MovieChat Forums > Rectify (2013) Discussion > Amantha in the attic

Amantha in the attic

posted 8 years ago by mickeymyhorse
20 replies | jump to latest

A little bit bitter are we? Okay, but in all fairness she has the right to be. A HUGE portion of her life she fought hard for Daniel and I believe it was Janet who said (on a previous episode), that if it wouldn't have been for Amantha, Daniel would never have gotten out of prison.

But that attic scene with Janet and Jared.....whoa now. Amantha had just come from the meeting with Bobby Dean, so it's understandable that her mood is sour. She threw verbal barbs into Janet with the precision of a professional knife thrower. My feeling is that it had been a long time coming in Amantha's mind and what better time than to come back to the house and find that old family possessions are either being sold or going to Good Will.
Jared: "you shouldn't talk to her like that."
Amantha: "I'm glad you're getting the Janet that is moving on with her life. I usually ever got the Janet that was knee deep in sh!t. Happy unburdening."

I realize Janet can appear indifferent with Amantha. And maybe even with Jared based on the Furby conversation.

I feel in the middle. Understanding Janet's horrible life of never knowing when Daniel would be put to death: talk about a piano hanging over your head.
But I also understand Amantha's bitterness about her growing up with a somewhat unattentive mother. "You must have come to me sometime. Maybe in my crib?"
Oh well, just food for thought.

[–] Whatlarks 8 years ago

My thought is that your observations are accurate. It reminds me that seeing all sides is what good drama does, at least of this kind. Certain kinds of drama - or at least certain scenes in it - when working properly, don't encourage us to detach and make moral judgments. We're asked to step into the shoes of the characters for a little while, and feel what it's like, and then sit with the contrasting realities, the resulting ambiguity.

"You must not judge what I know by what I find words for." - Marilynne Robinson

[–] Thirdover4 8 years ago

What I've always liked about this show is that the people act like people and don't necessarily provide an emotional payoff or simple answers. Every problem isn't rectified (sorry) and every plot point isn't tied up. In most shows they would have glossed over the divorce with a throwaway scene but the lead up to the decision was perhaps the most realistic depiction of a real life event I may have ever seen in a television show. If you want hugs, switch to the Hallmark channel. Ted Sr.'s reaction was outstanding in terms of his emotional detachment from his family. The way Daniel connects with the artist girl (forgot her name) is great. I'm going to really miss this show, which I discovered on Netflix when trying to decide between 2 or 3 shows about someone released from prison after a long sentence.

[–] prairie-16766 8 years ago

I only discovered it in October 2016.

I had heard the title, but thought it was a modern western or something along the Sons of Anarchy.

I generally follow the NYT blogs and since Rectify wasn't recapped and since I only just added the Sundance channel, I knew nothing about it. Yet the NYT covers that stupid The Affair.

Chloe.

[–] 8 years ago

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[–] prairie-16766 8 years ago

For a baby boomer, Janet sure is traditional. I knew women like her when I lived down south in the 1980s. I felt like it was the 1950s.

And there's nothing wrong with girl playing with Legos. Those toys help with creative thinking in early childhood development.

[–] Eva_Marrie 8 years ago

Since when are Legos a gender specific toy? They were patented in the age of unisex toys (like all toys should be).

Janet may be hiding behind the traditional persona to mask her introversion, much like Tawney at the start of the show. Or it could be that early pregnancy and later Daniel's tragedy forced her into it (she must've had Daniel at 21 at the latest).

[–] prairie-16766 8 years ago

They aren't gender-specific. sign_ made that up.

In any event, gender is a social construct.

[–] Mr_Fluffykins 8 years ago

to bad the lego set wasn't on hand during drip, drip
new at starbucks, pumpkin spice lego-coffee-cracking
then amantha would have a reason to sell them masculating, and chauvenistic toys pushed on her by her parents, in hope she would turn into a moonshine swilling transgender,

[–] Eva_Marrie 8 years ago

In any event, gender is a social construct.

Of course it is, and I'm a very passionate proponent of tearing it down completely. I can't find a single good reason for gender socialisation to exist.

I was just talking about it in the context of toy history. 70s-80s were a heyday of unisex toys, which sadly did not continue. Nowadays girls are relentlessly bombarded with pink, glittery princess crap, and even more disturbingly - 'sexy kid' stuff.

Skirts are actually very cool in summer. I lived in Fiji for a bit, where policemen wore traditional wrap skirts as part of their uniform. Over there, it's just way too hot and humid for pants.

[–] 8 years ago

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[–] 8 years ago

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[–] Mr_Fluffykins 8 years ago

http://www.thebay.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/en/thebay/disney-princess-elsas-sparkling-ice-castle-0019-6100661--24?site_refer=CSE_GGLPLA&gclid=CjwKEAiAyanCBRDkiO6M_rDroH0SJAAfZ4KL6QijK_4vvjIPgV_obMm15ekrSQGgKxbow3CRtuNe9xoC7sPw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
there was girl lego back 25 years ago,
just not as much

[–] prairie-16766 8 years ago

I was raised on a farm, an cis gender female. I always owned more jeans than skirts. You can't be raised on a farm and live in skirts. But I assure you, and my husband will too, I am female.

Skirts are stupid, anyway.

[–] 8 years ago

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[–] Eva_Marrie 8 years ago

Pink was a boy's colour before the 1940s, and blue - girls' until it got reversed for marketing purposes.

Which tells you how arbitrary all this gender BS really is. I personally bleeping hate pink. Blue's a calming, peaceful colour that no one can really dislike. Pink is loud and irritating.

[–] 8 years ago

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[–] mme3924-1 8 years ago

Pink is loud and irritating

Depends on the shade and tone. Pale, soft pink can be very calming. It's the stuff of late sunsets. It's the reflection in snow, it's a baby's blanket.

[–] LoBo_77018 8 years ago

I'm sorry but I would have told Amantha where to step off. You want to keep all your kid crap? Get yourself a storage unit, honey. Same with your dad's jacket. I hate grown kids who expect parents to keep their home like a museum.

[–] Whatlarks 8 years ago

You're overlaying a generality to a specific context and reacting to it as if the generality applies.

Amantha and her family context and her relationship with her mother don't make for a common situation like "grown kids who expect parents to keep..." etc. If she and her family context and her relationship with Janet were that common way, then sure. But that is far from the case here.

"You must not judge what I know by what I find words for." - Marilynne Robinson

[–] ToHelenBackAgain 8 years ago

Amantha's anger is understandable, up to a point. I think she's grown enough that she ought to be making the decision to either forgive or let go, and stop trying to somehow magically attain a better past through the always-useful paths of unpredictable anger and all too predictable blame-laying. I found her quite insufferable in this scene.

To be fair, I am biased. I often find Amantha insufferable just in general.

"Oh, I'll be polite. Right up until I'm rude."