The mom and dad


Why were the mom and dad living apart and why was the mom's relationship with the daughter so strained? If this was explained in the movie, I missed it.

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None of that is ever sufficiently explained. James says he and Adelle both made mistakes, and since Sarah talks about going to live with her dad we can take it to mean they aren't a whole household. But we don't know if they are divorced, separated, or what. When we see them together they don't seem strained enough to fall in line with them having severe marital troubles.

As for Adelle and Sarah the flashbacks suggest Adelle has been a very selfish person - possibly even borderline abusive. Most likely Sarah was closer to her dad (suggested by the diary entry we see) anyway, and when he left her relationship with Adelle further deteriorated. This begs the question, though, if James is the doting father and Adelle is doing such a crappy job of being a mother why didn't James make more effort to take care of Sarah? But then that's working on the assumption that he and Adelle are divorced which is not necessarily the case.

The bottom line is that all we really know is that James and Adelle don't currently live together, and Sarah doesn't think much of Adelle while loving James to death. The details and history are obscure which in my opinion makes it harder to identify with the characters and is one of the weakest aspects of the film.

Stand by for Ludicrous Speed......

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The film also shows Adelle slapping Sarah in the face (presumably while drunk -- she seems it) and Sarah attempting suicide. She does ask that Adelle doesn't tell James that "Don't tell Dad".

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I agree with your bottom line Jackie, but can't agree with your suggestion that " Adelle has been a very selfish person - possibly even borderline abusive."

My feeling from the flashbacks was that Sarah was a manipulative brat, whose mum was finding it really difficult to bring her up whilst also carrying a guilt trip about her perceived failings as a parent. A very selfish parent wouldn't have gone to the extremes she did to bring her back IMO.

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It's not really important why they aren't together but considering how Adele is during the film I don't blame her husband for leaving her or Sarah preferring her father.

Passion is just insanity in a cashmere sweater!

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