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Originally Posted by Rickypt
Wow, I thought it was just a freak experience at my particular showing. My friend and I were horrified.  |
THIS WHOLE THREAD IS PRETTY MUCH A SPOLIER, FOLKS.
I have read a lot about this happening at a lot of screenings. The most the scene ever elicited at the shows I have watched is a titter and a bunch of gasps. I don't think people are laughing at Alma. The lead up to the scene has been extremely tense. Ennis is chain smoking, drinking, waiting, and when Jack finally shows, it is a crescendo. I think the laughter is more a release of tension on the part of the audience than it is about having no feeling for Alma.
It is no surprise that most of the talk is about the guys, they are the main characters, after all. But Michelle Williams has huge oscar buzz, and has won accolades from tons of critics. The sadness she goes through is enormous. But on the other hand, she does get remarried. Was her love for Ennis trashed and thwarted ? Absolutely. It is side wreckage from main plot line. Which does not lessen it's importance or intensity.
I don't know that Lureen has the same tragic arc. I doubt she relied on Jack so much. Her character had other things to do. But her impeccable phone call scene shows that she is absolutely shattered by the events. In a much different way than anyone else. That performance was masterful.
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As far as this "true love" business goes, I'm inclined to think of it as a steaming pile of crap that was made up to sell books and movie tickets.  I've certainly never experienced it.
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You're certainly joking, as is evidenced by the laughy face. Regardless, one of the amazing things about this film is that it showed love that I absolutely believed. It's the first time in my 30 some years of movie viewing that I saw a film in which two men loved each other and I really bought it. As the reviewer in Entertainment Weekly called it "A film in which it feels almost as if love were being invented."
I certainly agree. And with repeated viewings I have only understood more about the characters and the detailed nuances of the performances have
become clearer. The structure is classic as well. The whole thing is put together like a symphony, with repeated phrasing and plot devices, and thundering crescendos to punctuate the ends of acts. Genius.