His real wife


Why didn't he just tell her he was moving on instead of manipulating her in this manner. They never showed what was up with his marriage.

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If you look again (always the answer with Antonioni films), I think you may see a good few clues as to what’s wrong with the Lockes’ marriage. Jenny’s got a lover, Stephen, for a start. And remember when she reacted so hysterically to David lighting a bonfire? But, really, who could live with the self-hating David? He can’t even live with himself!

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Everything is out of order and we don't know that man is her lover. He wants to be, perhaps, but she doesn't seem to reciprocate. We don't even know who he is. I thought he was one of Robertson's thuggy associates that she tracked down. The movie is very incoherent / ambiguous. I agree that Locke is suicidal / self-hating but mainly it comes across as Nicholson being angry with the director and his own performance which is a rehash of "Chinatown" the year before and not half as good or believable. It seems like he is trying to do the same detached slow motion act, but the tone is wrong and sounds like a bad imitation of he original.

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