In the indie film released earlier this year, we saw a homosexual couple’s life shatter apart, but in reality, was that the true message? We start the film with the main character ironing what seems to be formal attire; many say it’s a wedding outfit, others say it’s the outfit of the spouse. I believe it’s a wedding suit, although I think it transcends the scene. Not only does he sob into the tuxedo, but as the lights flicker the ironing board itself is suddenly toppled and the tuxedo is unseen.
This leads me to believe that entire scene was a way to cope with the heartbreak he’s been experiencing with his lover. From collapsing to the floor, to screaming out god’s name, we see a vulnerability in the protagonist (or anti-hero?) not usually portrayed in media today.
The following scene is short, but heart-breaking. From the footsteps reverberating and getting louder as the scene progressed, to only the anticlimax of a household pet strolling into the room. What intrigued me most is that even the pet doesn’t notice our main character. Could it be the disdain of the pet, or is once again, or main character grasping for anything to hold as he spirals downward?
Not to mention the laptop scene, which is most important. It shows the mental lapse in judgement our main character experienced. He sees what appears to be dating sites and private messages, although we never saw the true screen ourselves, and his instinct is to throw the laptop in frustration. But as the lights dim, we see the laptop still where it originally was.
By the end of the film we are met with sounds of clanking metals in the kitchen, leaving the audience to suspect one of two dark trajectories: murder or suicide.
We will never truly know, but what we do know is that everything is seen from his eyes, so reality and fiction both blend as the scene progresses.
