MovieChat Forums > Restraint (2008) Discussion > Did he or didn't he? (*spoilers*)

Did he or didn't he? (spoilers)

posted 16 years ago by lisaplus1
58 replies | jump to latest

Did he kill Gabrielle Martin?

In the very first scene the 2 people in the gas station are talking about a funeral for a woman (which I assume was probably her?) - did she just die naturally, or maybe in the same way he claimed he had his father killed? I must have missed some obvious clues, because at the end I wasn't quite sure!

I thought his burning her passport was an indication that he killed her (and also the paintings - the one of her that was slashed in the greenhouse and the other that was hanging in the house of a woman with chopped limbs, or at least that's what I remembered it was of), but she could have just died and he burned it only as a way to trap Dale. Then again, his comment about her possibly changing her name and being so sure that she wouldn't be back could be proof-positive. It just confused me because if she was dead (natural causes or otherwise), why wouldn't the bank manager (who was talking about the "funeral" at the beginning) or the cops be suspicious?

I just couldn't figure out in the end what was supposed to have happened! Any thoughts?

[–] smith605 16 years ago

I'd say yes he killed her. If you notice during the movie sometimes you see a car go by a pond. One time there were bubbles coming up from the pond. Another time there was something white floating. That along with all what you said, he killed her.

[–] lisaplus1 16 years ago

Hm, I thought that the bubbles in the pond were to show that this was where they sunk their "get away" car (they showed the body of Dale's boss floating on the top of the water later on).

Plus (your comment just sparked another thought), if he was terrified to leave the house and he was all alone (except for the maid), how could he have disposed of the body?

I just wish that they would have given us enough of a clue one way or the other. I still think that someone out there may have caught something that I was too dense to spot!

[–] wolflover829 16 years ago

Where are all of you seeing this movie? It doesn't come out on DVD until August and as far as I know it wasn't released in theaters. I'm dying to see it.

[–] stillvendetta 16 years ago

Search for it on ovguide.

He definitely killed her.

[–] torisweettooth 16 years ago

Or at Watch-movies.net.

[–] shanio 16 years ago

hes tellin dale that she's abroad when hes burnin her passport - ie he's lyiing and he killed her.

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] tequiladave 16 years ago

If he had his dad killed then what's to stop him from killing her too? Afterall, it takes two to tango...

[–] The_Film_Kid 16 years ago

I don't think he killed his dad, i think he was telling the truth about him being in melb,

But he did kill his wife, and i think put her in the lake too...

[–] tequiladave 16 years ago

But didn't he confess to having his dad bumped off?

[–] DisturbedPixie 16 years ago

he then told her that he lied to her boyfriend about it.

If you are Anti-American: Admit you are doing it just to be cool. Does it feel good to hate?

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] raven1066 14 years ago

Oh yeah- he killed her (Andrew-'Gaby').

"Time is the fire in which we burn"

[–] josylee 16 years ago

Yes I believe he did kill Gabrielle... It leaves you wondering whether or not he was just faking his agrophobia all along. I believe she was also in the dam/pond....!

[–] mayqueen2004 16 years ago

if you watch the DVD for the alternative ending filmed,the cops pick up a high heel full of mud in the pond. He def. killed the fiance. Maybe he got agoraphobic after all his dirty deeds?
BTW, I am a huge True Blood/Bill Compton fan and seeing Moyer using a different accent was great! He is awesome!!!!!!

[–] Kylie Anderson 16 years ago

I do believe that he killed Gabrielle. I think the body floating was also from the car they ditched, and the man that was in the trunk. It's a lie that she's overseas, as she'd have needed her passport.

The fact that at the end how when they were in bed at the end of the movie, he kept telling her to do things like Gabrielle would, leads me to believe that he killed her, and is going to keep Dale there in a role reversal as the hostage. I was very pleased with this film as well, one of the best i've seen in a long time. The track that was playing with the credits gave me chills.

[–] AznSlick 16 years ago

Gonna have to agree with 'jlyonne-1'. He killed her and buried her in the basement as he couldn't leave the house and all her possessions such as clothes, passport etc still being at the house.

He can't of killed her long before the intruders arrived as no one in the town/bank had noticed her absence when she (her look-a-like) showed up again. Would of known more if the maid had shown up.

The story about his father was just made up to fool the other guy to get one over him.

[–] KingConrad 16 years ago

He killed her just before they turned up. This is why his bird was outside.

They must have had a fight and she let the bird out to try to get away as it was something he cared about. This is the only reason I can think of adding that scene.

If she had left then why not take her cloths and passport? She also left all the jewellery and never told anyone as no one knew.

I guess no one really knew her in town as no one could tell Dale went into town. This could have made her another victim of his that he forced to stay with him.

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] kbirger 16 years ago

Another thing though... unless I'm mistaken, that very same cobblestone area between his house and the greenhouse / garbage heap area where Ronnie found the shredded painting is where the bird was when he was afraid to come get it.

I'm not saying he's faking, but it is either a plot hole or just something to consider.

It does seem implausible that she just 'disappeared', but if that were the case, she could have gotten a new passport, especially if she changed her name.

If he's so obsessed with her as shown by the last scene, then I don't see him as the kind of guy who would bump off his chick... more likely to somehow keep her from leaving the house.

[–] metroscotty 16 years ago

Obsession leads men to do all sorts of irrational things.

[–] ttandb 15 years ago

Exactly; but also,if he buried her in the basement then she would still be 'with' him in a way....and forever. If he was as obsessed with her as he appeared to be, perhaps that would be enough for him?

[–] amanda_t-1 16 years ago

I was kind of confused on whether he killed her or not. BUT, on the DVD, go to the "Special Features" and click on "Alternate Ending." On the "alternate ending" you see a part where the cops are out in the yard investigating and the man cop goes over to the lake and notcies something. He picks it up and it is an expensive womans high heel shoe covered in mud. And the cops suspiciously look at it, it probably makes them think there is a females body in that lake. But then it ends...so I guess we will never truly know. I do think the writer wants us to believe that he killed her.

[–] geminate7 16 years ago

Andrew did kill Gabrielle. This is why the woman at the bank recognizes Dale because she is wearing Gabrielle's clothes etcetera. Andrew needed Dale to become Gabrielle as much as they needed Andrew's money, so that he would get away with killing Gabrielle, as if she had never been murdered. Now Dale is trapped with the psychotic Andrew, presumably forever, having to be Gabrielle. Her only choice is to become Gabrielle or else he will tell the police or murder her. No victims in this movie!

[–] geminate7 16 years ago

As for Andrew's father, Andrew probably did pay someone to kill him, otherwise his father would come around sometime and be able to recognize that Dale isn't Gabrielle and tell the police.

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] immeren7922 16 years ago

I think andy was a bigger pyschopath that ron. ron killed for dale and was unstable by the whole thing but with andy he seems like such a nice person and you would never think he is a bad person.

ron you knew what he was, andy you don't. dale made a big mistake and she seems to like killers. she became one when she did in ron so she may do andy to if andy doesn't do her first.

[–] DisturbedPixie 16 years ago

Andy was always creepy.

She will always be used by men. First she was trapped as a stripper by her boss, then she was trapped by her BF and now she is trapped in this house with Andy, he doesn't want to leave the house, so she probably will not leave ever again. Unless she kills him. But if she just does as she is told, I think she will be okay.

If you are Anti-American: Admit you are doing it just to be cool. Does it feel good to hate?

[–] onesexyveggie 15 years ago

I think he was lying about killing his father and he probably didn't worry about him coming around 1. bc they do not live close to one another and 2. bc as he said, they aren't exactly on speaking terms. The way he was acting on the alternate ending when he was talking about liking everything to be "perfect" probably shows that he did indeed kill her when she refused to play his game anymore. It doesn't explain why or when he developed his agorophobia, but it could have been an excuse in an elaborate plot as to why Gabrielle left him. Or he might have "developed" it to keep away from the public eye so he wouldn't have to explain what happened to her. I really enjoyed this movie and I loved the ending!!! I thought it was perfect!

Stephen Moyer is my kind of vampire!

[–] wolflover829 16 years ago

The reason why the woman at the bank recognized Dale is because she was at the gas station and passed Dale on her way out.

[–] lg8088 15 years ago

At the beginning of the movie, the woman at the bank bumped into Dale on her way out of the gas station. Back then Dale was still a brunette. That's why she kind of recognized Dale but wasn't sure when Dale walked into the bank as a blonde.

[–] hm4013 15 years ago

The woman recognizes Dale because she was in the gas station right before Ron kills the attendant. That's why Dale gets so nervous about it. I loved the movie, but I do wish the ending had been a little less ambiguous.

I don't think that the agoraphobia was faked by Andrew, that seems a little elaborate to conceal an already well-concealed plot. You'll notice that when Andrew is showing Dale the home movie, it's outside, and he's in it. It stands to reason then, that Andrew was not agoraphobic at some point during his relationship with Gabrielle. You also see in the home movie Andrew's father getting quite close and flirty with Gabrielle, so I don't think that their affair was a lie either. I agree that the father is still in Melbourne, having thought his relationship with his son is ruined. I do think that Andrew killed Gabrielle in a fit of rage, and his agoraphobia arose as a result of that trauma. That's why he was able to overcome it to save Dale; it was as though he was undoing the murder of Gabrielle.

That's about as much as I can piece together. I liked that the movie keeps me guessing even after the end, and pretty superb acting from all three leads. I'm a big Stephen Moyer fan, but I think while he did a great job, he was outdone by Travis Fimmel. I had never seen him before, but he had incredible energy onscreen. I felt like he might strike out of the screen at any moment.