MovieChat Forums > Spring Forward Discussion > The chase scene in the snow

The chase scene in the snow


I thought there was more meaning than just a rescue in the snow in the woods.
The dream previously described by the young guy seemed to play itself out in the woods. He overcame any fear quite well. He grew up alot in the movie; well I guess both characters did, eh..?? although I was waiting for he or the girl to fall through the ice.
I would've like to have seen his puppy in later scenes in the film; thought it would show his caretaking strengths he didnt know he had.

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I don't know that the older character "grew up" anymore...just that he got some life validation from a young guy who initially thought his generation invented the wheel and that older people were of no consequence and/or a burden to society at best. Biggest thrust of the movie was watching the older guy try to gracefully cope with retirement and a full life with some sad twists. Although the younger guy gains some wisdom, the older guy and his unique life's pace brought it all about...

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What the older character got was a second chance to have a father-son type relationship with his younger coworker. He'd blown it with his first son, having regrets about the head on the shoulder incident in church, and likely some of the things about his son being gay.

Liev's character was a flawed person also, but Ned's character had a chance to do it all over, doing his best to help this young man find his way out of the darkness. There was an openness and camaraderie I'm guessing he'd missed out on with his own son.

I wouldn't say the older guys wisdom was the source of all of the younger guys gaining of wisdom - the younger guy was the one who chose to share difficult, intimate stuff, something the older man seemed to not be have experience with.

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It was a mutually symbiotic relationship wherein the younger guy got to glimpse some life wisdom/experiences from the older guy. And the older guy got a second chance in some small measure, to react differently than he did with his son the first time around. Basically, the younger guy was clueless and the older guy provides him with the springboard and insight to further his knowledge.

This is a rite of passage for a younger guy, whether you agree or not. If you're a younger guy, this is happening everyday all around you; you choose to see it, benefit from it, process it and/or reject/ignore it.

"...and don't call on Him to save you from your social graces and the sins you wish to waive"

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Another way to look at it is that Murphy wasn't exactly what you might consider a success in life; he never "moved up the ladder".
Thus he is not in a position to function as a professional on-the-job mentor to others.

We don't really know much about Murphy's past in terms of work; we know Paul had some issues and was kind of "starting over" after a stint in jail. But consider that he still got a job similar to Murphy; how is Murphy still stuck, at his age, in that same job?

One of the upsides of a successful career is being able to mentor others; I would argue that part of Murphy's regret, even if subconsciously, is that he didn't get to a point where he could do that.

Paul was an opportunity for him to do that, at some level, before he retired.

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