Does anyone know what she was saying and why she was saying it? And also why did she stop and pretend to look in the shop whilst 2 women walked past?
Streep/Cotillard/Weaver/Bullock/Cruz
Hay it's me again :)
"Four sugared rolls, three jam tarts and a loaf for Matron, please."
Miss G. being rejected by Fiamma at the lake from previous scene.
If she can't make Fiamma pay attention to her, then she can make other girls jealous to her, it is a "loose-loose solution".
At lunch time, all girls have typical same menu, we see butter bread, this is a symbol of equality. By giving Fiamma cake brought from outside, it tells that Fiamma is special than the others. Miss G. is a proud teacher, she has limited number of pupil wearing red ribbon, so you can imagine how precious her attention is, instantly make other girl jealous, we hear Rossie says "it's nor fair".
When Di stare at Fiamma, I think there is two possible feeling:
1. Di simply feel jealous of Fiamma.
2. Di feel anger because Fiamma won't accept the cake from Miss G., a precious give that Di could not get.
Miss G. her self choose the arrangement of cake, it seems like a code of her feeling, for example, 4 sugared rolls + 3 jam tarts maybe mean Miss G. attention to other 6 girls and Miss G. herself is equal to Fiamma one :)
Miss G. won't forgot the code, so she muttering to herself while walking to the shop. I think when she Miss G. evade the 2 woman simply because she feel ashamed, you can see before she stop there is a woman and her daughter looking back after passing Miss G.
If you have, I would like to hear your opinion about 4 + 3 = 7 number of cakes :D
Miss G. is psycho, if you won't I say she is crazy :P She's like a Libra mesmerized by a Pisces, I forgot a movie use this kind of love, and it ends tragically.
That makes so much sense! Thanks once again, I never really picked up on the cakes and why she got so many.
But, If she was going to give cakes to the other girls, Why did she slap Fuzzy's hand away when she went to get one??
Streep/Cotillard/Weaver/Bullock/Cruz
No, I mean Miss G. only giving all the cakes to Fiamma, that's why Miss G. brought 7 cakes as a portion for 1 person, instead 1 cake for 1 person, to show how great her attention to Fiamma among other girls.
Here the analogue:
[At the Lake]
Miss G. rejected by Fiamma.
[At the Shop]
Miss G. brought cake from outside for Fiamma, to symbolically break the sense of equality, represented by regular menu, the butter bread, so the girls are jealous, especially Di.
[Fiamma offer the Cakes to Fuzzy]
Fiamma don't interest with Miss G. attention, so she trying to share the gift.
[Miss G. Slaps Fuzzy Hand]
Although Miss G. may already predict that Fiamma won't eat the cake (to grant her), at least her attempt successful, if Fiamma hatred, then the only way to escape is to Miss G. But in the next scene, Di got angry and expel Fiamma out.
I may be confused but I thought Miss G was avoiding people because she had never left that place and she didn't want anyone to recognise her.
shareDuring the scene where Miss G looks at Fiamma's file, it is implied by the headmistress that Miss G was once the subject of a scandal herself, possibly while a pupil at the school.The headmistress chides her for gossiping and tells her that she, of all people, should know about second chances.
To me, Miss G is nervous walking into town because she knows that the townspeople are aware of whatever happened in her past and will be talking and gossiping about her. The interaction with the men leads me to believe that the scandal was sexual in nature and she fears that if she is seen to be so much as conversing with a man then she is giving anyone who may see her enough ammunition to spread rumours and disparage her name, thus threatening her job at the school.
That's just what interpreted from it.
I have an entirely different take on it. As someone who suffers from anxiety, its very easy to spot in other people. Her trip to the village is supposed to show that she is not comfortable out of the confines of the school- more proof that the stories that she tells her students of her adventures are just that- stories- as she has never really left the school at all.
She is very obviously agoraphobic, muttering exactly what she wants at the shop so that she doesnt mess it up and draw attention to herself, stopping at the window so the women can walk by and she wont feel watched anymore, feeling trapped while buying the cakes since those two people are behind her and she drops the money and pretty much just says "screw it" and runs away. Yup, all very typical anxiety-ridden behaviors brought on by the fact that she does not feel at home out in the public.
"Hey Shuya, I got a crush on someone"share
Exactly, how could anyone have missed this? These details are important in defining Miss G.'s character. She has obviously never left the boarding school, though she pretends to be a traveler. This is why she tells those stories from books she has read as if they were anecdotes from her travels. This is also why she is obsessed with Fiamma, who has really traveled the world. Miss G really cannot interact with anyone outside the boarding school, hence why she cannot organize competitions. "Beat on the brat, Beat on the brat, with a baseball bat Oh yeah"
I agree with that analysis Ladt B, I felt the same way. I was only watching it half heartedly while doing something else. but did the movie ever explain what the past scandal was? I assume it had to do with another lesbian event, but didn't see anything else about it.
shareI think Karskoya got it right. The farther she got away from the school, the more she panicked. Although I though it odd later when she seemed OK at the ferryboat, although she didn't want to go out on it.
shareAnd, you are trying to find meaning in a film like this? Analyzing a film about pedophilia (the role played by Ms. Green), rape, including sodomy. Frankly, trying to understand the market, market understanding of this film, let alone who would, in all good conscience, go to see this film after reading the review and posts, is a troubling question.
I wasn't sure what the film was really about based upon the trailers. Upon reading the posts I was disturbed by subtle, suggested sympathy for the pedophile, charismatic or not, the acceptance of child abuse and rape in a boarding school, and the rape and murder of a boarding school student due to jealousy, or resentment.
I'm typically a fan of the Scott's, but this film romanticizes the most vile and base abuse of children, and encouragement of children abusing other children.
Why was this film even made?
Interesting review.
If movies, or any other medium, concerning such an important subject aren't to be analysed then what is? And, with all due respect, it's quite unfair of you to cast judgement upon the character of people who do watch and praise this movie.
It's not very clear to me whether you watched the movie or were put off by the reviews so I'm going to say what I have to say on the assumption that you have seen it. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
I'm genuinely curious as to where you picked up the impliation of sodomy. From what I recall, there was none, at least in the movie.
Trying to understand Miss G's motivations isn't the same as condoning or excusing them though in all fairness to you, I too have seen some reviewers sympathising with the character.
However, that is not the fault of anyone involved in this production. No where does it romanticize child abuse or bullying and I'm suprised that you can even claim this.
This was quite obviously a potrait of an obsessive, dysfunctional woman who's mania leads her to abuse. Her decline is clear in everything from her mannerisms to her appearance and in the end, her perversion is discovered and she suffers the very fate she feared, to live out her days in a duldrum existence. That the school chose not to involve the authorities is actually a very realistic outcome.
The children whom she captivated and then abused emotionally discovered just how wrong they were about her and stood up to her.
This movie was not a romantic portrayal at all.
Why was this film even made?
"this film romanticizes the most vile and base abuse of children" I can't think of any scene in this film that presents any abuse of children in a _romantic_ way. It presents Miss G as cracked, pathetic, and evil.
shareI think she was agoraphobic and was rehearsing her order just to calm herself down.
"Joey, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"
Yes, it could not have been more clear that she was barely able to function outside the walls of the school.
She may have been full blown agoraphobic or just simply so heavily institutionalized at that point that she was completely unable to function at something as simple as going to a shop and buying some cakes.
It shows how much getting those cakes meant to her to give to Fiamma. Because she really went through emotional trauma to get out to the village and buy them.
That scene really finally told the tale on Miss G and we finally "got it." She was a hot house flower that only could live within the walls of the school.
As for the record in the office?
That part could have been handled much better than it was. I even froze the screen and tried to read every word that was visible but it was completely incomprehnsible. I thought I saw something about a "scandal" and "a count" or and words that were not positive.
But it was unclear whether that was Fiamma's file or Miss G's. I took it to be Fiamma's file.
She had been sent away from her country to the wilds of this school for some reason. It seemed that there was a scandal or some kind of situation that caused her to be sent there--even if it was her parents' scandal.
And I just assumed with Miss G's fascination with Fiamma she decided to sneak in and read the file.
Why would she read her OWN file? All these years later? At the same time Fiamma arrives?
But I'd still like to see what that file said. It was really not a good scene to let us know what was going on.