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Clip description
The bed-bound Elizabeth Hunter (Charlotte Rampling) is starting to rally after her stroke, buoyed by the thought of seeing her grown children later in the day. Basil (Geoffrey Rush) and Dorothy (Judy Davis) have both arrived in the country but neither is looking very happy about the impending reunion.
Curator’s notes
This sequence introduces the film’s three main characters and the overall dramatic situation with admirable clarity and economy. It also quickly establishes the sour tone of the film’s human relationships. In an example of dramatic irony, Elizabeth announces confidently that she can see clearly. Yet the audience quickly sees otherwise – her son Basil cynically covers up his time of arrival so that he doesn’t have to rush to his mother’s bedside. His earlier jibe at the local theatre immediately indicates his snobbishness.
On a symbolic level, the sequence uses characters looking into mirrors as a metaphor for ’seeing’ a situation. Elizabeth maintains she can see the general picture but can only see herself. The differing ways in which mother and daughter see themselves are directly contrasted by an edit from one mirror image to the other – Elizabeth is pleased at her own reflection (showing her egotism and self-regard), while Dorothy is distressed by her own dishevelled look (showing low self-esteem).
The second metaphor is rain – indicating the joylessness of this impending family reunion.
