The last shot


What was the deal with the last shot, where Kathy Bates was droning on and it zoomed in on Mr. Givings as her voice became silent? I get the silent thing (because he turned off his hearing aid when she started blabbing) but why was that the last shot? I mean, of all the things to close this story with, why a prolonged close-up of Mr. Givings?

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My theory is that Mr. Givings liked the Wheelers and was tired of his wife babbling and gossiping all the time, let alone about the Wheelers, whom she appeared to used to idolize.

The things you own, end up owning you.

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My theory: Just as the Wheelers' neighbors upon hearing of the Paris trip, Mrs. Givings "droning on" was a sort of self-justification for wanting that life in the suburbs. She appeared to like them when she spent time with them, but then decided they were just strange - a very common psychological defense mechanism to make your reality seem like it's matching your wants and dreams.

And having lived an entire adult life in this "reality", Mr. Givings simply does what one must do to be able to cope with it. Instead of talking himself into a fake truth, he simply choose not to listen at all.

I imagine, if the Wheelers would not have had that terrible accident, they too would learn how to play suburban charades eventually, beginning at that awkwardly forgiving breakfast scene.

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Yeah, I thought the Givings represented what the Wheelers were likely to become. Mrs. Givings survives by coating life wth a veneer of gossipy shallowness; never honestly facing the truth of her unhappiness. Mr. Givings just disengages rather than try to make their relationship, life, honest and meaningful. No wonder their kid went crazy.

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Perhaps he was reflecting on the dream he let go and what his life became.

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The Wheeler's had their problems as did the Campbell's. Not saying that the Givings's didn't have their problems to, but I figured that since they were older, it was trying to say that the secret that made their marriage last was him being able to just tune her out each time she started on something he didn't like to hear.

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While Mrs. Givings was droning at the end, I wish she would have said something about what had happened to their son John. An excellent performance by Michael Shannon, he stole every scene he was in.

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My take- the entire suburbian fantasy was pure fairy tale. Mr. Givings was merely enabling his wife to keep on pretending, while he tuned her out into his reality.
Same with that stupid Shep & his wife... they'd rather bury the past, & actual reality, than even talk about it & move forward. As if denying something would make it unreal.



...top 50 http://www.imdb.com/list/ls056413299/

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