Ivan's wife affair

Yeah.. It's as if when they looked at each other, they had almost both accepted it already. I think it also has to do with that conversation they had earlier, the whole "Have you slept with every man here?" line the first night that they hooked up in the room. My guess is that Ivan had already known deep down that it was Simon and Sylvia that were meant for each other from the start so he was sort of alright with it -- which is kinda, weird though. And they also had that conversation over a smoke outside the building. Man, I don't know.

It was pretty strange way to behave- but then again just about everybody in this movie behaves strangely.

In my opinion Ivan acknowledges that with marriage he stopped being the shy, fragile emotional wreck that he's described as by the rest of the family. He became a man, has two children and can stand up on his own. He furthermore acknowledges that Sylvia and Simon were perhaps better off with eachother and he was with her due to Simon's sacrifice.

Sooo I guess at that holiday he was basically saying "You guys helped me become what I am today; in exchange do as you will". That's sort of what I took it to mean. I guess it could be suggested that ultimately Simon loved Sylvia more than Ivan.

I watched it with a friend who for reasons I didn't see perceived Ivan to actually be furious but hiding it. He hid it very well if that's the case!

Personally I liked this subplot- actually I liked all the subplots. It's a strange, deliberately frustrating movie with more questions than answers (and in this case it's a good thing). This triangle was just as baffling to me as the Henri/Elizabeth feud.

I think those posting about this - wrote this way because they assumed that the moviemakers contemplated that a French audience would NOT walk out of the theater at the absurdity of a husband failing to object when his wife is sleeping with his cousin.

Throughout this film, people act and react in ways unknown to any human beings I've ever known. There is absolutely no response to so many things that are done -

Henri's profanity and repeated insults somehow does not cause the father to say "you're gone",

the daughter's refusal to permit her brother's presence at family fatherings does not cause the parents to say "No, he is in the family. He will be present - and if you object, you needn't come" -

the murderous waving of a knife by the grandson to his mother do not cause the parents to even spank the son - let alone just take the belt off and wail away!

the appearance of his nephew after 6 years absence does not cause Henri to act warmly toward him

the flagrant adultery of his wife with his cousin does not cause her husband to denounce her - but instead to reach for her hand in love

the delivery of a certificate stating that the grandson is a compatible donor to possibly save her life does not cause the grandmother to say thank you - but instead to abandon the house and go shopping

Indeed, attending church even on Christmas seems to be a "maybe it will be fun, maybe it won't" decision by a mere three of the entire family to attend mass.

It's a family of utterly non-human, unrecognizable, aberrant behavior - among the least likable people you'll ever want to see or hear. And remarkably, in truth no one seems to realize how perverse they are.