.what was he so disturbed about? maybe did his perception change, and now he sees it as a seductive, "trouble-maker" ty
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Kroyall1962 — 12 years ago(August 08, 2013 11:46 PM)
It's too abstract. Matt was talking about Natalie's smile, not Richards. I don't see how Natalie's smile in an old photo suddenly humanizes his son's killer. He was bothered by HER, not Richard. He couldn't wait to gun him down. He is only realizing that she was not as innocent as he previously thought. His wife had her pegged from the start which is why she slapped her silly.
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GeneralBuck — 12 years ago(September 03, 2013 12:51 AM)
It's too abstract. Matt was talking about Natalie's smile, not Richards. I don't see how Natalie's smile in an old photo suddenly humanizes his son's killer. He was bothered by HER, not Richard. He couldn't wait to gun him down. He is only realizing that she was not as innocent as he previously thought. His wife had her pegged from the start which is why she slapped her silly.
Agreed. Even though Natalie was not directly responsible for her husband's behavior, she is quite capable of manipulating the men around her. In fact, after Richard comes over and tears her place up, she does not call the police. Instead, she calls Frank to come console her and at that point even he sees that things are getting out of control and wants to call the police and she stops him. She brought Frank directly into the situation which led to his demise and manipulates the situation into more inaction, right at the point of no return.
Frank was young and somewhat naive, but she was older and should have known better. She had seen Richard at his worst before. She certainly didn't divorce him and break up her family for no good reason. -
rtcnz — 18 years ago(May 08, 2007 03:43 PM)
Here's one theory:
Matt gets into bed and is in a state of shock, not really able to talk to his wife at all. He comments on Natalie's smile. When Ruth asks what he means, he responds: "I don't know".
Earlier in the film, Ruth accuses Matt of encouraging Frank and Natalie's relationship out of a secret desire for Natalie. Matt dismisses this as being ridiculous and immediately attacks Ruth for being too overbearing, a charge which she is unable to answer - thus ending the fight.
Ruth cannot forgive Natalie (and even hits her). But Matt tries to phone her and, when he can't get in touch, he goes to visit her at work (lying to Ruth about where he is going). He is genuinely concerned for her and her sons. To my eyes, there was something between them: perhaps a strange understanding.
Then there are all the early perverse jokes Matt makes about Natalie. (E.g. Frank having his head in her rather than school, and so on.) Ruth brings up all of this when she accuses him.
The theory is that Matt really did have feelings for Natalie. And maybe this was one of the factors in him killing Richard (i.e. to protect Natalie and her sons from him). -
torr59 — 18 years ago(November 05, 2007 08:27 AM)
It didnt hit me that way. It hit me that Matt, really for the first time, blamed Natalie. I think Matt looked at her as a victim just like his son. But he realized, looking at her pic smiling with her husband, that she wasnt the victim he originally thought. We already know what Matt's wife thought of NatalieI took it that Matt was now on the same page as his wife.
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mOviegOer16 — 16 years ago(May 11, 2009 11:04 AM)
Totally agree, torr. He saw that picture and was like "that b*tch is what my son died for?" For the first time, he realized this older woman was really the source of all evil. She's looking all happy in that picture with Richard, and he realized she had no business going after his son, having a husband and 2 kids.
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Austerlust — 17 years ago(May 24, 2008 09:13 AM)
I view it as a reflection of loss, and a shattered image of what once were.
Matt knew he was going to kill Richard who had taken away his son, but doing so he wouldn`t only kill his sons murder but also the father of two children.
Per se, he ruins a family as well.
The last point is very relevant and it should have been explored a bit more in my opinion. -
rmp6301 — 17 years ago(May 27, 2008 07:19 PM)
when matt kills richard, it is made quite clear that he messed up by killing him too soon. i personally feel that the picture had the same effect on him as it did on me as a viewer. seeing this guy smiling with this beautiful and seemingly sincere woman made me sick and angry. i saw the anger in matt's eyes and in his expression too. at that point, i feel that he all of a sudden was having a difficult time restraining himself from killing richard, hence pulling the trigger earlier then planned.
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AvatarMN — 17 years ago(July 07, 2008 01:45 AM)
I wondered if Matt was seeing what it was that Richard and Natalie once had, what Richard believed Frank was standing in the way of Richard getting back, and Matt was disturbed when he brushed up against understanding what drove Richard to being capable of killing Frank.
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geordiebianconeri — 17 years ago(March 14, 2009 04:00 PM)
Good point about the lobster, dude - I rewound after it finished to remind myself about the 'In the Bedroom' line. Said how two males will damage each other, and how a female with berries (kids) could easily take two males out. (But she's protected by the state)
So I agree - she's kind of an unwitting femme fatale who doesn't know her own strength. Incidentally, Tomei was outstanding as usual - would've liked to have seen a bit more of her though
"Wait till they get a load of me!" -
soundtrackbuff — 16 years ago(April 18, 2009 03:39 PM)
Well, there are TWO different interpretations to her infamous "smile", and both interpretations are very valid.
FIRST INTERPRETATION: Dr. Fowler sees the picture of Richard and Natalie. Both smiling. Married and very happy. The picture confronted his conscience because it added a more humane element to Richard's character. Richard was a murdererbut he used to be a loving father and husband, and FrankDr. Fowler's soninterfered with the relationship. For a moment, perhaps Dr. Fowler understands how Richard must've felt with his wife flirting with a college boyperhaps Dr. Fowler realizes that Richard did something quite understandable. But he quickly looks away from the picture, uncomfortable with the idea.
SECOND INTERPRETATION: Natalie is the true murderer. In the beginning of the movie, Dr. Fowler, Frank, and Jason go out to retrieve the lobster traps. Dr. Fowler explains the traps to little Jason, saying how "if you get two of these male lobsters in the same bedroom" they will fight until death. Frank then shows a gigantic female lobster to them, and Dr. Fowler says, "Oh, this lady could wipe out both of these male lobsters in a heartbeatbut, the state protects her" and he throws her back into the ocean. When Dr. Fowler looks at the smiling picture of Natalie, perhaps he realizes that two men were going to have to die for her. Frank died because of her, and Richard was going to die because of what Natalie didand she gets awaythrown back into the oceanthe picture disturbs him because that coy little smile is hiding the truth.
Silence is Golden,
Duct Tape is Silver -
pillfeast — 10 years ago(May 26, 2015 04:59 PM)
Evidence for the second interpretation: The case against Richard starts to fall apart when Natalie changes her testimony. We know she was telling the truth on the stand, she only heard the shot, but Matt and Ruth do not. I was a little surprised that they didn't make more out of this, it could easily appear that she was trying to mitigate Richard's guilt and reduce the time her kids' father spent in prison.
But ultimately I agree with the first interpretation. I think that taking the band-aid off and looking at his healed finger was meaningful. I doubt he'd be feeling too healed if he'd just come to the conclusion that Natalie was more to blame than he'd previously thought.
Also, I couldn't help but notice that, in either case, there were still things he couldn't possibly express to Ruth. -
bornwriter17 — 16 years ago(May 20, 2009 04:14 PM)
He was disturbed by it because her ex-husband once made her happy. He's disturbed by the fact that as sick and awful her ex-husband was, he must have had a little good in him. It's like when I saw a photo of Hitler when he was a baby, I was really disturbed by it. It was freaky seeing the incarnation of evil as an innocent little baby. I would prefer to see bad people as just bad without a single feeling of love, innocence, or remorse. If all killers were just 100% evil without a single good deed or kind moment it would be easier. The most painful thing in the world to do is to admit that even bad people have some good in them.
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akari_pup — 15 years ago(May 09, 2010 01:44 AM)
Jesus Christ, dude. Total misogynist. Did your mother molest you or something? What you just did right there is, you shifted the blame from Richard, the abusive murderer, to Natalie, the victimized wife who apparently caused the whole ordeal because she "should have known better."
Are all rape victims just asking for it, Collin? Do you want to be the one to rape and show those women what they're good for? Oh, Collin. They're all just dumb skanks, aren't they? Just dumb skanks that you want to strangle and sodomize.
ANYWHO, it's pretty clear that he was disturbed by the smile because it humanized Richard. I mean, the movie plastered the guy's walls with drawings from his kids during that scene. Pretty obvious they're trying to humanize him.