Like the photograph scene. Beth didn't know she was making it obvious that she didn't want to take a picture with her son? If Conrad sensed it, the others didn't? I don't know, that scene seems somewhat heavy-handed. Even narcissists put up a front. Beth must have had limited self-awareness.
shareI agree. I thought someone was going to ask why she didn't want to take a picture with her son.
shareIt's been awhile since I last watched this great film but doesn't she cover it by saying he doesn't want to take the picture with her? He doesn't want to take the picture because he can feel how uncomfortable she is around him. Others probably assume it is his being moody that is making her not take the picture.
Jo
All changed, changed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born.
W.B. Yeats
'I think she was too uncomfortable being so physically close to Conrad even for a photograph.'
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But isn't that too obvious? She wouldn't wonder what her parents would think and ask of her by looking so uncomfortable? Very often , people mask their true feelings to save face. Of course, her mother was making a big deal out of clicking the camera. Yeah, Beth was "honest" alright, but not good at/ wanted to put up a front
I think she was too uncomfortable being so physically close to Conrad even for a photograph. Everyone says Beth is narcissistic and cares more about appearances than her family. That's BS. Berger sums up her state of mind when he tells Conrad that if he don't allow himself to feel pain, he's not going to feel anything else either. Beth cannot handle her grief at all so she keeps it all under white-knuckling control. She desperately wants everything to be like it was before Buck's death but is forced to see that it's impossible when Calvin tells her he doesn't know if he loves anymore. So she leaves in a effort to conserve herself.
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In my opinion, Calvin sums up her state of mind in the last dialogue they had before she left. Everything Calvin says in that scene is the X-RAY of her mind and soul. Buck's death uncovered the dysfunction in their family. A dysfunction that comes from Beth's emotional handicap.
Calvin has taken on the role of the family peacekeeper. He's trying to balance Beth who wants to turn back time and Conrad who can only heal by going forward.
shareBeth might have been getting 'sloppy' with how she handled things because she was so used to the family walking on eggshells and working around her. So when it came time for the picture scene, she was more brazen and so used to getting her own way without the family acknowledging what she was doing. That's why it's such a shock to her and the family when Conrad speaks up. You know, the more you do something and get away with it, the more likely you are to keep doing it and getting worse about it.
shareYes. That's how I saw it too. The whole family was aware of Beth's issues. I think the point of this scene was more to show that Dr Berger's therapy sessions were finally beginning to make their mark on Conrad. Whereas before he would have said nothing about his mother's insulting behavior and just gone off to his room to sulk, this time he allowed his anger to show. Although he directed his anger at his father and not his mother, it was at least a sign of progress for him, as Dr. Berger had previously told him to allow himself to be angry.
The family is shocked because this is out of character for Conrad, and leads to the following scene where Beth and her mom discuss what's gotten into Conrad.
I could not have said it better.
😌
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