Even though the escape scene is cool, why didn't she just go to a woman's battered shelter?
And then start the court proceedings such as restraining orders etc.
I know. We would have no movie.
But if this was real life than all she had to do was wait for him to go to work and then make her escape to a shelter.
Damn, I'm good.
I work at a domestic violence shelter
and to be honest restraining orders are a joke..
men like martin do not like losing their 'possessions'
if I can't have you.. no one can..because you are MINE.
he would have either stalked her or killed her
and with restraining orders unless you have proof then the cops will do nothing
I had a restraining order out on someone
he sent me emails and smses threatening to kill me
and the police did nothing.. because there was no proof that the emails were written by him
they said anyone could have set up an email account and sent them.
they also said.. all he has done is threaten you via txt message.. until he physically harms you.. we can;t do anything..
a man like martin..that means he will kill you
the law, cops and restraining orders are a joke.
And to add to your point, he was a man with means. Money was not an issue, as we saw from his hiring PI’s to track her down.
shareThe above poster has good points.
Men like Martin never stop.
Even in the film, Martin made it clear to Laura that no restraining order would keep him away since his twisted mind felt because she was his wife he owned her.
Plus, battered women's shelters don't allow you to stay indefinitely.
With Martin's considerable wealth, he would be able to track her down eventually once she left.
Laura knew this, that's why she tried to fake her death instead of merely just fleeing Martin.
I guess the moral of these stories are to either stay single or to be VERY careful who you marry. Watch for any warning signs or red flags.
I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus.
Didn't he discover America?
Penfold, shush.
Plus, battered women's shelters don't allow you to stay indefinitely.
Yes they probably would keep her safe....but as I mentioned not indefinitely.
Once she left the shelter, she would be vulnerable.
Sadly, that is no different than it would be today.
However, the movie's fantasy-element aside, it wouldn't be so easy to live off the grid in today's world, than it was in 1991.
Nowadays, you absolutely must have a credit check, references, etc. etc.
I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus.
Didn't he discover America?
Penfold, shush.
Good point. I'm certain no one could just disappear in America today. Especially with a living relative. My brother-in-law's a former private eye that now works for the Justice Department. He can locate anybody. But he won't find an ex-gf of mine... (ethics, you know?)
sharePlease take your smug signature down your throat and choke slowly to death.
shareSadly there are many instances where the only escape the woman has is either that she is killed or she kills her husband- during a fight. It's very hard to completely escape.
Not many would be resourceful enough to do what she did. But it is a film!
Yeah, problem is women who go to shelters tend to be found easily enough by their husbands both during their stay and after. And they are often so under the thumb of their abusive husband that he can easily talk her into coming home. It's crazy, but that's how being under someone's power for long enough works; their ability to stand strong is vaporized due to habitual surrender for too long. It's a matter of brain wiring, and very often those women eventually end up dead. So, yeah, I guess in real life, with this kind of excessive abusive husband, Laura probably wouldn't have made it. But that'd make for a very depressing movie. I think we all would rather see a successful escape than some woman going to a shelter, eventually tracked down and forced to "come home", before she ends her days when one day one of his beatings are severe enough to kill her.
If you wish to be moved: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TBd-UCwVAY&feature=share
If you want to compare this to real life someone trying to do this would've probably made sure the ring would've flushed all the way down the toilet so there was no evidence left behind. Or at least took it with her to throw away somewhere else far away from the house. Also if she was going to the YWCA to practice swimming to help in her escape she probably would've had conversations with the lady there explaining to never call her husband no matter what to help keep the info from getting to him.
shareShe could have thrown the ring to the bottom of the ocean.
"Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and *beep* the prom queen." -John Mason
Exactly. Funny when people complain about comparing a movie to real life when the movie is written to leave gaps / mistakes so it affects the changes in the movie hence him finding the ring to start looking for her. There are some really dumb people in real life who if they tried to do something like this would mess up and make mistakes while others could think it all through and do it without leaving any clues or making any mistakes.
shareShe knew he would never give up looking for her unless she was dead
shareI remember seeing this movie but one of the plot holes that someone brought up on another board (and I didn't remember) was where did she get all the money to flee and buy a house in Iowa when she didn't appear to work, had no credit, and her husband kept close tabs on her (she didn't empty his bank account or anything like that to get the money)?
I remember this was a pretty good movie until someone had mentioned how unrealistic is was and could not happen in real life. That's probably true, lol.
I wondered about the cash stash too, but my brain figured she'd been saving some from the household budget for a while. All that planning for her escape and then she didn't make sure the ring flushed away... You'd think she would have disposed of it after she left the house like others have suggested - or toss it when she was swimming ashore that night. Even if found eventually, being in the ocean after an assumed drowning shouldn't arouse suspicion, should it?
shareYou'd think she would have disposed of it after she left the house like others have suggested - or toss it when she was swimming ashore that night. Even if found eventually, being in the ocean after an assumed drowning shouldn't arouse suspicion, should it?
I know this is late, but I think she was just renting the house, not buying it.
shareThe replies here are good but I'll add a few things.
1. Shelters are tempory, like a homeless shelter, you are only there a short time.
2. Restraining orders are nothing but a piece of paper and not bulletproof/fist proof. They rarely help.
3. "all she had to do was wait for him to go to work and then make her escape to a shelter." - If only it was that easy. Many shelters at least in my area and areas where some loved ones live have waiting lists or will not just randomly take someone in. You can not walk up to a shelter and say "I'm being abused I need to live here". There is a process and this process does not happen overnight. Many men like this husband in this movie call the house hourly or make surprise drop-ins to make sure the wife is where she is "supposed" to be. You can't just walk out the door the moment he leaves from work. You are held prisoner even when he isn't there.
I know this because i have more than one family member who has been in horrible abusive relationships. If it was as easy as you claim that would be a dream come true for many women.
Its a plot hole. No need to over think the different situations
share