On Inside Out

*Spoilers ahead*

Inside Out is one of the sweetest movies I’ve seen in recent memory. The movie does a beautiful job at simplifying (in a creative manner) the way humans process their own emotions.  There is one scene in particular that stood out and had me thinking hard after the movie was over. The scene where Sadness (a character representing sorrow and grief who was portrayed as predominantly negative until this point) is in conversation with Bing Bong (Riley’s imaginary friend).

        To set the scene, Bing Bong is visibly upset after some old toys that he used to share with Riley get thrown away. These items represent Riley’s memories with her imaginary friend. Upon realizing that Riley might be done with him, Bing Bong falls to the floor in a deep sorrow. Joy (being the exuberant character she is) immediately attempts to cheer him up by trying to make him laugh and distract him from his pain. He is unfazed. Next, Sadness sits by him and (as her name implies) is sad with him. Sadness points out that those things probably meant a lot to Bing Bong. He mentions that the items reminded him of all the adventures the two used to go on and were all he had left of Riley. He begins to cry. It appears that Sadness is making the situation worse and doing nothing but bringing Bing Bong down. However, after Sadness and Bing Bong stop grieving together, he abruptly stands up and claims, “I’m okay now”. Whether that is actually true or not there is a noticeable change in his demeanor.

        I think this scene is beautiful because it displays a vital part of the human experience, empathy. The ability to understand and validate another person’s point of view. Empathy is important because it is one of the fundamental skills designed for human connection. Through empathy, we are able to identify with one’s problems, creating a sense of togetherness. I would consider this feeling to be helpful and almost healing. In order to mentally place yourself in someone else’s frame of mind you must be prepared for the grief that comes with it. Sadness is necessary for empathy. This is a hard concept to grasp, especially for children. However, Inside Out does an incredible job at neither demonizing nor romanticizing sadness.

The emotion is seen both as a pest (which it can be) and a tool for empathy (a predecessor of joy). In conclusion, I am very happy that this movie is out there to serve as an entertaining way to teach kids about emotional intelligence.