"I assume"; "probably"; "if his secret was something like"; "it's entirely possible." You've got a lot of supposition there, and more than you were allowing from the other poster for his/her idea. I think you're way off. Forget the supposition and various scenarios you've stacked up for a second, and just look at what's evident in the film. I think we're meant to initially see him as protective, and then the next morning is supposed to come as something of a surprise as his real motive is revealed.
1. He calls her five times the next morning. If it's because she's missing, why him and not the mother? Why isn't she concerned? Sure, he knows that she's out with some guy, but apparently, mom isn't even concerned that Effy never came home. (Although maybe she just thinks Effy was working overnight at the hotel? Even so, if he was that concerned about her, and in a parental way, not a jealous way, wouldn't he have involved the mother?) That, in and of itself, could be "fatherly" concern on his part, but then...
2. After he tells her "it's forgotten," she looks fearfully at him, up and down his body. He tells her "don't be afraid." Why? Why would she be afraid, if it's forgotten? And why does she keep looking down at his body? I suppose she could be afraid of physical violence (even though he said it was forgotten), except...
3. He then says "you know I would do anything for you." That might be okay from a father, but from your mom's boyfriend, that's a little creepy. Still, it might just be concern...at least if it wasn't for...
4. She answers him by saying "Don't talk to me like that," and pushing his hand away from her.** That's the final nail in the coffin, so to speak. If Effy took that in any kind of caring/concern way, her response makes absolutely no sense. It only makes sense if she takes it in the way that others have suggested--that he is interested in her sexually. Remember, too, that the film has shown her to be a girl who looks older than her years, and is attractive to older men. And the fact that she responds to it so quickly and decisively indicates that a scenario of this type has happened before. And finally...
5. She takes another look up and down, noticeably looking around his waist before saying "I'm telling mom." Another indication that this (or worse) has happened before. The idea that she's going to "tell" anything about his being out at the club doesn't make much sense. The mom already knows he was out drinking; he told her he was, pretty freely, actually. Effy heard that. She knows the mom knows, and there just isn't anything at all in the film that indicates that he had some other "secret" for her to tell. Besides, the fact that she doesn't specify what she's going to tell, and the fact that he doesn't immediately ask "tell her what?" indicates that they both know exactly what she means. Since she didn't see him with another woman that night, and the mother already knows he was at a bar, that "other secret" idea strains credulity.
Despite the fact that Henrick's motives are never explicitly stated, I'd argue that based on the evidence given in the film, the simplest explanation is that Henrick has the hots for his girlfriend's daughter. It's the one that best fits everything we see and hear without having to create extra "complications." Occam's Razor.
**Notice, by the way, that when she pushes his hand away, and backs away from him, the camera cuts back, and the position of his hand makes it look like he was reaching out to touch her cheek/neck with the back of his hand. It's hard to be certain, as it's only a quick shot, but if so, that would be a pretty decisive sign that his interest in her is far more than parental.
reply
share