MovieChat Forums > Life After Beth (2014) Discussion > So, just a big ol' metaphor? (SPOILER-IS...

So, just a big ol' metaphor? (SPOILER-ISH)

posted 11 years ago by mamoo_64
5 replies | jump to latest

I'm honestly not sure what I make of the movie, as a whole. The beginning had me totally invested in the story, Beth "resurrecting" and Zach's (as well as her parent's) management of the situation was interesting and funny to boot. I feel everything took a turn for the worse when the whole "zombie apocalypse" started. I feel like that part of the plot detracted from the overall love story between Zach and Beth (which should be the central theme/plot of the movie)
I completely missed the importance of "Pearline"(?), the story suggested she would have some answers (if only by way of making a joke) and yet she was never again featured in the film? How did the resurrections happen, and why?
The only way I feel the narrative makes overall sense is if the entire film is, fundamentally a metaphor about dealing with either;
A) Death: (bear with me I'm not sure of the correct order of, or steps here)
Zach is "angry"/"depressed" about the death of Beth at the beginning, he's withdrawn from the world around him, not eating, fighting with his family etc.
He's then in "denial" when hes convinced he's seen Beth alive within her house.
He moves onto "bargaining", telling himself that having this version (zombie) of Beth is better than losing her all together, convincing himself he's happy with the situation, so long as he has Beth in his life.
Finally (when Kendrick's character is introduced) he moves onto "acceptance" and realizes he needs to move on with his life.
However this idea only really applies to the beginning half of the movie, which is why the zombie apocalypse aspect threw me off.
B) Ending a relationship: Zach is depressed and lonely, having lost Beth (since its specifically stated that she ended the relationship with him)
He regrets everything he could have/should have done with her to maintain the relationship, ie; hiking, "flamingo"(ha) class etc.
Having completely lost her after trying to reconcile with her (the singing on the beach) it feels as though its the end of the world (zombie apocalypse)
Finally he realizes that although he'll always love her, they have to be apart (he kills her)
I know realistically these ideas don't mesh with the overall storyline, just what I left the movie thinking about, and although its rare that these kind of films leave me thinking about a possible motive behind the story, I can't tell whether this film in particular left me feeling that way because it was overly lacking in a point!

[–] chaosroach 11 years ago

I really don't think this movie in particular had a message. It was very much a mashup of tropes like zombie, romance, teen angst, comedy, etc.. In the end, the bf just picks up another chick and moves on with his life, almost like nothing happened.

Comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable

[–] andidofnurd 11 years ago

I'll go with option B: zombie outbreak as metaphor for moving on after a failed relationship. The zombieness doesn't start until it's clear Zach can't move on. As often happens in life, she's a changed person, and will only continue to change. They'll never recapture what they had, hence Maurie's "nothing lasts forever". When Zach finally accepts this and kills Beth...the zombie outbreak mysteriously dies down.

For most of the movie, I figured Beth's parents were the culprits behind the resurrections, some kind of undead ritual that scared off Pearline; but it seems that was all a red herring. Ultimately, I think the metaphor is stronger without a definite explanation of what started and stopped the zombies, as Beth is the audience's only connection to the outbreak's rise and fall.

I see option A as not so much metaphor, more a direct theme relating to Beth's parents, who never fully accept she's dead, and pay the price.

[–] therefdotcom 11 years ago

it is meant to be taken at face value: horror comedy.

"laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone." - Dae-su Oh

[–] mcgill_j 11 years ago

No offense though it was hardly all that horrific, nor all that funny. In fact if you want something similar in this vein try and find the 90s film "Ed and His Dead Mother" starring Steve Buscemi. It is about a son who can't get over the loss of his mother, or even the Peter Jackson film "Dead Alive" that tackles the subject (yet again mother and son, not boyfriend and girlfriend). Much better than this.

If felt like there was a movie that was fighting in there to get out. But it all came out in the end as some poorly mad ham fisted metaphor. She basically broke up with him and moved on. So when she came back, she was the SAME girl. But he wasn't the same guy. And when he tried to move on? She went nuts and changed.. not exactly subtle.

I was surprised at the amount of on camera talent that came out for this film that seemed to either a) have been doing favors for someone, b) read a much different script (or much of a film that was lost in editing). People rag on independent films for not having much of a look and this one was spectacularly bad, especially when Kevin Smith's films look 10X better.. (and I refer to his two lowest budget films, a man who admits himself he is not much of a filmmaker). The look of this film felt very strictly "amateur hour". And the good was sadly trumped by the truly bad.

[–] therefdotcom 11 years ago

a horror comedy isn't usually meant to be scary. it's a combo word.

i found it to be pretty funny. i guess it comes down to the matter if you find aubrey's style funny or not. the whole rest comes down to the protagonist. personally i loved the protagonist and i find aubrey to be funny as hell. she almost saved "funny people", was a gem at parks & recreation and even in interviews, as lately seen at the today show, she never fails to make me laugh.

i will check that buscemi film out. another actor that rarely if even at all fails for me. thx.

sorry man, if you wanna stick with the metaphor idea, then fine. i am not buying it. even further i am (not by you in particular) generally annoyed to the notion that people try to find a metaphorical meaning in each and every film nowadays. not to speak of the notion of some directors trying to fit some half baked metaphor into their films.

by the same logic one could interpret "alien" to be nothing but a huge metaphor about the aliens representing a manfestation of their lonelyness and "alienation" (no pun intended) towards each other ...etc. if one is willing to believe that, then the metaphor also is totally clear and obvious.

i found the look to be amusingly b-movie-ish. personally in this context it does not matter to me if that was on purpose or by accident, since it fits very well.

"laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone." - Dae-su Oh