SIMON IN LOVE

[deleted]

my answer is based solely on the film...i haven't read the book.

I think Simon was also attracted to Cassandra, even if he professed to be in love with Rose. Maybe it was in the acting, the editing or the script, but I thought Simon had a stronger emotional connection with Cassandra. You can compare the scene of Simon with Rose (set in the gallery with their ancestor's paintings) and Simon's scenes with Cassandra...you can see that he's more open with her and I dare say, happier when he's with Cass than Rose. I didn't feel any chemistry between Simon and Rose even if Simon was supposedly "worshipping" her. At most, he seemed more taken by her beauty than anything else. Unlike his interaction with Cassandra. With Cassandra, Simon seemed to have found his perfect fit.

I also thought it was striking the way Simon said "I'm in love with her (Rose)" after his kiss with Cassandra. It didn't sound like he was telling it to Cassandra, but it came off like he was trying to convince himself. It's also weird the way Simon looks at Cassandra. There was nothing "brotherly" about it. Even when he says "You look very grown up tonight. I'm not sure I approve." he's teasing her...but it also felt loaded with overtures.

It's very different when Cassandra tells Stephen directly that she does not love him. She finds him very sexually appealing yes (Damn he's hot! and she is a teenager with hormones), but I really believe her when she says she does not love him in the romantic sense. It's in the way she talks to him and handles herself with Stephen. She really does just regard him like a brother. She grew up with him, and it's really hard for some people to get past the platonic view. I felt so sad for Stephen when Cassandra tearfully tells him, "But I don't love you Stephen. I don't love you." His face is just so sad you want to hug him. Cassandra's desperate plea also hints that if she could feel otherwise, she would just so everyone can be happy. Oh well...maybe Romola is just a really superb actress. hehe


Also When Rose leaves Simon...I read Simon's heartbreak as more of a combination of shattered perceptions and humiliation at being dumped at the altar for his brother. Given time, I think he really would have realized that Rose and him would have never worked out. I didn't see it as complete heartbreak similar to the loss of a genuine soulmate. There was just nothing in the film that suggested to me he was genuinely in love with Rose beyond her charisma and aggressive attentions. Unlike the scenes of Rose with Neil...I could easily see those two hooking up the first moment they met. They were a true match.









I loved "The Painted Veil." Please do try to see it.