MovieChat Forums > The Last Word (2010) Discussion > He Wasn't Whipped

He Wasn't Whipped

posted 14 years ago by cloudshoveller
5 replies | jump to latest

****SPOILERS****

I keep reading message threads saying that Evan was emasculated or whipped by Charlotte and that is why he made the life altering decisions that he did. I did not see the film that way at all.

I agree with another poster who wrote that Evan realized that he was actually writing his own suicide note as the movie progressed. He wasn't actually living previously. Charlotte did bring quality to his life in that she showed him how empty it had been.

He previously did not have reason to believe the phone would ever ring in his apartment. He had given up on trying new experiences. By what he shouted at "Sammy the thief" we can see he felt unworthy of love.

Charlotte didn't 'guilt him' into changing his profession. His ties with her family and seeing the consequences of suicide on the actual survivors started to change his thinking. Then developing a friendship with Abel and seeing how much Abel still had to offer...

These were the catalysts for his change. He actually got in the LAST WORD when Charlotte left and said she probably wouldn't see him. There was a pause and then he said "okay". I thought that was significant.

We see him in a new direction at the end but anyone who is a writer will tell you that you never 'quit' writing. I'm sure he will find his voice in a new manner and express it that way (in his fictional life of course tee hee).

[–] hotpontus 14 years ago

Thanks, cloudshoveller. I'm glad you got that from the film, because thats certainly how I intended it to come across when I wrote it.

[–] Lala_RK 14 years ago

***spoilers alert***

hotpontus - First of all it is very brave of you to come to the IMBD board of your own film and I commend you to that.

What attracted me to watch this movie, was the premise (writing suicide notes for people) - where did you get the inspiration for this?.

It's a very different film and that's what I liked. It's a plot that I've not seen in a film before.

I really liked the friendship development between Evan and Abel. Also how even though Evan was socially awkward - he managed to develop an attachment to Charlotte, but at the same time at the end, he was able to let go and realise it was over and that he was OK with it.

The movie shows how important our relationship to our parents really is, especially during the developing ages - it shapes us who we are as adults and how we form social relationships.

The ending - I liked how she took the stuffed giraffe - that was a poignant scene. Even though she said to him to call her, she said she probably would not want to see him. So she wasn't saying goodbye to the friendship, and that showed us that she still cared about him, but she could not see him romantically anymore. To me that really was the perfect ending because I am glad the audience had closure on their relationship and I'm glad that they both went their separate ways. I really liked the very last scene where we got to see a new future for Evan with Abel, that was great!

[–] Lala_RK 14 years ago

cloudshoveller

I agree with you. I liked how the writer showed the way Evan slowly became attached to Charlotte. It reminded me of one of the chapters in The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. The chapter where the fox explains how to be "tamed" that a person can be "conditioned" to expect a person in their life and actually grow attached to them. I once read that romantic relationships is based on the concept of being in a persons life persistently, but also there is a fine balance, that passion really is a mathematical equation of

* passion = hope + doubt.

too much hope, and passion is dampened and same with too much doubt. (*source from the writer Tom McKnight)

Hence I liked how the writer, showed Charlotte, making the effort to build the friendship, but then she also "dissapeared" (creating doubt) and that was the moment that Evan realised that he liked having her in his life.

cloudshoveller - i liked how you pointed out that he had the last word and him saying "OK" was significant, and how he accepted Charlotte leaving. It reflects that certain people are in your life for a finite period, but their short duration doesn't detract the way they can affect your life, and they can lead to lasting impressions and lasting changes. She came into his life, and they both learnt something and now can move on, the better for it. Not all freindships/relationships are meant to last forever, but doesn't distract away their significance.

I really enjoyed the film, because it was different. And I thought Wes Bentley was perfectly casted, I really liked his character. He is a great actor.

I can always tell when a movie has touched me, because the first thing I want to do is go onto IMDB to see what other people thought of the movie and to discuss it.

[–] cloudshoveller 14 years ago

Lala RK,

What a fascinating definition of passion! I know that I will give more thought to that as my mind processes it, but even at first blush I can see a lot of truth in it.

I have the same reaction that you described to movies that impact me...I rush to the IMDb boards. I watch too many movies to be able to always watch them WITH someone, and often I am dying to talk the movie over and hear someone else's thoughts and reactions. I love IMDb for providing this interaction, and with people from different social and cultural spectrums that I probably wouldn't have come across otherwise. Fun!

[–] Lala_RK 14 years ago

Cloudshoveller, Thank you :)

The subject of love, passion etc is a very interesting subject, and I enjoy reading what philosophers and psychologist think on this subject. What is love really? Is it a biological phenomenon, is it lust in disguise, and later becomes "conditioned" attachment form of bondship. Is it just deep caring about someone that you also just happen to be attracted to? Or is love simply a reflection on what the other person sees in you, in a way you want to be seen as, i.e the best of you.

Isn't love just a way to get something from the other person, to see what they can "do" for you.

So in essence, Charlotte saw that Evan provided her comfort in some connection to her late brother, and Evan saw Charlotte as a way of experiencing life, instead of just watching it pass him by, and perhaps a little bit of curiosity thrown in.

Like in Aesop's fable, persistence by Charlotte paid off, with constant attention, but she was careful not to overdo it, as that can lead to contempt.

At the end of the day, all humans crave attention, whether we like to admit it or not. Once we get a taste of it, we want more. Evan had put up a wall to not let anyone in, but Charlotte broke down that wall bit by bit.

I am the same Cloudshoveller, I love movies and I agree IMDB is a great place to discuss movies.

It's like people who discuss literature, we do the same, instead of books, movies are our medium, same sort of thing really. We still talk about plots, philosophise about themes, ideas, and characterisation that are raised in movies. it's like that quote from Eleanor Roosevelt "Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people".