Existential Anxiety and Authentic Living in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) Film

Authors

  • Gloria Hope Lee MAKARIOS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
  • Hayden Reinhart Christensen Hidajat MAKARIOS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
  • Markley Nathanael Sumandoro Manurung MAKARIOS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
  • Caleb Joshua Syah MAKARIOS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
  • Noell Raja Pasaribu Habeahan MAKARIOS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

Keywords:

Existentialism, Jean-Paul Sartre, Kierkegaard, Anxiety, Bad Faith

Abstract

This research examines the 2022 animated film Puss in Boots: The Last Wish through the framework of existentialist understanding, focusing primarily on the concept of existential anxiety, bad faith, and authentic living as articulated by Jean-Paul Sartre (1946/2007)  and Soren Kierkegaard (1844/1980). While previous scholarship on the film largely relies on Christopher Vogler’s structural “Hero’s Journey" framework to map out the protagonist’s transformation, this research aims to fill a critical gap by providing a deeper analysis of the character’s internal crisis. A qualitative descriptive method used to analyze the carefully selected scenes, dialogue, cinematography, and important timestamps from the film. The analysis focuses on how Puss in Boots responds to fear, mortality, responsibility, and identity throughout the narrative. As the result: 1) The study shows that Puss’s realization of his sudden mortality and having used eight of his nine lives, triggers a profound existential shift. Using specific narrative timestamps and visual cues from the film, 2) Puss’s initial avoidance of Death reflects Sartre's concept of “Bad Faith,” specifically through his attempts to flee reality by retreating into isolation at Mama Luna’s cat sanctuary and hiding behind a manufactured, fearless persona. The research then traces his transition away from self-deception as he confronts his vulnerability and ultimately exercises what Sartre terms “radical freedom.” 3) By choosing to stand his ground and fight for his final life alongside his companions, Puss demonstrates how meaning is personal responsibility. Additionally, the study includes Albert Bandura’s social learning theory to discuss the significance of the film, illustrating how cinematic narratives serve as modern understandings of psychological models that can guide audiences through their own existential anxieties. Ultimately, engage with complex human struggles, showing that a single life lived with authenticity holds far more value than an eternity spent in reckless denial. 

References

Aimee, M. K., & Zamruddin, M. P. (2025). Vogler’s Hero’s Journey representation in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish film (2022). Ilmu Budaya: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Budaya, 9(4), 789–804. http://dx.doi.org/10.30872/jbssb.v9i4.21291

Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Prentice Hall. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9733593/

Crowell, S. (2012). The Cambridge companion to existentialism. Cambridge University Press.

Galanaki, E., & Malafantis, K. D. (2022). Albert Bandura's experiments on aggression modeling in children: A psychoanalytic critique. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.988877

George, A. (Trans.). (2003). The epic of Gilgamesh: The Babylonian epic poem and other texts in Akkadian and Sumerian. Penguin Books. (Original work created ca. 2100–1200 BCE)

Sachs, J. (n.d.). Aristotle: Poetics. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://iep.utm.edu/aristotle-poetics/

Kevin. (2026). The hero’s journey: 12 stages explained (with examples). StoryFlint. https://www.storyflint.com/blog/heros-journey-christopher-vogler

Kierkegaard, S. (1980). The concept of anxiety (R. Thomte, Trans.). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1844).

Sartre, J.-P. (2007). Existentialism is a humanism (C. Macomber, Trans.). Yale University Press. (Original work published 1946).

Vogler, C. (2007). The writer’s journey: Mythic structure for writers. Michael Wiese Productions. https://www-di.inf.puc-rio.br/~furtado/vogler.pdf

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Published

2026-08-31

How to Cite

Lee, G. H., Hidajat, H. R. C., Manurung, M. N. S., Syah, C. J., & Habeahan, N. R. P. (2026). Existential Anxiety and Authentic Living in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) Film. Boanerges: Makarios Education Journal, 4(1), 15–29. Retrieved from https://streamfly.tech/index.php/boanerges/article/view/55

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 1 (2026): BOANERGES

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