MovieChat Forums > Right at Your Door (2006) Discussion > Was Brad being selfish?

Was Brad being selfish?

posted 16 years ago by klawbie
43 replies | jump to latest

I've thought this over and over, and my opinions are still split. I understand survival instinct, and I can empathize with his decision to make her stay outside. But I cannot imagine watching my loved one cry and beg for me to let them in, and refuse them. I don't know how I'd live with myself knowing that I chose my own life over their's. But Brad was being logical, and I only wish I had the courage to make that same decision.

BUT, I finally decided that he was being selfish, because it was never about losing one life instead of two. It was only about saving his. He expected his wife to just sit outside his window patiently dying, because if she hadn't, she would infect him. But when it came down to him being the one infected, he had no problem putting the entire neighbor at risk. Brad's instinct was to save himself, just like any other human being, but he never considered who he might hurt along the way.

Any other thoughts?

[–] lisa10012 15 years ago

After I watched this (very disturbing) movie I asked my live-in boyfriend if he would let me in the door in that situation, even if it meant dying himself. He said he would and I believe him. I think that was pretty damn cold of Brad. Hold your wife in your arms and at least go out with some dignity.

[–] tvilkov 14 years ago

People that would let the infected person in are suicidal. I can undestand if both husband - wife are not young, have lived together for a long time, then yes - they would like to spend the (possible) last days of their life together. But if you're young, got a (possible, in this situation) future ahead of you, why would you want to get infected just because your partner is infected?

[–] boban_2 14 years ago

What a lot of you seem to miss is she was being just as selfish as he was. She didn't give any thought to him possibly being killed from the toxins just about herself. The best part is he would still have been alive if she hadn't broken the glass and got him contaminated in the first place.

[–] hvy_g 14 years ago

Just saw this movie last night and was kinda blown away by the ending...

My basic attitude is he had the right attitude initially, leaving water and a blanket outside for her if his wife returned.

Also, you can't sacrifice the handyman when your wife shows up, just because she wants in... so again, right attitude in my book...

However, as soon she breaks the window and contaminates him and the house, that's when you deal with reality and realize you're all in it together.

In the Navy, they train you to close bulkhead hatches on people to prevent flooding from spreading and sinking the ship. I can't imagine anything worse than denying the basic human instinct to help another person in need.

[–] pureouchies 14 years ago

It made me mad watching it. I can't believe that prick didn't let her in. In sickness and in health

[–] despaciosideral 11 years ago

(BIG SPOILERS ALERT) Was Brad being selfish? Not at all. How intelligent would have it been for the man to put himself also at risk? The wiser thing to do was to keep at least one of them healthy , so he could then take care of both when needed. The suicidal "I'm- gonna- die- with- you-" attitude would have been like accepting to be defeated beforehand. She was the selfish one when she decided to break the rear door's glass, for she was thinking only of her own self and not seeming concerned at all about the very likely probability of killing her husband with her. And, at the end, she killed him by throwing her infected cellphone inside the kitchen, thus introducing into the house the toxins that mutated in the hot indoors' environment and became stronger than the less lethal ones floating outside. IMHO.

[–] dark_side_of_the_sun 11 years ago

Yes, Brad was being selfish. Love should transcend self and he failed. Made him utterly unredeemable and unlikable. His inability to really connect with the neighbor's handyman on a human level was a huge clue to his selfishness and self-absorption.

I with this film had not failed in a few crucial areas. It had great potential. With the budget they had, it wasn't bad. Never could relate to the characters very much. Most human interactions felt forced.

This tells us a lot more about the writer than I'd care to know.

Basic plot was very interesting, but Brad made me want to move on to something else.

[–] marigenbeltran 11 years ago

I have kids so if I let my husband in my children will probably die. Without kids, I probably would let him in. Both were selfish so please stop fighting :-)

[–] tyrexden 11 years ago

I look at it this way... As he was keeping his wife locked out, i was thinking the whole time... "how will he ever go back to the life he once had if/when all this blows over, eventually?"

Basically, his wife would never look at him the same (nor should she). So basically, what good was self preservation if it will relegate him to a future of lonlieness and shame anyway?

He had one duty, and that was to comfort the suffering of the person he loved most in the world... even if that meant his own death. What right does he have to live, when his most loved partner is dying all alone in the cold? He doesn't have that right.

[–] PrecidiaZ 10 years ago

I have no idea what I would do in this situation.

However I don't find either person selfish. They both just want to survive.

[–] BlackDog123 10 years ago

How can you say he has "no right to live" because his loved one is dying? Don't you find that extreme?? They didn't know for sure if she was dying yet. And beyond that, how selfish is it for you to expect your wife/husband to commit suicide or put themselves in danger just because YOU are dying? I would really hate to have that expectation put on me by my bf (and I would never expect it of him either, I'd feel horrible if he gave up because of me!).

That said, I don't know what I would do in that situation. Maybe I would let my bf/best friend/parents or brother in. I also don't think they would ask me to do that to protect me, and I don't think I would ask them to let me in to protect them. I think Brad came across as a jerk but he was doing the best he could to make her comfortable, and I think she was freaking out and hysterical when she broke the window, which is a normal human reaction to fear and was probably happening all over the city.

They're coming to get you, Barbara!

[–] tyrexden 10 years ago

How 'dare' i say that? Its my opinion.

Life is the greatest thing in the world, but your own need for self preservation shouldn't trump another's, particularly the person who you love most in the world.

If his soul mate was dying, and he can offer comfort in her final moments, he should. What good is his life, knowing that he turned his back on his soul mate in her greatest time of need?

Yes, i will say it again. Although life is nice, its not THAT nice that you need to hold onto it at the expense of your soul. Comforting her should have been more important than his life. Thats my opinion.

[–] BlackDog123 10 years ago

I didn't say "how dare you," not sure where you're getting that ....

We'll have to agree to disagree. I would rather live to fight another day (or have my significant other live) than have one of us die when it isn't necessary. You only get one life, unfortunately. If you were trying to save them, and died, that's one thing. But I see no point in demanding my partner die just to "comfort me" and I seriously doubt I would be with someone who put that expectation on me. In my opinion, that would be the ultimate in selfishness. Maybe I have a more pragmatic view of relationships, I'm a woman in my thirties and have been in a relationship for the past five years (and have had other long term relationships before that). I'm too old for that stuff.

Have a nice day:)

They're coming to get you, Barbara!

[–] jtalh2003 10 years ago

Play around with the moral dilemma a bit.
Imagine it was a 10 year old kid in the house and the mother outside.
is the 10 year old selfish for not letting his/her mother in?

or imagine it is 10 people inside and 1 outside is it ok for 1 person to die but not 10?