This was an absolute pivotal moment in the film. The scene is a testament of Molly Parker's acting ability, that in the end when she is turning away has you wanting more of just not her, but the rest of the sisters, now knowing that they have won over their demons. (which in this case is their father's deplorable and life-affecting behavior.)
Simply put, Inside his domain; in front of his present wife and all three daughters, he is a half-coherent, tired and broken man, simply because this is where and how he now survives; The second he walks out side and leaves his house, the demon is back; the father knows all too well what he has done in the past, and despite the physical state that he is in; the wreckage of the man he has become, he still is looking at her as if he wants intimate relations with her. She wins, because she stares him down with that look of saying, without saying, "Not a *beep* i n g chance!" Thus, she wins and has exorcised the demon that has been destroying her life for a great many years.
Should Molly Parker ever read this, I can only say this: WOW!
A really great film!
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hvn777
14 years ago
My take was a little different. Although I like both views thus far.
The greeting and dinner left Parker's character wondering if there was any recognition at all; I expect her conclusion was that she was 99% sure there was no recognition whether of his daughters or past events.
The scene in which she stares at him up close is her way of imprinting through his failing senses and cognition to the extent that IF there is ANY possible way for him to recognize her and his past this would do it. When she turned away I don't think she even knew if this had any effect.
I don't think she was looking for a confrontation but to just give the father an opportunity to set things straight one last time such as her mother did before she died (asking forgiveness for being a part of such a terrible past).
For me the beauty was the ambiguity of that last meeting. Sometimes lives end without a chance for forgiveness or redemption, sometimes the victems will have to find their own way out without such closure.
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Tommy N
14 years ago
I had to go back and look at it again, maybe three times just right now!
When the girls get to the house and they're grudging the visit with their father, the new wife, says:
"Look who it is Ken, Look at your girls Ken..."
Ken (Dad): "Hello, how are you?"
Sister 1 & 3: "Hi" and "Hello Dad..."
Wife: "You have kind of catch his eye to get his attention, his hearing and all that."
When Molly is out at the front of the house, the wife and other sisters are walking ahead. She looks him in the eyes and he looks back right at her. He knows what he has done by simply looking into her eyes and giving her that wicked smile of satisfaction. (I think) This is when Molly gives it right back to him. (in a sense)
The fact is that she gets over it; she now has a relationship with her daughter, even though she really isn't her present mother.
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BKinzeys
14 years ago
Just watched this movie and I didn't see this at all. He's blank and aware of the others but not of who they are. He waives out of habit.
She searches his face for recognition but doesn't find it. The person she knew is long gone.
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xffanatic_4ever
11 years ago
Yeah, I agree with BKinzeys. I think at the end their dad had Alzheimers and was searching her face, like she was his, for some recognition. He wondering who this pretty girl visiting him was. She wondering if deep down, he was in there somewhere. I think when Agnes realized he was 'gone', and the guy she hated was gone, she could find peace and that's why she walked away without saying anything, because she didn't need to. She easily could have still yelled at him, freaked out, whatever...just to get it out, but she realized then she didn't need to. I think maybe she wouldn't even have said anything to her father if he did remember everything because then he wins, and would know he'd had this continuous hold over her life.
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