Désir interdit

I enjoyed this movie well enough, especially to fold clothes and do other chores by during a weekday afternoon. The performance by Ted Levine was excellent... I especially liked the way that he talked aloud during prayer and to his livestock. I do the same thing, so it was nice to see it portrayed. Many people may find this movis silly, and may wonder why in the world a husband would ever suggest that his wife bear his brother's child. I have suffered infertility and also two heartbreaking miscarriages, and while I would never resort to having my brother-in-law's child, I can see how some people would find that to be a viable option. The drive to have a child can be a strong and confusing thing.

I also liked the wife's exposition to her brother-in-law about how a woman is "tricked" when another woman becomes pregnant. I have felt the same thing many times. The fact that the couple had been married for seven years, which is the same length of time that I have been married and childless, resonated with me. Their sadness and longing for a baby does come through in their performances.

While this movie will not appeal to everyone, it did ring true for me. It was somewhat predictable, but sometimes predictability is a comforting thing. It had several strong and obvious themes, such as the loudness of the ticking clock in the childless home (which I have also begun to notice in my home). Also the stud bull which was bought to build a herd is a fairly obvious parallel to the brother, but I did not mind that at all.

There were several ways in which this film could have ended, and any of them would have satisfied me.