MovieChat Forums > American Nightmare (2002) Discussion > Jane's motive

Jane's motive

posted 19 years ago by vandwedge
9 replies | jump to latest

I get the impression from the other posts and comments on this board that you people don't seem to think this movie establishes an adequate motive for Jane. This is my response to that complaint.

There are clues in the movie that she does in fact HAVE a motive. In the very first scene, before the opening credits roll, Jane attacks Jessie's sister in the woods. As she is attacking, one of the things Jane yells is "How could you do this to me?" In other words, Jessie's sister has done something to Jane in the past that Jane is mad about. That Jane brings this up during the attack signals (to me at least) that revenge for whatever it was that Jessie's sister did is what motivates Jane. Now--

That point was something I noticed during the first time I viewed the movie. I remember watching the remainder of the movie with the question in mind, "When will we find out what it was that Jessie's sister did to Jane?" And of course, we never do find out. We are put several times in the position of almost-finding-out, but the movie (INTENTIONALLY, it must be noted) never actually tells us. What this means, I would venture to say, is that we're not supposed to know. What it means is that THE DETAILS OF JANE'S MOTIVE, ALTHOUGH SHE DOES INDEED HAVE A MOTIVE, ARE UNIMPORTANT TO THE PLOT OF THE FILM. The filmmakers were aware of this fact and intentionally played with it. This is why, time after time, when people ask Jane why she's doing all of this, she makes fun of them. "Why? Why? Everyone wants to know why!" That sort of thing. It happens several times.

Yes, Jane is crazy. Yes, that is what ENABLES her to murder. No, that is not what CAUSES her to murder. What causes her to murder is what Jessie's sister did to Jane in the past, the details of which are never revealed. To reiterate, the reason the details are not revealed is because they do not matter. That Jane is crazy and that she has a vendetta of some sort against Jessie et al are sufficient in getting the plot rolling.

(For those familiar with Hitchcock, there are parallels to be made between Jane's motive and the maguffins in his films; they are there to set the plot into motion but beyond that are unimportant. What matters in stories such as these is not what causes the ball to start rolling but what happens in the time that it is rolling.)

[–] salsburysj 19 years ago

Although your analysis of Hitchcock has some bearing, your reasoning is flawed. The motive behind any crime is the paramount crux of the plot. Although being mentally insane enables one to kill, one would need MOTIVATION in order to do so. Therefore, the motive must precede the ability. Without the motive the ability would no longer have any use or merit. Additionally, what Trisha did would have the most influence on why Jane killed. In which case, why would she go out of her way to kill anyone and everyone connected to that individual. The only viable argument would be insanity and would once again fall back to the motive for the perpetuation thereof.

[–] vandwedge 19 years ago

OK, so you didn't read my post very thoroughly. I'll clarify.

I didn't say Jane didn't have a motive. Obviously she has one, and obviously she needs one to murder. What I said was that the filmmakers chose not to tell us what that motive is, and I said that the details of that motive are unimportant to the plot of the film. You're right that her motive is an important part of the murders, but I disagree that it's important to a movie about those murders.

[–] Zevbell23 19 years ago

Ok...I have seen this movie. You do in fact find out what Jessie's sister does to Jane. Near the end of the movie in the old school there is a news article talking about Jane's malpractice and stealing in the hospital in which both Jane and Jessie's sister worked at. Jane thought (and may have been right) that Trisha (Trisha) reported her and got her fired.
The character's even read the article out loud and put the pieces together for you. All though this doesn't explain why Jane still carried out her killing spree it does tell the involvement between Jane and Trisha.

[–] vandwedge 19 years ago

Hmmm... I missed that part of the movie. Good find.

[–] misbegotten 19 years ago

There's a further indication in the opening scene in the woods. The sister tells her friend that the police have questioned her about Jane's activities.

[–] salsburysj 18 years ago

this movie is obviously a bunch of crap.

[–] pauly24fps 18 years ago

I worked on the movie and seem to remember the motive being something about Jane being fired from the hospital where she had been putting patients out of their misery against their wishes. Apparently either Jessie or her sister blew the whistle on poor Jane. I can't remember which.

[–] hocfocprod 16 years ago

I finished watching this about 20 minutes ago and did not get that from the movie. Was something cut? I don't remember the characters reading the article out loud. They find the article and wall of photos, but I don't remember them pointing out that something that happened at the hospital was her motive. I thought she just had a persecution complex.

[–] ShiversOfHorror 14 years ago

In the beginning Trish's friend says "so I heard the police talked to you yesterday" and they start talking about how the police were questioning her because they thought she might have something to do with it, but they were pretty sure Nurse Toppan had been doing the killings. The friend says that she heard the nurse split town. Trish also mentions that Toppan was her supervisor.

"What was the name of that nurse that Trish worked with down in Austin?" is what is said when they find the newspaper article at Jane's "shrine" and the article heading is "Austin nurse saught in slayings" or something like that. They point out that some of the photos had been taken 2 months before, so they know she's been planning it (probably with the help of her father)

I honestly missed it the first two times I watched the movie. I didn't get the motive until I had read this topic, and I went back to rewatch those scenes. I don't know how I totally missed the connection. I guess what was said early on went in one ear and out the other.

So yes, that grouped with what was said to Trish in the beginning of the movie makes total sense.

Jane says to Trish (as she's beating her) "what did you do to me, you think your better then me" We don't know what Trish did to her if anything. But we do see at the very end that the cafe worker, or owner is apparently Jane's father and probably helped with planning maybe.

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