The final out-take on the DVD

The DVD contains a number of out-takes with interesting comments from the director. He tactfully compliments those actors who have lost some or all of their lines, and the director of photography too.

He convinces me as to why they did not make the final cut, except for the last, which is a different version of how Léa receives the prognosis from the test results over the phone. Here she receives the call while she is being bothered yet again by the hapless Bamakalé. I thought it made for a much more edgy and realistic resolution and would have preferred it to the almost saccharin scene where P'tit Lys is reading her story.

The plot has been much discussed on this board and some good points made.

It has been suggested that her son suffered from adrenoleukodystrophy, a genetically linked disease. If Juliette had previously been aware that there was a chance that this would happen, however remote, yet still proceeded to deliberately get pregnant, or she got pregnant accidentally through neglecting contraceptive measures, this would be a convincing explanation of her excessive guilt and wish to self-harm.

Somewhat puzzling is when Léa says they adopted because she did not want to give birth, Juliette immediately replies "That was because of me". That would make perfect sense if Léa knew of the risk of an inherited dangerous condition, and Juliette knew that she knew. But the rest of the film suggests this was not the case. I wonder if the original book differed from the movie on this point?

Much as I like the film, and especially Scott Thomas' acting, I do not think the script was entirely thought through.