K-12 Review
Directed by the singer, songwriter, and actress Melanie Martinez, K-12 is a very unique and truly one-of-a-kind movie. This movie is about a young girl named Crybaby and her experiences growing up. She attends a school called K-12 and has a couple of friends. The movie bases itself around Crybaby and her and her friends' life experiences. Melanie is known for her light, delicate persona and making content based on important topics that a lot of people are too scared to talk about. K-12 is essentially a plot added to the music in her album that talks about important topics that are normally silenced by society.
The movie and album cover topics of a controversial nature; such as, sexism, discrimination against the LGBTQ community, eating disorders, women’s health, bullying, etc… Melanie shows throughout the movie that it’s okay to be in the body you are in, and it genuinely doesn’t matter what we look like because our bodies are just vessels of who we truly are. For example, there is a scene where Melanie’s character, Crybaby, is talking to her friend Fleur about her eating disorder and she says “Wanna know something I learned about bodies? They don’t define us. We aren’t our bodies. They’re just temporary. I know it seems impossible but try not to expect shallow people to love you. They don’t even have the capacity to understand how amazing you are, and we all have to learn how to love ourselves without the approval of others.” This scene happens after the song “Orange Juice” is featured.
Additionally, the topic of sexism, male privilege, and the lack of knowledge on women’s health is brought to attention shown through Crybaby’s experiences throughout the movie mixed with her phenomenal soundtrack. Scenes discuss women’s anatomy and how they didn’t even know the basics. Emphasized by the scene Crybaby’s friend started her period and didn’t even know what it was. Now, the topic of sexism and male privilege is shown in her song Strawberry Shortcake and Drama club along with many other scenes throughout the movie. Strawberry shortcake is a song that is featured towards the middle of the movie, and it’s about how some if not most males feel entitled to women’s bodies, and how it isn’t fair that girls are told to cover up to make others comfortable. She shows that this is so damaging to young girls' mental health, and you can see this in some of the lyrics. “Feeling unsure of my naked body. Stand back and watch it taking shape. Wondering why I don’t look like Barbie. They say boys like girls with a tiny waist.” Showing how sexism and male privilege has affected so many young girls.
Overall, Melanie did an amazing job creating an album and movie that truly shows that it’s okay to simply exist in your body without having to change for the benefit of others; it’s okay to be who you are and to love who you want. This barely scrapes the surface of all of the topics addressed in this movie, but that is what makes it such an amazing movie. The way she talks about all of these controversial topics is truly inspiring and I hope it reaches as many people as it can to spread all of the important messages that are embedded throughout the movie. On top of the powerful and inspiring meaning of the movie, the acting, cinematography, and set is absolutely incredible. It is obvious that it is the classic Melanie style with the pastels and gorgeous Victorian style, and it works perfectly. I would easily rate this movie a 10/10.
