The scene on the bench with Freddie and the young girl

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I wondered what was going on there too.

It's unusual for a male lead to be juxtaposed that way with a female, even when the lead isn't supposed to be, say, the romantic ideal. It would be refreshing, I guess, if her relative stature next to him simply wasn't an issue for either director or actor. But the actors' body language and the framing of the scene seemed to underscore the difference and I suspect it was intentionally utilized.

Isn't he shown to be quite a "stooped" man? I know she looks very large (and maybe that's the reason he thought she was older?), but he has has a habit of standing poorly, bent over with his hands in his pockets.

I noticed that too. It was some kind of movie trickery because they're both 5' 8" tall.





Schrodinger's cat walks into a bar and doesn't.

Very interesting. I too thought she could have been a large girl, and that their attraction to each other may have made more sense that way... But no, at 2nd viewing it's obvious he's slouched and she's sitting on a phone book. There may also be some camera and stage trickery there. He's meant to look small. I think they realize he looks too old for the part and just obstensibly brush it off. Phoenix's character is debased time and time again in this film just to keep the viewer reminded. He is flawed and that is his foundation. Still lays a fart.