The Official "gravida" reaction thread

[pryor15]

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That quote from fyodor reminded me of something I thought of the first time I watched this. I didn't really feel sorry for her either. I understood her pain and it seemed very real, but I didn't feel bad for her.

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yeah, that comes up a lot. i'm not sure you're supposed to feel bad for her.

[thecincykiddo]

I wouldn't mind getting a read on what people thought of the ending in terms of time. There's such very little transition time between climax and resolution that it almost feels negligible, like it could be claimed that the audience has seen all that it needed to see at the moment of climax and the rest was an unimportant trailer to the credits. If that was intentional, then I think by definition we're not supposed to feel badly for Kristin.

[pryor15]

cincy,

just out of curiosity, what do you see as the climax and resolution?

[thecincykiddo]

Both of those things could occur in a few places, depending upon your point of view. But the camera angles build towards the moment of Guy's decision, if I remember correctly. Your actor does a good job of stretching that moment in his internal movement so that it suspends and we don't see an actual instance of decision, but rather a pendulous moment in which it's clear that a decision has been made.

There's a subtler series of secondary climaxes, if you will, being had earlier that enjoy the same lingering, interpretative anonymity, like the culmination of the dinner: the move to the couch, the frank invitation to the bedroom. But none of those results in cathartic movement or even a moment of clear reflection, as if they're just an extension of the montage.

That denouement of the film's activities, to use a theatre term, to me makes the montage the real life of the film. It would have ended up the centerpiece if the last third of the film hadn't been strong enough to allow the suspense to build from the moment we start seeing the date in action.

Ergo, what you have resolves through cause and effect, mostly a result of the stripped-down writing choice you made. We could just as easily be talking about a film in which a young woman touches a hot stove and burns her hand..roll credits..because of that choice. That's fine, but it leaves us with a pretty clear indication that the resolution was a simple reaction for an action (and an acceptance of that for Kristin on some level.)

[pryor15]

cincy,

well said, and i agree with a lot of what you said, but consider for a minute the possibility that the real climax of the film is much smaller, in terms of action, but much bigger than that in terms of real, long-term importance.

when she starts rubbing the lotion stuff on her stomach after he leaves, there's a moment in her eyes of real horror at what she almost just did. that's the moment where she first becomes a mother to this child, where it becomes real to her and not just some thing she has hide or an inconvenience that's cost her both a boyfriend and now a lover.

could that be the film's real climax? (i'm not saying it is, just suggesting it) if so, then you've got this: climax, crying, shirt, credits.

[thecincykiddo]

pryor,

you have me at a loss. i have only seen this once, but i don't remember the look of horror -- you directed and edited this yourself, so i'll take your word for that. i didn't speak up because i'd only seen it once. that being said, i wasn't in the best frame of mind while watching, and that's something i'm going to have to live with.

normally, i have no problem following an actress's face. oh, well.

i like your version better, but in your scenario, she's more than just reacting, she's realizing. the empathy for her at that point, for those who recognize that (i didn't, so I feel a bit left out of something) is light, i think, but there. the audience will continue to look to the director for how to feel about characters. someday, not being sure about a character won't be enough, but you got away with it today.

[SL__72]

That moment is what I was talking about in my previous post.

[pryor15]

cincy,

we're you at the premiere or something? i only ask b/c you have the whole "i saw it once but i don't have the ability to watch it again" vibe.

either way, mostly i'm just curios if you were there or saw it somewhere else

[thecincykiddo]

i think i was one of the people at your premiere that you didn't know.

but yeah, i'm assuming that's the last time i'll ever see the film.

[pryor15]

sl,

i knew i forgot to respond to someone

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What it did make me think about though was how powerful the love for her unborn child must be to place it above her own loneliness. It also made me think about how all of our parents must go through a lot of pain because of us that we will never know about.

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yeah. a lot of people have commented that the loneliness is...i don't want to say ironic...because she's got someone with her who will be there for the next 18 years or whatever, but still she's lonely.

but there will be a stretch there (from the end of the film until the kid is, i dunno, 6 months old) where she's going to have to sacrifice her loneliness and need for adult companionship for this kid, and that's a pretty strong sacrifice