I agree with most of your assessment, but disagree with others, and have a totally different take on the ending, and David's motivations.
Though I agree that David was manipulative, and in a way a pensive, lost child himself, who cannot see beyond the moment of his "needs".
I think however, the man had a plan, or had a plan which there were to be a couple of outcomes.
First, I want to establish a few things.. I don't think that initially he thought of Tommie as a sexual object, but definitely one he could mold, or "save" even though he couldn't "save" himself, or maybe he could, by giving Tommie the gifts of being needed, and to expand her horizons from the bleak existence she had.
Some very important scenes provide insight about both David and Tommie's persona.
When Tommie is shaving her legs (surely not actually as she was clearly not in that stage of puberty) but to mimic being a woman the way a young boy picks up his father's razor.
This is also why she screams at him when he wants to bath her. Not because she is embarrassed by nudity, as much as being treated like a small child.
This is further exemplified by her reaction of catching him making love to his girlfriend. NOT in disgust or fear that an innocent child might view it, but as a person who is told she is "equal partners" yet sees that in his eyes, she is not.
Whether she as a girl-child actually wanted to have sex with him was probably unconscious if at all, but the need to be "desired" was, and her need to act, and feel grownup is apparent throughout the film.
I think the ending is somewhat ambiguous on purpose, but there are clues.
No one has said this yet, but the last scene where she is running to catch David's car while he drives away shows the unintentional emotional abuse David foists onto her.
While Tommie's life is going nowhere, and David attempts to show her the beautiful world beyond, his intent backfires when she is, by circumstances bound to him, and in a way, is "in love" with him.
So the age old adage, "Is is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all, applies here."
However, the very last shot is of her bag, still laying on the sidewalk where she left it running after David's car. This might imply that it is left behind,as she does catch up to David and he relents and takes her away.
You know that he sees her running after him by the shot of her running in his side mirror.
This would be the "fairy tale ending, though very Lolita-esque and quite implausible.
Another twist that I can put forth is based on the fact that good directors never put in scenes or props that have no significance. That being said...there was a rifle....and also some very "poetic" parting words.
One earlier scene which might establish David becoming further unhinged in this temporary Utopian fantasy is that after considering the nosy neighbor to be a threat to his concocted world, he sneaks into the neighbor's backyard with his rifle. Was he planing to shoot the guy?
It wouldn't make sense, but why was he there at all, spying on him, and with a gun? When he sees that his neighbor has a dying wife he is taken care of, David is reminded of his own father, and changes his mind...at least that is my take.
When Davis realizes that his fantasy is over, and that he has harmed, rather than helped Tommie, he knows what he has to do.
The clues are the gun, the "willing" his cabin to Tommie, and he would never see her again, but he will be with her always..in the wind, nature, etc. Sounds like a man who knows what he is going to do and there is no turning back....
David is going back to the cabin to kill himself.
THAT is what I believe the ending is... out of the 3 choices, David and Tommie go on with life apart, or she does catch up with him and they ride off into the sunset, or Tommie is totally broken, at least at first, and David ends it all, not being able to live with himself for what he did, and not being able to fix it.
Tommie also has a few choices, to remain broken, and feeling used by David, or that she can sense that he did try to give her something she would never have in her world before they met, and would use that experience, bittersweet as it was to become empowered.
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artcurus-1
8 years ago
When Tommie is shaving her legs (surely not actually as she was clearly not in that stage of puberty) but to mimic being a woman the way a young boy picks up his father's razor.
actually by 10 or 11, most girls are shaving their legs.
This is also why she screams at him when he wants to bath her. Not because she is embarrassed by nudity, as much as being treated like a small child.
I keep wondering about the whole "bath/out of room while she changes" thing. I am not sure if it was for his protection or hers. I feel it might a mix of both, protection and she not wanting him to see her nude.
This is further exemplified by her reaction of catching him making love to his girlfriend. NOT in disgust or fear that an innocent child might view it, but as a person who is told she is "equal partners" yet sees that in his eyes, she is not.
Whether she as a girl-child actually wanted to have sex with him was probably unconscious if at all, but the need to be "desired" was, and her need to act, and feel grownup is apparent throughout the film.
This gives credence to my "crush" theory, by this late in the movie, there was no question that Tommie had a massive crush on David. The strong emotional storm that comes with a crush, can cloud thinking. Because of the crush, it could fall under unintentional emotional abuse, and David would have misinterpreted the reciprocation of attention from the crush on Tommie's part.
One earlier scene which might establish David becoming further unhinged in this temporary Utopian fantasy is that after considering the nosy neighbor to be a threat to his concocted world, he sneaks into the neighbor's backyard with his rifle. Was he planing to shoot the guy?
It wouldn't make sense, but why was he there at all, spying on him, and with a gun? When he sees that his neighbor has a dying wife he is taken care of, David is reminded of his own father, and changes his mind...at least that is my take.
I think the problem was that he probably scared of charged with kidnapping. Tommie's disappearance would have triggered an Amber alert BUT there's a caveat with Amber alerts. They are regional, and the honest truth, the general public ignores/doesn't pay much attention to them.
That being said, I think a scene that should been added during the Tommie/Garage/Sick ordeal, was that Tommie SHOULD have quietly slipped back into the main house, and checked David's wallet to get his real name and address (or better yet, seen something like a bill in the car and slipped into her backpack). This actually would "fixed" the ending somewhat because Tommie now has a direction per say to go in.
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japonaliya
8 years ago
I disagree...I have 3 daughters, all have gone through puberty. Not one needed to shave their legs until about 13. Even if some girls shave their legs as early as 10, they have obviously started puberty..
Tommie has not entered puberty yet. She doesn't even have the first stage of breast development...which is almost always the beginning of puberty, even with small breasted woman.
Anyway, I think the scene, like the first scene in the parking lot, is more about Tommie feeling small for her age and not grown up.
This is exacerbated by the way her mom treats her, and why she flew off the handle when she saw David making love, saying, "you still think of me as a kid"
This is also true of the bath scene. Maybe she was embarrassed by an older man trying to bathe her (she would prob.resist even if were her real father at that age) but it wasn't the nudity, as much as the being treated like a child...Tommie even says this herself, so who are we to argue?
You really didn't answer my op about David maybe trying to kill the old neighbor, you just talk about Amber alerts. However you did touch on a point.
Tommie is playing with the radio when they first get to the cabin. The news is on, talking about something not all that interesting, but not a word about a missing, possibly kidnapped 11 year old girl...maybe the mom really didn't give a damn and never called the police. (BTW Amber alerts are national, or go national after a time) or maybe the director wanted to strengthen the point that Tommie was not needed or loved at home.
As far as checking David's wallet..WHY? She already knew his name was not Gary, who he was, or where he lived didn't matter to her, only that he will love her, and not discard her.
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artcurus-1
8 years ago
I disagree...I have 3 daughters, all have gone through puberty. Not one needed to shave their legs until about 13. Even if some girls shave their legs as early as 10, they have obviously started puberty..
Tommie has not entered puberty yet. She doesn't even have the first stage of breast development...which is almost always the beginning of puberty, even with small breasted woman.
If haven't spent time around large groups of kids, it's possible to make this mistake. I've student taught and subbed in elementary.
Without getting too "icky." Kids mature at different levels and different stages. I've seen 2nd graders with underarm hair with no other development, and eight year olds that could easily pass for eleven or twelve in physical development, though this is generally african-american.
Anyway, I think the scene, like the first scene in the parking lot, is more about Tommie feeling small for her age and not grown up.
I disagree, but the problem was that the story was not well told. As I mentioned in another post, the movie needed to about 30-45 minutes longer, with more interaction between Tommie and her family. This would have given more background information and given more credence to that scene. The line "I don't have any money" sums it up. She had sort of a plan, but didn't know what to do, or how to go through with it. There was a lot of background info that was missing that needed to put in.
You really didn't answer my op about David maybe trying to kill the old neighbor,
I don't think that was his plan to begin with. Remember that both Tommie and David went to the neighbor's house. However, I will admit that the idea that David could commit suicide intrigues me.
On the Amber alerts, it's very rare for them go national, even with Iphones, there's been times when an Amber alert was issued in say,central texas, and family in Ector county (300 miles away) never got the alert. Same thing for "Silver Alerts", those go off all the time in West Texas, but we never see them in Central Texas.
As far as checking David's wallet..WHY? She already knew his name was not Gary, who he was, or where he lived didn't matter to her, only that he will love her, and not discard her.
Think about it. If she was truly that miserable, couldn't be away from him, and knew the address. I would say that the odds are better than 90% she's going to show up on his doorstep.
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