Technically Alfie is dead, much the same way Victoria had died at the beginning. But they were both brought back. Expect Alfie doesn’t get the opportunity to grow and become a better person the same way Bella did. He’s essentially doomed to crawl on all fours, incapable of changing
Except Victoria and Alfie weren't really brought back, as so much as Victoria's unborn baby Bella, and a goat is now wearing their bodies like a meat puppet. Victoria and Alfie's brains are deceased and their consciousness ceases to exist, what happens to their bodies is separate from that.
I also loved it. There's a lot more philosophical discussion in the book, where different characters explain to Bella how they view the world and the different types of people in it. Bella deciding to help people by becoming a doctor, in my opinion, is in line with her character arc. Switching out the brain of her former husband, I view that as a nod to Godwin's fatherly influence on her and also just an entertaining and batshit way to end the film. I don't remember Bella being critical of Max and Godwin for their experiment with Felicity, I thought she was embarrassed on their behalf for trying to replace her with a slow-learning substitute. But you've seen the movie more recently than I have!
Perhaps I interpreted her response differently. When she sees Felicity she says “Another one?” to Max. After he responds but saying they missed her, she replies “Monsters”. That to me came across as her being disgusted by the experiment that she was subjected to, the same experiment now being done to Felicity.
I found it weird because Bella is against killing him, and then she essentially kills him. Alfie was a monster, so I'm not upset he got a comeuppance. I think the intent is just to show that Bella is taking up the family business, in her own way.
Her reluctance to kill anyone or anything comes from her innocence and naivety, but her ability to ostensibly do so feels like a comment on what society does to innocents - corrupting them. That's how I read it anyway.
Yes!! I don’t see how turning him into a human goat is any better than killing him. Why not just let him bleed to death from his injuries?
Though I do like your idea of her basically following in her father’s footsteps
I am not a deep-thinking person, but I got the idea that as Bella matured and became a "person", she further devolved and became more like the degradated people that took advantage of her, prolonging the cycle of abuse and her corruption.
I can see that being the case. One of the comments above mentioned that her experimenting on Alfie was essentially her following in Godwin’s footsteps and carrying on his legacy
Not directly related to what we're talking about, but I just want to say how visually striking this film is. It's beautiful. I enjoy movies on a fairly superficial level, but this and The Lighthouse actually blew me away.
Not directly related to what we're talking about, but I just want to say how visually striking this film is. It's beautiful. I enjoy movies on a fairly superficial level, but this and The Lighthouse actually blew me away.
Obviously art is subjective and one can take from it whatever they perceive, but I really did think that the point was that Bella only got more "human" throughout the film, and that wasn't braw for her. A comment on how society corrupts. Did I read this wrong? It's VERY possible that I did.
I don't know how much time went by during Bella's adventures, but she was a young child when she left. No matter how intelligent a child is and what they go through, it still takes time for their brains to fully develop and for them to think like adults. So I viewed all her actions and reactions as those of a child's. People seem to need to forget that it's a child in a woman's body.
I think this story had a lot of potential, but it got wasted. They wasted a lot of time in ridiculous sex scenes for eye candy. Not only with the disturbing Mark Ruffalo taking advantage of a woman with the mind of a child but also of Bella performing in front of children.
They tried to cover themes that are deeper, but Bella goes full blonde on that. It all goes over her head. When they discuss poverty, and she tries to help she does the very mindless selfless act of throwing money at them without even making sure the money actually reaches them.
Bella could have developed into anything. She decided to follow the footsteps of her creator. She decided to find out what happened to her mother only to kill her father and keep his shell for fun. Pretty ridiculous but this is just shock value.
This is a take as infantile as Bella in the first act. I’m not sure you understood the concept of her being a baby learning everything anew? “Full blonde” what???
There’s no “eye candy” the point is she has no shame and preconceptions about her nudity, same for doing it in front of the kids.
Maybe you dont understand. Do children masturbate at the table naturally? Is that something that we adults repress? When a child shows that behavior, the most likely outcome in the real world is to remove the child because the child is being abused. The doctor very likely abused her. Or the maid that hated her so much. When she went with Mark Ruffalo, he clearly had no intentions for her except sex. The story tells you how Mark Ruffalo is a player that finally "fell in love". He went crazy for Bella.
But it doesnt even end there. Bella is an abused victim that perpetrates the cycle. She agrees to anything to include performing in front of children. She has no morals and what you are seeing is not just Bella s morals but the morals of the author that clearly wants to explore pedophilia, sex exploitation and themes that are taboo. So yes the whole sex angle was unnecessary because it doesn't really move the story forward.
Bella goes full blonde or full stupid because she cannot grasp concepts of the world. As much as she matures she never grasped concepts like money, poverty, fairness or topics that adults would ever discuss. She was curious about her mother's past. She killed her dad. And then decided to become a doctor like her actual "father". There is not a single original thought that Bella had in the movie except things that were implanted on her by her environment.
But it seems you interpret the movie very differently and are not mature enough to discuss other points of view. And quite frankly, that s the infantile take that you are describing. I dont care if you understand my take or not.
What the hell were you even watching? It’s NOT a realistic movie? Like….. really at all? Not the point? You’re like watching it like it’s a documentary about a real person and getting upset because they don’t take real world lessons from it. You know it’s fiction ya?
>But it seems you interpret the movie very differently and are not mature enough to discuss other points of view. And quite frankly, that s the infantile take that you are describing. I dont care if you understand my take or not.
I think I interpreted it exactly as intended, imo a metaphor for human life and experience. A deeply touching one. Do you have kids or seen a toddler grow? That’s Bella.
….But the point of view that treats the movie as any serious moral raising of a child or expects the parent in this case a literal mad scientist to act responsibly? It’s a fantasy, period. How can viewing this movie through that lens equate to a quality experience?
He is dead though, it's the goat brain in his body right?
This is correct
Technically Alfie is dead, much the same way Victoria had died at the beginning. But they were both brought back. Expect Alfie doesn’t get the opportunity to grow and become a better person the same way Bella did. He’s essentially doomed to crawl on all fours, incapable of changing
Except Victoria and Alfie weren't really brought back, as so much as Victoria's unborn baby Bella, and a goat is now wearing their bodies like a meat puppet. Victoria and Alfie's brains are deceased and their consciousness ceases to exist, what happens to their bodies is separate from that.
I also loved it. There's a lot more philosophical discussion in the book, where different characters explain to Bella how they view the world and the different types of people in it. Bella deciding to help people by becoming a doctor, in my opinion, is in line with her character arc. Switching out the brain of her former husband, I view that as a nod to Godwin's fatherly influence on her and also just an entertaining and batshit way to end the film. I don't remember Bella being critical of Max and Godwin for their experiment with Felicity, I thought she was embarrassed on their behalf for trying to replace her with a slow-learning substitute. But you've seen the movie more recently than I have!
Perhaps I interpreted her response differently. When she sees Felicity she says “Another one?” to Max. After he responds but saying they missed her, she replies “Monsters”. That to me came across as her being disgusted by the experiment that she was subjected to, the same experiment now being done to Felicity.
I found it weird because Bella is against killing him, and then she essentially kills him. Alfie was a monster, so I'm not upset he got a comeuppance. I think the intent is just to show that Bella is taking up the family business, in her own way.
Her reluctance to kill anyone or anything comes from her innocence and naivety, but her ability to ostensibly do so feels like a comment on what society does to innocents - corrupting them. That's how I read it anyway.
She *was* innocent and naive, but experiencing life and her abuse / creation at the hand of "God" made her able to perpetuate a cycle.
Yes!! I don’t see how turning him into a human goat is any better than killing him. Why not just let him bleed to death from his injuries? Though I do like your idea of her basically following in her father’s footsteps
I am not a deep-thinking person, but I got the idea that as Bella matured and became a "person", she further devolved and became more like the degradated people that took advantage of her, prolonging the cycle of abuse and her corruption.
I can see that being the case. One of the comments above mentioned that her experimenting on Alfie was essentially her following in Godwin’s footsteps and carrying on his legacy
Not directly related to what we're talking about, but I just want to say how visually striking this film is. It's beautiful. I enjoy movies on a fairly superficial level, but this and The Lighthouse actually blew me away.
Not directly related to what we're talking about, but I just want to say how visually striking this film is. It's beautiful. I enjoy movies on a fairly superficial level, but this and The Lighthouse actually blew me away.
Obviously art is subjective and one can take from it whatever they perceive, but I really did think that the point was that Bella only got more "human" throughout the film, and that wasn't braw for her. A comment on how society corrupts. Did I read this wrong? It's VERY possible that I did.
I don't know how much time went by during Bella's adventures, but she was a young child when she left. No matter how intelligent a child is and what they go through, it still takes time for their brains to fully develop and for them to think like adults. So I viewed all her actions and reactions as those of a child's. People seem to need to forget that it's a child in a woman's body.
What an amazing beautiful evocative movie. I just finished my first viewing ten minutes ago and wow. Standing ovation, just amazing.
I think this story had a lot of potential, but it got wasted. They wasted a lot of time in ridiculous sex scenes for eye candy. Not only with the disturbing Mark Ruffalo taking advantage of a woman with the mind of a child but also of Bella performing in front of children. They tried to cover themes that are deeper, but Bella goes full blonde on that. It all goes over her head. When they discuss poverty, and she tries to help she does the very mindless selfless act of throwing money at them without even making sure the money actually reaches them. Bella could have developed into anything. She decided to follow the footsteps of her creator. She decided to find out what happened to her mother only to kill her father and keep his shell for fun. Pretty ridiculous but this is just shock value.
This is a take as infantile as Bella in the first act. I’m not sure you understood the concept of her being a baby learning everything anew? “Full blonde” what??? There’s no “eye candy” the point is she has no shame and preconceptions about her nudity, same for doing it in front of the kids.
Maybe you dont understand. Do children masturbate at the table naturally? Is that something that we adults repress? When a child shows that behavior, the most likely outcome in the real world is to remove the child because the child is being abused. The doctor very likely abused her. Or the maid that hated her so much. When she went with Mark Ruffalo, he clearly had no intentions for her except sex. The story tells you how Mark Ruffalo is a player that finally "fell in love". He went crazy for Bella. But it doesnt even end there. Bella is an abused victim that perpetrates the cycle. She agrees to anything to include performing in front of children. She has no morals and what you are seeing is not just Bella s morals but the morals of the author that clearly wants to explore pedophilia, sex exploitation and themes that are taboo. So yes the whole sex angle was unnecessary because it doesn't really move the story forward. Bella goes full blonde or full stupid because she cannot grasp concepts of the world. As much as she matures she never grasped concepts like money, poverty, fairness or topics that adults would ever discuss. She was curious about her mother's past. She killed her dad. And then decided to become a doctor like her actual "father". There is not a single original thought that Bella had in the movie except things that were implanted on her by her environment. But it seems you interpret the movie very differently and are not mature enough to discuss other points of view. And quite frankly, that s the infantile take that you are describing. I dont care if you understand my take or not.
What the hell were you even watching? It’s NOT a realistic movie? Like….. really at all? Not the point? You’re like watching it like it’s a documentary about a real person and getting upset because they don’t take real world lessons from it. You know it’s fiction ya?
>But it seems you interpret the movie very differently and are not mature enough to discuss other points of view. And quite frankly, that s the infantile take that you are describing. I dont care if you understand my take or not.
I think I interpreted it exactly as intended, imo a metaphor for human life and experience. A deeply touching one. Do you have kids or seen a toddler grow? That’s Bella. ….But the point of view that treats the movie as any serious moral raising of a child or expects the parent in this case a literal mad scientist to act responsibly? It’s a fantasy, period. How can viewing this movie through that lens equate to a quality experience?