This will not be a spoiler free review. There is no way in the world I could write one. Meg’s journey in this story is also mine. Every obstacle she faces, and the final battle that she must confront is the exact story that I have lived.
Meg Murry is a character after my own heart. She’s insecure and cynical, but she is also loyal and brave. And smart. Incredibly smart. Using the laws of physics and her own inner strength, Meg braves the journey to find her father alongside her brother Charles Wallace, and the boy next door Calvin with the astral travelers Mrs Who, Mrs Which and Mrs Whatsit.
Her character growth makes this film, and that’s why it spoke to me.
Before Meg begins her journey, Mrs Who gives her an important quote. “ The wound is the place where the light enters you.” - Rumi.
Meg must face her own faults to battle the darkness. She doesn’t travel well, while everyone else is just fine. She is closed off to her own brilliance and what makes her special.
Her first real test in the film is trusting The Happy Medium, who allows her to find the balance within to open her heart to her father in order to find him.
She finds a memory, the memory of the exact moment she last saw her father, before he disappeared. That memory leads her to Camaztoz, the evil planet where her father is trapped. A planet run by an evil mind known as the IT.
As the planet changes into obstacle after obstacle, Meg and Calvin are separated from Charles Wallace. And after a harsh battle with the darkness, Calvin gives Meg one of the best lines that any insecure person could be given, “You don’t know how incredible you are.”
After they find Charles Wallace, they face a strange encounter with a red eyed man who claims to know Meg’s father. Calvin and Charles trust him, but Meg is not so sure. She listens to her instinct and focuses on her goal.
They had traveled to Camaztoz, to find her father, but the IT wants something too, Charles Wallace and his brilliant mind.
Meg watches her brother fall to darkness and enters a realm where the path is no longer visible. Still, she is determined to find her father, and uses her will, and the gift of the unseen (given by Mrs. Who) to climb the impossible staircase leading to her father.
When she finds him, she finally lets herself cry, allowing all the grief to wash away, but the battle isn’t over. The IT has her brother, Charles Wallace, and only Meg can save him.
While her father and Calvin manage to get away, Meg refuses to go with them. She would never leave her brother.
I will not lie, the final battle in this version of the story is brutal. The IT speaks harsh words through Charles Wallace, and tosses Meg like a rag doll.
But Meg is determined to save her brother.
What does she have that the IT doesn’t? What can she do to save her brother?
She loves him.
As the IT continues to use her brother against her, Meg screams at him, “You love me Charles Wallace, and I deserve to be loved!”
It is that declaration that brings her brother back, and destroys the IT entirely. Charles rushes to his sister as the evil mind bursts into light.
Mrs. Who, Mrs Which and Mrs Whatsit return, and they congratulate Meg on her success. She knows her own brilliance now, and she is able to lead them with no pain. She has become a warrior.
She returns home, and brings her father to her mother, and thanks Calvin for taking the journey with her.
As she watches the happy scene of her family reunited she whispers, “Thank you” to the universe.
So how did I react to this story? With my entire heart.
I have been fighting a battle with darkness for a long time. My brother’s Autism.
We all have fights with siblings, and we get angry at them. We tell them that they hurt us. Autistic siblings don’t always understand this, and that has been a struggle for me my whole life. Meltdowns, harsh words and lack of empathy.
Confused and lost, I shut myself away from others.
I was like Meg, closed off, sad and angry. And yes, I was bullied like Meg was too.
So many kids are mistreated in school, and that can scar them for life. I hope they all draw inspiration from Meg in this film.
There are times when I must remember, the Autism is not my brother. He doesn’t always understand. And yes, I love him. I love him deeply, and I would never leave him behind. But I have a right to speak up for myself too.
I was with Meg on that battlefield screaming those words, and I left the movie theatre with a newfound strength. I had become a warrior.
The Murrys are a wonderful family, and not without their faults. But faults can save us. Meg’s faults saved her.
While the IT told her all that was wrong with her, Meg proudly stated that she was all that and more.
The Murrys all possess a powerful love for each other that transcends time and space. Love is the frequency that binds them together, no matter where they are.
My family and I have been told how amazing it is that we stick together. We do because we have that love.
There is no book on Autism, and there is no direct type of Autism. It is still a mystery, but that mystery is just a part of my family and my life.
We all have the ability to love beyond faults. We all have the ability to see beyond labels.
I don’t care what the critics say about this movie. I thought it was beautiful. The diverse cast was amazing and most importantly, the message hit home.
It’s all about the power of love, and how it reaches no matter where you are. It’s universal and beautiful. Love can overcome anything.
I could rate this movie, but I have a personal bias that ties me to it.
All I can do, is look up at the stars, and whisper “Thank you” to the universe.
