Hidden meanings in Film noir: CARMILLA (2019) - Unholy restrictions

• Girl child education 
  Lara is punished by caning because she studies one of her father's medical books. She is stunned by the punishment of her mother. Girl-child education is synonymous with the emancipation of the female gender. The education of the girl child is still frowned upon in some parts of the world. Mostly with the excuse of a woman being only needed for domestic responsibilities but in reality the hidden truth lies in the sustenance of the entrapment and enslavement of girls. Just like most of the movies on this blog, Lara represents a vulnerable young girl placed at the mercy of society. 

• Unholy restrictions 
  Lara's hand is tied behind her back for no apparent reason, and while she has seen the scene of a carriage crash, her parents assume that she is ignorant. This helps to symbolize that the potentials of the woman is restricted in society and their contributions are more than society would like to acknowledge. 

• Mental slavery 
  Lara tells Carmilla about the sacred mountains and that its forbidden to go there. However, the mountains look beautiful and serene. Just like in reality, mental restrictions are placed on society. In particular, things like STEM education were traditionally restricted from women, meanwhile in developed parts of the world several women have excelled at STEM based fields. 

• The classic initiation sequence 
  Mrs. Fontaine walks in on Lara and Carmilla making out and scolds them before sending them to penance at the church. In reality, from a lack of true love, girls show love to themselves through lesbian acts, only to be found out and punished. Sometimes such situations are exploited as initiation sequences into bonded sexual entrapment by the system. While we do not discriminate same sex relationships, we also acknowledge that it is quite unnatural. The very nature of our world and a need for procreation is a symbol of the awkwardness of same sex relationships. We need to build a balanced society, so that those who can truly express love would have ample opportunities to do so. 

• Apportioned blame 
  Lara's illness, the escape of the girls, and the subsequent killing of Carmilla symbolizes the rejection of love in society. As Carmilla is wrongly killed for being a bad influence on Lara, meanwhile Lara was already experimenting on herself before Carmilla came. Most times in life we look for who to blame for our faults and shortcomings, we challenge everything but ourselves. Sometimes its better to look inwards and realign yourself with your goals and objectives rather than looking for whom to blame. 

I hope the hidden lessons revealed here are meaningful to you. If you noticed anything else in this movie, you can add it in the comments section. If you haven't seen the movie, you can stream from here.
This is how Film Noir uncovers the stark truths behind our failing humanity.