MovieChat Forums > The Ice Storm (1997) Discussion > Was Mikey a bit suicidal?

Was Mikey a bit suicidal?

posted 16 years ago by matti_vaisanen
18 replies | jump to latest

Mikey (played by Elijah Wood) in the movie has a ominous vibe, like he is a bit self-destructive. He hangs out with Wendy, who does him awful things, and although he knows about it, he still remains her friend. He is seen saying that he doesn't want to see her again, but eventually they are seen talking on the phone in a friendly way. Notice, that Wendy is never seen apologising to Mikey.

The clearest sign of Mikey's state of mind is when he walks to the head of the icy diving board. A slip and fall like that would most definitely have broken his neck. He clearly realizes the danger and still continues.

Finally, when he sees the cable being about to hit the rail, he says "oh no", but in a calm and almost sarcastic matter. He doesn't panic, he doesn't hesitate, he just sits there. It is only a short moment, and it could be that he doesn't have the time to get up. Analyzing the tone of the voice, he could be as well saying "finally". He is clearly drawn to the hazardous possibility of getting himself killed.

What do you think?

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I am Jack's smirking revenge

[–] xanthas (3215) 3 years ago

I think he is mildly autistic. He reminds me of my own teenage son. I am always worried about him when he's out and about by himself.

[–] Boromir (10061) 21 days ago

I just read the first page of the discussion, and when someone mentioned the football scene, I thought to myself, "Wait... maybe he's autistic?" This could explain why he excels in geometry but struggles with English. Many high-functioning autistic individuals are exceptionally talented in areas like numbers, arithmetic, mathematics, and memory—or at least, that's the common portrayal in culture and movies. However, I know an autistic person who is highly skilled in Hebrew (his native language) and has even published at least one book of poetry. Anyway, it's possible he is autistic. Adding to this is the fact that his mother mentioned he was always "out" and odd since birth. It's quite sad that his parents were so preoccupied with themselves that they never thought to look into what might be going on with him.

This might explain why Mikey's reactions were slow.

Most of the time, I read the novel before watching the movie, but not this time. I wonder if there are any clues in the book.