MovieChat Forums > L'enfant d'en haut (2012) Discussion > The twist really doesn't matter all that...

The twist really doesn't matter all that much (spoiler)

posted 11 years ago by chuck-526
3 replies | jump to latest

After all I'd read, I found the scene exposing the "twist" quite anti-climactic. Instead of thinking like the guy driving the car, I was thinking like her: "why does it matter so much?"

It further intensifies the portrayal of personality traits we've already seen: the girl's attention flits from one thing to another, and society would probably judge her "irresponsible"; the boy doesn't seem to have anyone that cares about him in any conventional way, and occasionally tries to cope in weird ways.

But it doesn't seem to herald anything fundamentally different. There's much talk about the "twist" introducing a whole new direction to the movie. But I didn't see it that way. What did I miss?

[–] Mixalidis 11 years ago

It mattered to the guy because he was constantly asking when is the kid gonna go back to their parents' house. He obviously wanted to get rid of him and Simon realized that very soon.

I don't how much the twist mattered to other, but it did to me. They obviously had brother-sister relationship at the beginning of the movie and I thought it worked out for them relatively well. They had each other. But after the twist, it all fell apart. Instead of okayish sister, Simon had a very bad mother. He was supposed to take care of him, but it was the other way round. I don't know if the title was supposed to be some kind of metaphor- that he was the head of the family, or that he was on top in that relationship.

[–] PoppyTransfusion 11 years ago

They obviously had brother-sister relationship at the beginning of the movie and I thought it worked out for them relatively well. They had each other. But after the twist, it all fell apart. Instead of okayish sister, Simon had a very bad mother.

Yes, this is the issue in a nutshell. We had been led to believe their relationship was that of siblings and whilst we thought that it seemed to be OK. When we discover she is actually his mother, everything changes including our perception as to how they interact and her parenting skills, or lack of them. Though after the discovery I started to feel some sorrow for her that I didn't before.

Away with the manners of withered virgins

[–] Stirchley 8 years ago

I had sympathy for her especially when Simon told the guy she's his mother. Like he just threw a total monkey wrench into the works & put the kibosh on any long-term relationship she was hoping to have.