Weak attempt to induce sympathy for Laura
Of the three characters who check out of their lives (either by committing suicide or leaving), the character of Laura should have been an illustration of the times when it is done most thoughtlessly and selfishly, most unjustifiably leaving deep scars behind. Virginia suffered from mental illness. Richard had endured quite a bit and the thought of no future for him and had stayed for Clarissa’s sake (a friend, it should be noted, and not family) beyond the point at which he’d have wanted to check out.
But Laura? There’s the idea that while she may have the perfect life in society’s view and by its standards, in reality all is not quite well. She seems discontented with her role as wife and mother. This is understandable, but we’re not given specifics that drive the feeling which pushes her to such extreme action. And let’s not neglect that contrarily to Virginia or Richard, it was her decision to subscribe to that life, as far as we know. Even if we can imagine some societal expectations at the time to marry, to have children, it was still a decision on her part to meet them, along with the responsibilities they entail. And she could have had it much, much worse than being married to a loving husband. I don’t hold the absolute opinion that responsibilities = you stay alive full stop, but in this particular case, she had no right to cause that distress and pain around her, specifically in her attempted suicide (but even in leaving her family with no notice or explanation to them). She was insensitive to Richard’s ordeal on that day she took him with her in the car. And by what right was she ending the life of an unborn child that is not only hers but her husband’s too?
Her storyline should have been a potent cautionary tale about the hurt left in the wake of certain thoughtless, selfish suicides/walk-outs (with the other two contrasting storylines serving not to make the movie a simplistic anti-suicide piece). Yet in the ending scenes, it’s mishandled by a failed attempt to induce sympathy for her. First, she’s announced by Clarissa’s daughter as “the monster”, and this is followed by a scene clearly meant to make the audience rethink that label. Except, it’s pathetic. She’s given a half-baked speech about having had no choice, that her life was “death” and her decision was about “what she could bear”. Wow. Try living under the daily threat of domestic abuse and see what it is to really bear something. In any case, if she felt so strongly about it she had to act before marrying, or certainly before having a kid, then getting pregnant with a second one. In the end, she’s offered a cup of tea and a good-night hug by Clarissa’s daughter, who had called her a monster. That’s the shift we’re also expected to make, presumably. I don’t mind an act of kindness to anyone, any person at all, but in drama, scenes are drawn in particular ways for a reason. In this case, it’s not just about offering a low-spirited visiting woman tea and a hug; it extends to an evaluation of that woman’s actions which were discussed in the preceding scene. Because she said with self-awareness “no one is going to forgive me”, then Clarissa’s daughter does in a way, the filmmakers/novelist are asking us: “Won't you?”. And it doesn’t work.