Her name was Louise I think.
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Being There
SilverGameDog — 19 years ago(October 09, 2006 08:12 AM)
Her name was Louise I think.
She left the house for the last time after the old man died, and was talking to Chance, she knew she wasn't coming back.
She knew that Chance, with his limited mental capacity, would have a horrible time being put out on his own.
Didn't she feel any obligation toward him? She said she raised him since he was a boy. That must have been over 30 years.
She just left him there. Knowing he couldn't function, and not knowing what would become of him. Her last words being something like "You should get yourself a nice woman"
I think Louise is a heartless, unlikable, and unrealistic character. -
Jamo57 — 19 years ago(October 13, 2006 10:17 AM)
Well, two things come to mind for me:
If she had taken care of Chance, we wouldn't have a story as he would never have come into contact with Eve and Ben.
And secondly, later on in the movie we see her watching TV in what appears to be a boarding house or some other kind of low-income housing. She certainly didn't appear to be a woman of great means herself, and as we learn from the lawyers there were no provisions made for the domestic help by "the old man" in his will. She may have been worried about her own survival and taking on caring for Chance may have been too much for her financially.
"When I was faster I was always behind"
-Neil Young -
cambot882 — 19 years ago(February 06, 2007 11:20 PM)
If she had taken care of Chance, we wouldn't have a story as he would never have come into contact with Eve and Ben.
I agree, Louise's actions are just a plot device. However, I think it would have been more believable if she had at least, for example, given Chance her phone number on a slip of paper. Later he might simply lose the paper since he wouldn't understand the significance. This would have at least shown that she had some real concern for him.- God is an imaginary friend for adults. *
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cambot882 — 14 years ago(May 09, 2011 04:00 AM)
She knew where she was going to live, so she must have had some kind of contact information. An address, maybe? The police's number, or a social worker?
Leaving Chance on his own is like leaving a 10-year-old to fend for himself, so it's a strange plot hole.- God is an imaginary friend for adults. *
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le_disciple79 — 18 years ago(August 17, 2007 05:08 AM)
Jamo57 exactly that`s why she left him .
i completely agree with you if she had taken care of chancy , then louise will not say :
It's for sure a white man's world in America. Look here: I raised that boy since he was the size of a piss-ant. And I'll say right now, he never learned to read and write. No, sir. Had no brains at all. Was stuffed with rice pudding between th' ears. Shortchanged by the Lord, and dumb as a jackass. Look at him now! Yes, sir, all you've gotta be is white in America, to get whatever you want. beep
"he is just a gardner he is just great " -
StevenSmithNYC — 9 years ago(July 01, 2016 12:30 PM)
"If she had taken care of Chance, we wouldn't have a story as he would never have come into contact with Eve and Ben."
Ah, no, we just would have had a different movie, or the writer would have not been so sloppy and made it so the maid was perhaps upset with the burden of having to take care of Chance all these years. Or she was simply mad at him. Or she was a horrible person.
"And secondly, later on in the movie we see her watching TV in what appears to be a boarding house or some other kind of low-income housing. She certainly didn't appear to be a woman of great means herself, and as we learn from the lawyers there were no provisions made for the domestic help by "the old man" in his will. She may have been worried about her own survival and taking on caring for Chance may have been too much for her financially. "
No, she could have simply made a phone call to social services and the police to take care of Chance. She didn't have to financially support him. -
clawz05 — 18 years ago(April 18, 2007 10:32 PM)
In the book, Louise leaves prior to The Old Man's death and there is a new maid that speaks little English who is there for the death and leaves soonafter. It would have made sense keeping this for the film - that way, the maid leaving wouldn't be as bad because she wouldn't understand that Chance is unable to take care of himself.
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GuyOnTheLeft — 12 years ago(October 02, 2013 01:58 AM)
Interesting and very true.
See a list of my favourite films here: http://www.flickchart.com/slackerinc -
denbeez — 18 years ago(April 19, 2007 12:31 PM)
To paraphrase Mark Twain, "Anyone attempting to find realism in this story will be shot!" :)))
This film isn't meant to be "realistic" in any sense. It's an allegorical satire; a fantasy.
The fact that anyone claims to be "mad at" Louise, or questions her actions in the context of this fantastic story, is in itself a testament to the success of the filmmakers who created "Being There." -
rokshok183 — 18 years ago(April 20, 2007 07:06 PM)
The original question posted is probably a redundant one in that Louise character would appear to serve out other purposes to the story.
But to cover all angles Her boarding home would suggest that she as financially incapable of taking care of chance and that after the old man died it was a simple case of every man (and woman) for themselves. She appears to be a tough hearted old lady whom you know nothing of her past and hardships to judge her so harshly.
There suggestion to chance to find a woman to care for him was a crack in her otherwise tough exterior.
If blame was to be placed for Chance'es circumstance then it should probably be directed at the 'old man' for not ensuring a contingency plan in his will. But then the 'old man' had already given a lifetime of generosity in taking care of him, and judging by the outside area that the house was situated in we dont know the wealth of the old man to be able to do that. -
butaneggbert — 11 years ago(March 01, 2015 07:08 PM)
Even a fantasy has to have consistent internal logic.
The script is otherwise pretty solid in accounting for why any given character does a given thing. Louise's actions don't have that same validity within the universe the film creates.
Put it this way: if every other character's actions left viewers scratching their heads exclaiming, "Wait, why in the world would anyone do that!", pretty much no one would keep watching.