There were two scenes with a woman in the park who seems attracted to Julian. Can anyone explain how these fit into the rest of the film, because they didn't seem integral to the plot? I thought she was going to turn up in the hospital in the finale and recognise him etc but that never happened.
shareThose scenes were put there to emphasize the fact Julien will not settle for anything but Lisa. Many people might be tempted to start over with another person. After all, Lisa is as good as dead far from him. But instead of waiting for her passively, or passing time with other women feeling sorry for himself, or maybe starting his life over with another woman, he is completely focused on his wife's situation.
To me, this movie would be just a random thriller without that aspect. When you think about it, the whole film isn't terribly spectacular. What makes the movie so great is that it conveys very well that Julien is an ordinary man (I keep being reminded of the cop saying "that guy is teacher?") who decides to defy overwhelming odds in the hope he can live again with his wife, no matter the cost.
Scenes such as the one you refer to here are crucial. They do highlight how tempting it could have been for an average dude with no "criminal experience" to just give up.
"""I thought she was going to turn up in the hospital in the finale and recognise him etc but that never happened."""
That's probably what would have happened in a Hollywood flick :)
Yep, you're right. I've seen too many Hollywood clichés.
shareI think Siamois hit the nail on he head except for her being crucial to the movie.
It was a nice creative touch, although not necessary in my opinion.
In some ways that woman was quite similar to Lisa in appearance. I considered that perhaps Julien was somehow, at some point, going to replace Lisa with the woman from the park. I don't know how, and it would be cruel, but we can see he'll stop at nothing to save Lisa and get away. I did think for awhile that that was the reason for her being in the film.
shareI think it's just to show how committed he is to his wife. Just before that she is convinced that his evasiveness means he is having an affair; we are left to ponder how much easier it would be for him if he just absolved responsibility and moved on with his life, but even when he sees the beginnings of a decent opportunity to abandon his wife, he doesn't entertain the idea at all.
Love United. Hate Glazers.
[deleted]
Yeah, right. The whole point of the film is that he is an ordinary bloke. Ordinary blokes do not have glamorous, beautiful women come on to them in swingparks. Get real. (I know this because I am a middled-aged father who takes his kids to the swing park - my wife is at work not in jail - and I have never been hit upon by a hot babe. I've had lots of conversations with mums which were not too dissimilar from the one in the film.) The woman is nervous, lonely. She sees a kindred spirit. She hesitantly makes conversation. Her life is 'complicated' too. He barely notices her. To have that scenario played with a gorgeous FHM pouting babe coming on to a middle-aged loner would have been stupid. Pure Hollywood but stupid.
----------
"Look! - it's the Invisible Man!"
[deleted]
Yeah, but his wife is pretty damn hot. The woman at the park is dog food in comparison. I'd take 5 minutes per month with the wife at the jail over anything anywhere with the park hag.
shareYep, she is a good looking woman. But not as hot as my wife. :-)
----------
"Look! - it's the Invisible Man!"
Compared with Diane Kruger she was not even glamorous (not like Olivia Wilde in the remake).
share