Absolutely nothing would change in this Social Anxiety scene from Brad Pitt’s Bullet Train (2022); Ladybug and Lemon did it right.
Bullet Train, starring Brad Pitt as Ladybug, is a hilarious action film taking place on a train traveling though Japan. There are a few different characters on that train that are completely unlinked to begin the movie, but we then learn they are all connected somehow. Director David Leitch really put the puzzles pieces together throughout the film as the audience learns why (and how) each person is on that train. Throw in some comedy and fighting scenes and this movie’s train races towards success.
Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is a huge train in the a**. Someone suffering from SAD will always be worried about being embarrassed or humiliated, which then alters their behavior. The fear of being embarrassed, or even worse, showing that embarrassment to others, is terrifying to an SAD sufferer. And unfortunately, when someone with Social Anxiety Disorder is embarrassed, it always automatically shows on their face and body. This would be the case with Brad Pitt’s character Ladybug as he fights Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) on the train. Let’s explore that scene below and see why it’s a Social Anxiety scene.
Social Anxiety is worse than a Slow Bullet Train
Imagine one morning you were rushing to work and were on your last strike for being late. You decide to take a bullet train because that would be quickest. You are completely reliant on that train to get you to your job on time. “A bullet train moves at like 250mph” you tell yourself. “No way I’ll be late now.” You board the train and it starts moving. You realize that it is not going very fast, but rather matches the speed of a car on a highway. As a result, you show up to work late and get in serious trouble by your boss.
As bad as it is to get in trouble with your boss, it’s even worse to have a social anxiety moment in front of him/her. What is a social anxiety moment? Well, in case you spent your life on a bullet train and truly don’t know, click here to check it out. Social Anxiety Disorder causes social anxiety moments/attacks and is the cause of the feared Red Face. So now, assuming you know a thing or two about SAD, let’s get on with the Social Anxiety scene in Bullet Train.
Social Anxiety scene in Bullet Train
Bullet Train, 2022
Movie: Bullet Train (2022)
Scene: Fight between Ladybug (Brad Pitt) and Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) in the “quiet” section of the train.
Social Anxiety Trigger: Being publicly called out on doing something wrong, like making noise and then being shushed multiple times by a passenger.
While trying to avoid Lemon’s partner, Tangerine, Ladybug (Brad Pitt) finds himself sitting across from Lemon ready to make a deal with him. He was willing to offer Lemon the briefcase in exchange for his exoneration and freedom to leave the train. Lemon refused the offer because he needed someone to blame for The Son’s death (he realized afterwards that Ladybug wasn’t the killer). So this refusal led to a pretty funny fight scene in the quiet cabin of the train.
Bullet Train, 2022
As Ladybug and Lemon were throwing hands and tumbling, they started to make quite a bit of noise. A passenger sitting a few rows up turned her head towards them and vigorously barked, “shhhhhhhh!” Both Ladybug and Lemon stopped fighting, looked at the woman, and smiled. They did not want to draw attention to themselves. As they continued to fight and make noise, they were shushed again by the woman a couple more times. Each time, Ladybug and Lemon abruptly stopped fighting and “played off” their fight to decrease the attention on them. They gave the impression that they were just horsing around.
Social Anxiety and Attention on the Bullet Train
Both Ladybug and Lemon needed to minimize the noise and attention so they wouldn’t get kicked off the train. Lemon needed to make it to Kyoto station (few stops down) while Brad Pitt wanted to hand him the briefcase, avoid the conductor, and hop off at the next stop. The conductor wanted Pitt off the train because he didn’t have a ticket. But what if Brad Pitt’s Ladybug had Social Anxiety Disorder? Or what if Brian Tyree Henry’s Lemon had SAD? What if they weren’t afraid of being kicked off the train, but rather were afraid of humiliation?
Bullet Train, 2022
If Ladybug or Lemon had Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), the fight scene would have… not changed one bit! Their behaviors matched exactly what an SAD sufferer would do. They fought as quietly as possible, even avoiding screaming in pain, as we saw when Lemon covered his mouth in anguish from his hand being smashed. And when being shushed by that lady, they smiled, apologized, and acted like nothing was happening. They acted appropriately to minimize attention on themselves. That is exactly what a Social Anxiety person would do.
Red Face of Social Anxiety on a Bullet Train
The reason why either Ladybug or Lemon would be afraid of disrupting other passengers and being publicly called out on it is because of SAD symptoms. If they are being publicly told to “shhhh!”, this draws attention to themselves. Other people would notice, stare, and start to judge them. Since SAD sufferer’s are socially uncomfortable with being observed and judged, Lemon and Ladybug would both develop the dreaded Red Face. They would blush bright red like a tomato and then start to sweat profusely all over the face and body. Then their muscles would stiffen, hands/fingers would tremble, and heart would beat out their chests. And if someone calls attention to their red, sweaty faces (which causes more people to look and stare), then they would blush and sweat even more. It’s super uncomfortable!
Bullet Train, 2022
So during that fight scene, they did exactly what an social anxiety sufferer would do. They tried their absolute best to minimize the amount of attention that is put on them. In the movie, they didn’t want to get kicked off the train. But if Ladybug or Lemon had Social Anxiety Disorder, they would be worried about being embarrassed or humiliation. Embarrassment causes Red Face and no one wants to deal with that. Better to just sit in their seats and get along.