Let’s Talk About Bruno and Break Through Generational Trauma

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If you’re a parent of young children, you have probably seen Disney’s new movie Encanto about 3,026 times by now. It’s safe to say this movie is the new Frozen in my household. My girls are obsessed, to say the least, and we can all sing to every song word for word, especially We Don’t Talk About Bruno.

As a Hispanic woman who was raised in Mexico, I’m always drawn to Disney movies that represent the Hispanic Culture. Something about being able to identify with the main characters just makes it so much better.

Everything about this movie is magical–from the vibrant colors to the captivating and meaningful storyline and soundtrack, to the beautiful Colombian culture portrayed. However, Encanto brought something to light other than the delicious arepas Julieta uses to heal Mirabel’s hand (raise your hand if you have looked up an arepa recipe since watching this movie). Encanto addressed the complicated and deep connection between younger and older generations, especially in Hispanic families. Disney was able to beautifully capture the pain of Abuela’s past through her children and grandchildren.

Through colorful and strong characters, we discovered that not healing generational trauma can break our family’s foundation.

So, what do we do? How do we begin to heal so that we can raise happy and confident kids who turn into happy and confident adults?

We talk about Bruno.

We acknowledge and talk about the hard and the uncomfortable so that we can embrace and learn from our past.

Bruno – Mental Health

In the movie, Bruno is the unspoken character whose magical power is to see the future. Although he does have a magical gift, he’s still isolated for being “different.” He makes his family and everyone around him uncomfortable with the truth, so he decides to exile himself. Much like Bruno, mental health struggles make a lot of people uncomfortable. In fact, this is still a taboo topic in a lot of Hispanic families.

Luisa and Isabela – Pressure and High Expectations

Encanto gave us Isabella and Luisa. One strong, one perfect. They are opposite, but they’re both burdened with the expectations of society and their family. Later in the movie, they both realize they don’t have to meet these expectations. Luisa learns that while she can handle the weight of the world on her shoulders, she shouldn’t have to. On the other hand, Isabella learns that imperfection is beautiful when you’re being yourself. Wouldn’t this be a great thing for our kids to learn early in life?

Let's Talk About Bruno and Break Through Generational TraumaTía Pepa – Suppressed Emotions

I wish Tía Pepa would gotten more love in the movie. I would’ve loved for her to have her own song about all the deep emotions she’s constantly trying to suppress. Can you imagine how beautiful and heart-wrenching it would be?

While there’s a comical aspect to her character, I can’t help but feel so sad for her. Her emotions are usually seen as an inconvenience unless it’s sunlight and rainbows. This often happens with kids as well. For some reason, they’re not allowed to have a bad day. They are expected to be cheery and happy all day every day. Why? Let’s change the narrative.

Let’s provide a safe environment for our kids to express their emotions without being judged or shut down. Like Bruno said: “Let it in, let it out, let it rain, let it snow, LET IT GO!” The best part is that Tía Pepa did take in his advice. In one of the last scenes, we see her happily dancing under a hail storm fully embracing her emotions. If that’s not a happy ending, I don’t know what is.

Mirabel – Feelings of Inadequacy and Trauma

Mirabel is the “not so special” Madrigal who breaks through the generational trauma by simply talking and listening to her family. Well, it took a lot more than that, like their Casita completely falling down. But when they thought everything was crumbling they truly started to heal.

I always have a soft spot for heroines without a supernatural superpower. This is why I will forever and always get into a debate in which I argue that Anna is WAY cooler than Elsa. But that’s a story for another day.

Mirabel seems unbothered at first by the fact that she doesn’t have a gift. However, during her song Waiting On A Miracle, we learn that she is not fine with it. She feels inadequate–like she will never be enough for her abuela or her family. I’ve been “Mirabel” countless times. I have felt unseen and unimportant. However, learning self-love will help us push through these feelings of inadequacy.

Mirabel fought for her family throughout the whole movie, and in the process, she found herself. She found self-love.

At some point in our lives, we have all felt like every one of these characters trying to meet life’s expectations. While Abuela is portrayed as the villain, she is far from that. She loves her family fiercely, but she can’t see past her pain. In the end, in true Disney fashion, we get a happy ending when they finally see each other for who they really are and build a new foundation.

Let’s break through the stigma of discussing mental health and let go of unattainable expectations so that we can be our kids’ safe haven. After all, they deserve a happy beginning, middle, and ever after.

 



The opinions expressed in this post are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ABQ Mom, its executive team, other contributors to the site, its sponsors or partners, or any organizations the aforementioned might be affiliated with.