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Written by Gerry Hill
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Page 2 of 2 These stories may seem depressing but
the incisive characterization of each and the superb acting of the
principals lifts them to a riveting dramatic plane. Each of the women
is initially in a state of entrapment – physical, emotional or
psychological – but denies her circumstances. In the story
scenarios each must make a decision, which entrenches the situation
or liberates her. Arden, Leah, and the Mother are liberated. The most
chilling stories, The Wife, and The Dead Girl, exhibit
the worst kind of imprisonment: the wife of the serial killer, Carl,
because of her complete psychological subjugation to him and the dead
girl, Christa (Murphy), because of her obsessive optimism that her
life will change for the good, thus making her death at the hands of
her killer all the more pathetic.
The wife (Hurt) is a sad case of a
middle-aged woman, with little focus beyond sitting every evening in
her voluminous nightgown, watching the television. When she
inadvertently discovers trophy paraphernalia, some covered in blood,
to suggest the true reasons for her husband’s mysterious nocturnal
activities, she drives initially to the police station with specimens
in a plastic bag. It is a powerful moment when she pauses in her car
and then drives away to return home to burn everything. There is a
similar moment in The Dead Girl as Christa’s pimp lets her
down with a lift for her daughter’s birthday; when Carl is flagged
down and she jumps in his pick-up with a large fuzzy toy and looks at
him with relief and joy, the viewer knows ironically that her doom is
sealed. It is no accident that Christa’s name and that of some of
the other women – Leah and Ruth - are biblical in origin.
Visually, characters are captured in
settings, which reflect this imprisonment. Many are viewed through
doorways, or are half evident, blocked or surrounded by walls or
obstructions. This imagery is a powerful visual symbol. Ultimately,
the film is not depressing: although they all have broken lives, some
do find the courage to make the break, although there are risks
attached. Even the dead girl, who risks all to see her daughter,
earns escape from her stoical existence of violence and toil.
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