There is nothing quite so disturbing as seeing a mother being abused by her husband. Spooning a Banana is a video I saw a few weeks ago that exemplifies this point better than any other on film. The movie itself is very disturbing and thought-provoking, though not necessarily for the viewers.
What makes Spooning a Banana so disturbing is its director, Michael Moore, and its star Drew Barrymore. Moore shows us the inside of a marriage that disintegrates every day and then some when the husband goes off to fight in foreign countries and brings home a terrorist who kills his family. We see the mother's eyes fill with tears when she sees the dead bodies and hears the killer says his mother's name. This scene alone should be enough to make a man stop eating a banana. But here's the problem.
Moore also shows us how mothers use their children in a way to hurt or get revenge against their husband's enemies. This scene is cut out before the children are harmed, but by the time they get there, they've already been convinced that mother wounds are what must happen if they grow up. This is not an isolated incident but a part of a prolonged war between the United States and Islamic radicalism. What makes Spooning a Banana even more disturbing is that Moore shows us the consequences of the mother's revenge attack even as it appears that nothing will happen to the children in the process.
This is not a movie that wants to tell the story of how a man carries a sense of violation if he has an abusive mother. This isn't a movie about domestic violence. Instead, it's a film about a young child going back to her father's house to eat breakfast. It's a comedy. And it's certainly not a film that will tell you what you should think about the issues of domestic violence if you happen to like watching movies.
Instead, what this film is trying to say is that mothers shouldn't carry out their anger on their children. Instead, it is time to let go of that anger. In fact, what the children have to understand is that when mom goes into a violent rage, it is usually irrational. She was probably too consumed with anger to think rationally.
I think the message is that there are ways for women to keep their sanity and still care for their children. If a man wants to know how to spoon a banana, he needs to ask his own mother first. It's too late to learn from this film. But he can learn from it now by watching what he should do if he ever finds himself in a similar situation.
One of the funnier things in the film is when the father of the groom ( Harold Perrineau) comes to the aid of his daughter. First, he tries to calm her down but fails. Then he gets even more frustrated by her continued refusal to eat the Banana. Finally, he decides to give in and give her the spoon. Just as he is about to slip the banana into her mouth, his daughter freaks out and hits him in the head with the spoon! He instantly realizes what has just happened and realizes that he has just shown his daughter disrespect.
The message of the movie is that you have to take your time and make sure you explain your intentions very clearly to anyone who is going to be involved with you. This includes your husband, parents, brothers, and sisters. This way they know exactly what you intend to do with them whether it's spooning a banana or spooning your partner.
