01/26/00: p.t. anderson knows nothing about incest, and it shows!

Posted By: Le_Morte_D-Pier


If Claudia really was an incest victim, it should have been implied more directly in her first scene with Jimmy. He should have tried to touch her, and she should have recoiled at his touch, something like that (watch "Romper Stomper," and notice how this incestual relationship is subtly communicated between Gabe--played by Jacqueline "Deep Blue Sea" McKenzie--and her father).

Anyway, I live with a survivor. She notices certain things in this film.

a) Rose Gator's questions directed at Jimmy near the end imply that she suspects Jimmy has done something to Claudia, and she only wants to hear it from him. Therefore, it makes sense--as this is common among survivors--that Claudia would feel resentment toward her mother for not protecting her from her father. But Claudia shows no resentment against Rose, which does not follow logically.

b) Jimmy's insistence that he "doesn't remember" fits a pattern, since often an abuser--realizing that what he does is wrong--will try to admit to his actions (as Jimmy does) without directly holding himself accountable for those actions. So Jimmy admits what he did by saying, "Claudia thinks I used to do something to her," be he denies accountability by his litany of "I don't remember, I don't remember."

c) If Jimmy is truly an abuser, so many subtleties of his interaction with Rose and Claudia do not ring true (for instance, Claudia would respond with trepidation rather than her angry "You want to call me a whore" routine; an abuser subconsciously keeps his victim in a child mode when he is present, unless the victim has addressed her issues through professional help).

I will add the following:

d) If you even have to ask whether or not Claudia was abused, that tells me that her scenes (as with most of the film) were too underdeveloped and poorly written (sharp dialogue aside). Good writing is interesting to listen to, but it also communicates the necessary information to answer your questions. I'm a smart guy with an MA in film studies, and I polish scripts for writers in Hollywood ... and I had too many questions.

This film needs an enema, or worse, and abortion.


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