with the internal conflict or confusion surrounding my identity and the connection to the paternal homelands. As stated above, whilst this was something Paddington sought to explain to the Browns, it felt as if or should I say that the screenwriters and script writers did an excellent job at ensuring that these words echoed quite loudly and clearly to viewers. Because, whilst I am in my late 20s there are also young children who may be watching this film who feel the same way Paddington did about where they come from and there was a reassurance and feeling of you are not alone in this which felt really comforting.
I left that movie theatre feeling glad that I took the time to come out and watch it, and would I watch Paddington In Peru again? Yes, I certainly would. In applying some of the lessons learnt from this film, I have understood that the answers we seek about our identities, where we come from, and most importantly who we are, shape us in ways that can make or break us. In these journey’s one must learn to embrace the unknown, and whilst this is difficult said than done for those of us who are overthinkers or tend to think about the worst-case scenario first I learnt from this film that the connection to home is something that is felt, whilst it can be explained at times, it is better understood and expressed through one’s feelings and thoughts.
I hope you enjoyed my perspective and my interpretation of Paddington’s journey back home and encourage you to head to the movie theatre to watch Paddington In Peru if you have not yet had the chance to.
