7 Sweet Life Lessons Unicorn Store (Almost) Teaches Us

7. You Are Your Own Unicorn

According to an interview with screenwriter Samantha McIntyre, the unicorn in Unicorn Store is supposed to represent our deepest, most magical dreams. It represents the dreams that we held as a child, and the dreams that make us who we are. McIntyre says this film is "for the dreamers," and just about every scene reinforces that idea.

The film illustrates this concept especially well in its first few scenes, opening with a montage of young Kit's unicorn-loving childhood. As an adult, she paints a unicorn in place of a self-portrait, a very pointed representation of the important role her dreams play in making her unique. When her self-identification as a dreamer results in her dismissal from art school, she suffers an identity crisis and tries to live the way she believes a non-dreamer would live.

While this all fits the meaning quite well, the end of the film is another story. Kit decides to give up the unicorn, deciding she doesn't need it anymore. As she leaves the store with newfound optimism, a bus drives by with the words "KEEP GOING KIT" emblazoned on its destination display.

There are two messages here that contradict each other. The bus display symbolizes Kit's decision to continue following her unrealistic dreams and disregarding the criticisms of anyone who suggests that she shouldn't. And she's going to do that by...giving up the unicorn that symbolizes those same dreams? There might be something here about simply not needing one specific dream fulfilled to enjoy life as a dreamer, but that message gets muddled by the messy symbolism heaped on top of it.