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Clip description
Cath (Lorna Lesley) comes home after spending the night with another man. She tries to communicate with Mike (Sam Neill) but he doesn’t want to talk. Next morning he suggests they break-up.
Curator’s notes
This is the beginning of the end of the relationship with Mike. The break-up sets Cath on the road to her attempted suicide. This scene does not come as a surprise. Throughout the relationship Cath has been trying to get Mike to take her seriously and to communicate with her more. Feeling rejected she spends the night with another student to try and get Mike’s attention. Her attempt to regain their love and intimacy backfires and Cath finds herself alone.
This scene is wonderfully realised, with the intimacy of the script and the intensity of the acting increasing its power. The direction of it as an underplayed dramatic scene makes it all the more heartbreaking as we watch the characters struggle to connect with their own feelings. It rings very true as to how relationships end often not with a bang but a whimper. It also captures the heart of Cath’s confusion about intimacy and love.
