HistoryProf wrote:
I ended up renting it from Redbox since I wanted to see this badly, even if in truncated form. I must confess that it left me with little desire to sit through an even longer version, and i'm rather confused by the choice to totally alter the
scene at the end where she tells Damon and the female teacher she had an abortion - which was apparently true, but i almost rewound the film to see if I somehow missed that. It really put me off the entire thing as it seemed like such an uncharacteristic shift from narcissism into pathological lying and manipulation. Lisa is a pretty consistent twit throughout the film, but never a liar. To omit all the references to that event in order to create speculation that she is lying went against the entire grain of the film for me.
As for the ending itself, I suppose we are to suppose that she finally "got it?" As Matt noted, that scene just felt false as well.
I had a pretty different reaction to her late declaration.
I didn't doubt it was true, but was startled at how she blurts it out. So I felt that she was becoming unhinged and that such unpleasantness had probably pushed her over the edge (or further in that direction).
The early scene where she loses her virginity, plus her dalliance with Damon, made it entirely believable that she became pregnant. But when she confronts Damon, I was thinking that it was likely/possibly not his, and that probably she didn't know either. She's lashing out, intentionally confronting/embarrassing him for his behavior and to vent her anger, while her world is getting more and more unstable.
One thing that did confuse me was the female accompanying Damon. I thought it was maybe another student, but then decided she looked older, so I assumed it was probably another teacher. Then I started wondering if we met this teacher before and I just didn't recall. So during a pretty key scene, my mind was trying to identify an apparently random new character. I guess using a female student or young teacher might have provoked some jealousy/anger in Lisa leading to her inappropriate outburst, but if they'd used a slightly older female it would have been more clear to me. I guess after processing it a bit, I had some residual doubt that maybe she was just being histrionic and that it hadn't occurred. But for me that was a minor doubt that crept in late. Earlier events, the tone of the film and her character all had me persuaded that it was true.
As for the stridency and argumentation, it seemed the film was trying to capture the solipsism and righteousness of adolescence. I liked the film a good deal and plan to watch the director's cut, though the extra scenes I've seen mention don't seem important or necessary to me. The rhythmic changes and sound cues sound very interesting however.
Question: is Blu Ray the only way the director's cut has been released?
If so, I won't be seeing it ...
