In all the posts and fics I’ve seen which include Julieta’s gift, they all seem to have the same basic interpretation: That the food Julieta cooks has magical healing properties. However, based on the way her gift is presented in the movie, I don’t think that’s quite right.
Let’s start with her first scene in the movie.
Julieta is the one distributing the food. Not only that, but she’s the only one distributing the food. There’s
a whole table of food anyone could easily nab a bite from, a whole line of people with what appear to be some rather painful injuries, and yet they all wait to receive their healing directly from Julieta.
See, if the power of Julieta’s healing came through the act of cooking, would it not make more sense for her to be, y’know, cooking. Any can hand out arepas, or even just watch the table to make sure that no one takes more than they need. Mirabel could be doing that and feeling far more useful. But instead it’s Julieta.
Next scene.
Of the three, arguably 4 people in this scene who could have gotten that bite into Agustín’s mouth, look who does it. Mirabel doesn’t try to get something for her dad, she tells her mom. Casita doesn’t try to help him either. Even Agustín himself doesn’t take the initiative to try to get himself something. Again, you would think that if it only mattered that Julieta cooked the food, she would just leave a plate somewhere for her accident prone husband (or anyone else in the family for that matter) to grab something as they needed it. But again, Julieta has to be the one to give him the food.
And finally, Mirabel’s hand, 3 screenshots this time to really showcase my point (and because I don’t know how to make a gif).
Look at Casita being helpful and sliding a fresh arepa over to
Julieta?
And then Mirabel begrudgingly holding out her other hand waiting for her Mamá to put the arepa in it. Once again, the focus is not in cooking the food (though we do see her cooking the arepas moments before), in the moment of healing the focus is on Julieta giving the food to Mirabel.
All in all this leads me to surmise that the power of Julieta’s gift comes through, not in the cooking, but in the giving. Although we do see her cook the arepa that heals Mirabel’s hand, it is still possible that who cooks the food is entirely irrelevant, and it is the giving that matters. Perhaps even specifically, the giving with intent to heal an injury. After all, back to that first scene
Julieta is not just blindly shoving food into people’s mouths. They are specifically coming up, showing her their ailment, and then she gives them food. It is entirely possible that Julieta needs to know what she is trying to heal so she can push that intent into the food as she gives it away.
And as one final note, because I am incapable of thinking about Encanto without considering Bruno and potential angst: This interpretation would mean that throughout his 10 year stint in the walls, Bruno would have been entirely without Julieta’s healing. He would have had to suffer through any sickness, any injury, and the effects of malnutrition without his hermana’s magical help; and perhaps without any kind of medicine at all, or at the least very minimal medicine. Perhaps some basic herbal remedies of he knows them and can get the ingredients, but he’s not exactly able to go down to the corner drug store for cough syrup or pain killers should he develop a cold or injury himself in his acrobatic acts through the walls.
I loved the thought of Camilo and Mirabel being so close that they bicker and pick on each other a lot lol I also loved the thought that Bruno bathed regularly after everyone went to bed but he’d steal conditioner and soap just like he’d steal salt and sugar from the kitchen 😂
I have a few more head canon stuff written that I wanna board out soon, so be on the lookout for that stuff!
I find so funny that when Mirabel sees Bruno he just… runs away dramatically. I mean, dude, where are you going? What’s your goal? Are you trying to lost her and then go to your room? And then what??
Mirabel only has to follow the linear path and eventually she would find a door inside the walls.
Imagine Mirabel going behind the walls in order to get answers from Bruno just like in the movie and at one point she just sees a pile of teeth in the corner and she freezes because it’s a pile of teeth and this is the ensuing conversation:
Mirabel: ………Tío Bruno?
Bruno: Hm? Yeah?
Mirabel: What the fuck?
Bruno: Huh?
Mirabel: No actually w h a t the fuck?
Bruno: What are you pointing at- OH! Oh that yeah 🙂
Mirabel: ???????Why????
Bruno: Ever heard of a tooth fairy kid? You’re looking at ‘im.
