When Donovan (Hanks) is looking out the window at free wealthy America and smiling and then changes his expression to a sadder one when looking at poorer America is interesting.
It mirrors when he goes over the Wall on the train and shows us that whilst there may not be a Wall in America/the West, but there is still a division between the haves and the have nots that is important to acknowledge.
Interesting take, but that's not how I saw it. The only wealthy we saw was Donovan's house and neighborhood. That whole train ride was through middle class neighborhoods. The poor couldn't afford to buy housing, then or now, especially in NYC.
I thought the changing of his expression from happy to sad was when he saw those kids playfully climb over that fence without any repercussions of getting shot, unlike what was happening in East Berlin. He's a compassionate man who is driven to help the less fortunate. It reminded him of what he witnessed and how drastically sad these two parts of the world are from one another. He no doubt felt relief to be home, but I'm sure he also struggled with despair from witnessing how so many people lived in East Berlin, post-war.
~Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable~
Ah thanks! I wasn't figuring that bit out, but of course, your explanation fits it perfectly.
shareI have to laugh. When I saw your message beep in, I thought it was for 'The Girl on the Train.' I was so utterly confused, because I didn't spin a theory for that one yet, just a comment. It took me a few seconds to realize this was for a different movie board.
Hahaha, but thanks for the reply, I truly appreciate it!
~Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable~
Think it was more the kids jumping the fence and remembering the people being shot trying to climb the fence / wall.
It was shot from a similar angle replicating / contrasting the scenes.