Embracing the Absurdities of Life in The Fabulous Baron Munchausen

I’ve never been one to play into absurdity — to me, fantasies have always been a waste of time. Why waste your time dreaming about unattainable ideals when reality sits right in front of you, begging for attention? I’ve always admired people who step out of the norms and pursue happiness on their terms — the idea of daring to dream, to do, to be, has always been something that has scared me.

And so, I dipped my toes into the shimmery world of The Fabulous Baron Munchausen with guarded hesitation and caution. A sceptic watching a film about the fantastical adventures of a legendary baron who gets eaten by a fish and blasts off to the moon — what’s the worst that could happen, right?

“Let him know the taste and scent of adventure!”

Tonik, an astronaut from Earth, and Munchausen, a fantastical baron with endless battle tales, meet for the first time on the moon. Together, they embark on an adventure that is wacky from the get-go, throwing the two into a whirling journey that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality.

This juxtaposition of fantasy and reality made me immediately uncomfortable. Seeing someone like Tonik, who was supposedly grounded in sound logic, jump headfirst into fantasy made me want to roll my eyes. Yet, like Tonik, I was curious. As I followed along on their nonsensical adventure, I found myself becoming more comfortable with the absurdity of it all. Going on a heroic mission to rescue a charming princess and flying off into space in makeshift rockets — in what world would that make sense? Still, somehow, through the film’s sincere craftsmanship and satirical portrayal of norms and absurdism, I found myself resonating with the yearning for an escape from reality.

This quirky, fantastical film was weirdly comforting, somehow giving me courage to break free and believe. Believe in what, exactly? I’m not sure, but there was a bubbling strength growing in me — a kind of renewal and release that I didn’t know I needed.

Some ten years ago, I had a glittering dream of becoming a singer. Back then, I’d been a different person, a naive child who believed anything was possible. I could see it all: standing on stage, going on world tours, changing the world with songs that would withstand the test of time. My parents, like many others, told me not to be crazy — that I’d never make it.  And as the GCE O’Levels approached, reality set in. With such a significant, immediate challenge in front of me, there wasn’t any room for fleeting fantasies: when everyone around you is charging forward, you either keep up or risk being left behind. And so, slowly but surely, my childish dream faded away, like a candle blown out by the wind. Quietly, without a trace.

These days, I am older, more mature. Gone are the days of unfiltered excitement and shooting for the stars. Instead of daring to dream, I plan. I plan for setbacks, for failures, and for the quickest way out — in today’s cut-throat society, there is no room to dream, only to do. But the film’s innocent outlook took me back in time, reminding me of a younger, clumsier version of myself, with an eagerness to chase the impossible without looking back.

In the film, Tonik’s friendship with Munchausen and infatuation with the princess enables him to grow more comfortable with Munchausen’s absurd world. His initial scepticism fades as he embraces the impossible, and that struck a chord in me. I want to experience that, too: I want to do seemingly impossible things and have fun while doing them; I want to feel the exhilaration and excitement that I’ve avoided for so long. 

There was a yearning in me to run, to escape from the dreary realities of life; I just refused to acknowledge it. Perhaps there exists an innate human need to seek adventure, to explore the unknown, and to transcend the mundanity of the everyday. A yearning to break free from our rigid, logical confines and experience the often nonsensical, yet liberating world of imagination.

As Tonik became more receptive to the wacky world of Baron Munchausen, he grew increasingly enamoured with the act of doing the impossible, eventually leaving Munchausen and escaping with the princess, finding the courage to do what made him happy.

I started watching this film as a cynic. But perhaps Baron Munchausen taught me what his companion Tonik had to learn — that dreams, even absurd ones, can help us transcend the limitations that we place on ourselves. Maybe Baron Munchausen was never meant to convince us to fantasise about escaping reality, but rather to spark our forgotten imaginations in otherwise dreary realities.

Watching one film about fantasies isn’t necessarily going to change my life overnight. But The Fabulous Baron Munchausen has re-ignited that spark that I once had and convinced me to go out and find the magic in the mundane. I don’t have to become a singer, but I can incorporate music into my daily life — maybe I’ll form a band, pick up a new instrument, or learn to produce music. Maybe it’s time I stop holding so tightly to what I think my reality should be and start opening up to what it could become.

The world may not allow us to chase rockets to the moon or defeat underwater kingdoms, but it does allow us to chase fearlessly and indulge in dreams. Reality always awaits, but imagination gives us vision of what can be, of possibilities, gives us the strength to face it with fresh eyes. Maybe we all need a little Munchausen in our lives — after all, isn’t life itself a kind of absurdity waiting to be embraced?

“I fling my hat aloft…
that it may sail up to the stars
and welcome on our behalf
all you brave souls
hurtling at this very moment
into the outstretched arms
of the cosmos!”