I just had to come see you about my feet.Barbie · 2023 — Chapter 6 of 26 · 3'04" · B2
Barbie Opens a Portal to Reality, Explained: be that as it may
Barbie's flat feet lead her to a knowing guide who explains the mess in her own cosmic terms: she has opened a portal between Barbie Land and the Real World. Then comes the real joke — a choice between the high heel and the Birkenstock — and only one answer satisfies the guide.
What happens
Barbie visits a strange, wise figure who diagnoses her flat feet and tells her she has opened a portal between Barbie Land and the Real World. Her human girl is sad, and that sadness is bleeding into Barbie. To fix herself, Barbie must go to the Real World and help the girl who plays with her.
Listen for
be that as it mayinextricably intertwinedbummedgo funny
00:00 / 03:04Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
be that as it may
even so; that may be true, but
Weird Barbie grants Barbie's excuse, then overrules it and lays out the stakes.
Be that as it may, the deadline has not changed.
Also in this scene
- inextricably intertwined
impossible to separate or untangle
- bummed
disappointed; put out
- go funny
to start acting strange or malfunctioning
Everything marked in this scene
27 notes across 66 lines
Anyway, what preceded this? - Oh, nothing.Of course, I didn’t think it was possible, but it’s real.Oh, you’ve done it. You’ve opened a portal.liaison
Oh, you’ve done it. You’ve opened a portal.Someone did. And now, there is a rip in the continuumand if you wanna be Stereotypical Barbie perfect again, then, baby girl, you gotta go fix it.to start acting strange or malfunctioning
Weird Barbie warns that without a fix, Barbie will keep going funny.
Or you’re gonna keep going funny. Look at your upper thigh.elision
Or you’re gonna keep going funny. Look at your upper thigh.That’s gonna spread everywhere. - What?And then you’re gonna start getting sad and mushy and complicated.We’re all being played with, babe.There’s the girl and the doll. And never the twain shall cross.and her thoughts and feelings and humanness are interfering with your dollness.interfere with
and her thoughts and feelings and humanness are interfering with your dollness.I don’t know, but if you ask me, you had something to do with this, too. - Me?Takes two to rip a portal. - I can’t have.subject omission
Takes two to rip a portal. - I can’t have.flap
Takes two to rip a portal. - I can’t have.even so; that may be true, but
Weird Barbie grants Barbie's excuse, then overrules it and lays out the stakes.
Well, be that as it may,concessive inversion
Well, be that as it may,or you can know the truth about the universe.The choice is now yours.I’m bummed. You’re a bummer. That’s a bummer.I’m bummed. You’re a bummer. That’s a bummer.I just gave you a choice so you could feel some sense of control.so-clause of purpose
I just gave you a choice so you could feel some sense of control.Barbie Opens a Portal to Reality, explained
What's really going on
The scene is the film's thesis delivered as comedy. Barbie has always been an idea rather than a person, and her guide says so: "There's the girl and the doll. And never the twain shall cross." The flat feet and the thoughts of death are the first cracks, and the only cure is contact with reality. The guide keeps undercutting the comfort she offers — "be that as it may," "you have to want to know" — because the point is that Barbie can't stay in a perfect loop. The choice at the end, heel or sandal, is a joke and also the whole movie in miniature: one path keeps the fantasy, the other accepts the messy truth.
Theme
IdentityBarbie learns she is an idea being played with, and that her flawless self is a costume she may have to give up.
PhilosophyThe guide serves the film's premise — that a doll's world and a real girl's feelings are tangled together.
Listen for
- opened a portal — liaison
- going funny — elision
- Takes two to — flap
We’re all being played with, babe.The guide's reminder that Barbie is a toy in someone's hands, a fact she has never had to think about before.
There’s the girl and the doll. And never the twain shall cross.The old rule of the toy world: the child and the doll stay separate, which is exactly the rule now breaking.
Takes two to rip a portal. - I can’t have.The explanation that the tear needs both Barbie and her girl, a claim Barbie immediately rejects.
You have to want to know, okay? Do it again.The guide insists Barbie choose the truth willingly, and makes her repeat the choice until she does.
I’m bummed. You’re a bummer. That’s a bummer.A joke built on one word, as the guide complains that Barbie's refusal is a disappointment to everyone.
Questions about this scene
Why have Barbie's feet gone flat?
Because the barrier between Barbie Land and the Real World has broken. Her guide explains that a portal has opened, and the change is showing up in her body.
Why does Barbie have to go to the Real World?
Her real-life girl is sad, and that sadness is leaking into Barbie. The only way to fix herself is to find the girl and help her.
What choice does the guide offer Barbie?
A choice between two paths — staying in her regular life and forgetting everything, or learning the truth about the universe. The film shows it as a high heel versus a Birkenstock.
Why does the guide make Barbie choose again?
Barbie picks the easy, comfortable option, and the guide won't accept it, insisting she has to genuinely want to know the truth before she can move on.
Barbie · 26 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 7a figure of speechBarbie Leaves Barbie Land
Chapter 1burst their bubbleBarbie Rewrites the Doll Story
Chapter 2the voice of a generationBarbie's Perfect Day in Barbie Land
Chapter 3beach offKen Beaches Off and Gets Hurt
Chapter 4dying toBarbie Asks About Dying
Chapter 5fall into disrepairBarbie's Heels Touch the Ground
Watching · Chapter 6be that as it mayBarbie Opens a Portal to Reality
Chapter 7a figure of speechBarbie Leaves Barbie Land
Chapter 8hold it against meBarbie and Ken Hit the Real World
Chapter 9man upThe Mattel Men Celebrate Themselves
Chapter 10with all due respectMattel Panics Over Barbie in LA
Chapter 11the last resortSasha Confronts Barbie
Chapter 12seek my fortuneKen Tries to Bring Patriarchy Home
Chapter 13up the wazooMattel Execs Try to Box Barbie
Chapter 14Isn't that marvelousBarbie Meets Ruth at Mattel
Chapter 15come off itSasha and Her Mom Pick Up Barbie
Chapter 16dream upBarbie Flees to Barbie Land
Chapter 17fly off the shelvesBarbie Finds Ken's Casa House
Chapter 18snap out of itKen Takes Over Barbie Land
Chapter 19make a run for itBarbie Hits Her Lowest Point
Chapter 20existential crisisIt's Impossible to Be a Woman
Chapter 21tie herself into knotsGloria's Monologue About Women
Chapter 22the old standbyThe Barbies Plot Their Return
Chapter 23take advantage ofThe Kens Build a Patriarchy
Chapter 24took you for grantedBarbie Apologizes to Ken
Chapter 25hold on toBarbie Tells Ken to Find Himself
Chapter 26living in the shadowsBarbie Says Maybe She's Not BarbieChapter 6 of 26 · about 74 min to go