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10 Relatable Teen Moments from Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken relates to both moms and teens on many different levels.
We’ve seen a lot of coming-of-age movies with the usual trope of teenagers slowly becoming comfortable in their own skin. But Dreamworks takes it to a different level with Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken wherein it also adds a layer of the parents confronting their past and eventually realizing, they were making the same mistake only it was executed differently. Here are the top 10 moments that made Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken relatable to the whole family:
1. Ruby Gillman suffering from Social Anxiety
Teenagers are more prone to suffering from Social Anxiety because their peers’ judgment matters more to them now. When Ruby finds herself in the middle of a crowd and her friend unknowingly sends a video of her in her Kraken form, she excuses herself from the crowd and claims that she’s sick. That’s often the excuse teens use to get away.
2. Agatha Gillman accuses her mother of exactly the same thing she’s doing
Breaking the cycle of generational trauma isn’t easy and sometimes, history will repeat itself. While Agatha’s mother did everything to condition her to become a powerful warrior to defeat the mermaids, Agatha did everything to condition Ruby to love her life on land. And when Agatha confronts her mother about teaching Ruby about her powers, the grandmother shoots back, “Now doesn’t that sound familiar?
3. Ruby gets pressured by her friends
Since teenagers value the approval of their peers, they will agree with them if it means going against their parents. Ruby’s friends pressure her into doing a grand prom-posal which she nearly does and it goes bad, leading to the events of the movie.
4. The dad trying his best to help but is not sure how
One of the most confusing things for a dad is how to help his teenage daughter when she’s going through a change that’s exclusive only to females. Because the ability to change into a Giant Kraken is exclusive only to females, the dad finds himself doing all sorts of things — from advising the mom to even stalling the captain in the movie to not hunt down a Kraken.
5. The popular girl and shy girl pair trope
Most coming-of-age movies involve a popular girl becoming friends with a shy girl. Ruby soon begins wanting what Chelsea, the mermaid, has. She’s popular and pretty, and everyone wants to be her despite being the new girl in school while Ruby ended up awkward and misunderstood. The icing on the cake includes Ruby seeing how comfortable Chelsea is in her own skin while she hid her abilities as a Kraken her whole life.
6. Agatha trying to do things differently from her mother
As the crown princess of the Kraken kingdom, Agatha had been trained to carry on the legacy of “answering the call of the Ocean.” However, she realizes that she wants something else and flees but not without hiding the item that started the war in the first place. She also tries to give Ruby what her own mother had not provided her: a normal life. She does so by “omitting” a lot of information regarding her side of the family but comically, leaks out some shade when she makes pitches as a real estate agent.
7. Ruby feels suffocated by her parents’ rules
A lot of times, we give our teens rules to follow but out of our exhaustion, forget to sit down with them and explain why. In our frustration, we just give them clipped answers like, “Because I said so!” or “It’s too dangerous.” Agatha does the same with Ruby that she’s not allowed to go near the ocean, failing to tell her that her powers react to the water. Thus, Ruby misses out on a lot of social gatherings with her friends also expressing their frustration of “missing out on the fun.”
8. Ruby asks someone else other than her mom
Moms always take the “bad cop” stance in any coming-of-age movie, leading the teen to find the information somewhere else. Ruby Gillman, a teenager, does so about her Kraken heritage, diving into the ocean and training with her grandmother. She learns about her heritage but hides that she’s aware of it from her mother. And although Agatha is aware that Ruby’s lying, she trusts that Ruby isn’t in any danger yet.
9. Her desire to feel comfortable in her skin is what lands her in trouble
Teenagers will always go through a lot of experiments regarding their identity and finding comfort in their own skin. Ruby does so when she speaks to her grandmother, who enthusiastically trains her how to use her abilities as a Kraken. However, her grandmother remains blissfully unaware that Ruby asks for said training to become more accepted by her new friend, Chelsea. This leads to Ruby not noticing certain red flags, especially in regard to her new friend.
10. Ruby makes a PowerPoint presentation on why she should attend a social gathering
When parents are strict, kids come up with all sorts of ways to earn a yes from their mom and dad. It’s been a running gag on the internet that these kinds of kids usually ask three weeks before, to check if their parents are in a good mood, research the weather, and measure approval time in business days instead of the usual days. Ruby Gillman does the same thing with her mother, in trying to convince her to let her go to prom.
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is a lighthearted watch!
A lot of coming-of-age movies follow a particular formula wherein the moral takeaway is usually to “be yourself.” However, being oneself isn’t as easy as it looks because it means also investigating parts of yourself that nobody — not even mom — knows about. But Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken tackles coming-of-age from different aspects. Only with a more lighthearted tone, making it a wholesome watch for the family.
Don’t forget to catch the movie this coming June 28, 2023 in the cinemas! And if you’re still not convinced, check out the trailer here!
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