In the film Coco, we follow the journey of a young boy named Miguel. On the Day of the Dead celebrations he finds himself in the land of the dead while looking at a picture of a man playing a guitar.
Miguel’s love and admiration for music is repeatedly discouraged by his family. They want him to let go of his passion and focus on more practical matters, such as the family’s shoe-making business. The constant rejection he faced for loving music creates a deep wound in Miguel.
As the story unfolds, it is discovered that the family’s dislike to music stems from the great-grandfather, who ended up leaving the family, to pursue a musical career or another relationship. The pain of abandonment by their patriarch led the family to its ban of musicians. However, it is later revealed that the great-grandfather was imprisoned and his music was stolen by a famous musician. None other than the musician who inspired Miguel. Coco, the great-grandmother, who is silent due to her old age, still holds love for her husband and never truly adapted herself to the family’s anti-music stance.
The banning of music, symbolizing joy, pleasure, and communal healing were not only felt by Miguel. It had a very significant and long-lasting effect on his elders. They have already endured a lifetime of wounds affecting their self-perception, beliefs about deservingness, talents, and the very notion of wanting things in life. Miguel is fortunate to break free from this family “curse,”