Secret Window (2004) - 8 questions

Question: What does Depp try to signify (if anything) with the facial tic of open mouth jaw popping?

Answer: It doesn't signify anything in particular. It's just something odd the character does.

Question: What is the meaning behind the Morton salt and other groceries that Mort buys at the end of the movie?

Answer: Mort Rainey buys the salt, butter, and napkins for eating the corn he grew in the garden above Ted and Amy's graves. The "Morton" brand of salt uses the advertising slogan, "when it rains, it pours." Mort Rainey's name can be translated to "raining death." The "Vanity Fair" napkins could be a refernce to Mort's personality.

Question: I'm having trouble working Ted and Mort's confrontation at the gas station into the narrative. Throughout the scene, Ted acts as if he knows all the events that have afflicted Mort vis-a-vis Shooter (he reacts to the dead dog, he says "I admit that most of what has been happening is my fault," etc.). But then it turns out that it was all Mort's doing, that John Shooter didn't exist, and that Ted had absolutely nothing to do with it. The scene, therefore, is decidedly strange. It is not in Mort's imagination, as in a later scene Ted still has an aching hand from punching the car. Anybody have an idea?

Answer: The director explains this scene in the commentary on the DVD. Ted is talking about Amy and the messy divorce and thinks Mort is talking about Amy as well. Mort is talking about Shooter. Ted doesn't understand why Mort mentions his dead dog. But other than looking away puzzled he doesn't address that issue.

Question: I didn't really get the beginning. How did Mort know the exact room where his wife was? And when Mort came in, why was Ted mad, shouldn't he be ashamed? After all, Amy WAS Mort's wife and he was sleeping with her. And when Mort was in the car and telling himself not to go back, was that another proof showing he was kinda psycho?

Answer: Mort followed Ted and Amy to the motel and watched which room they went into. Ted's reaction was a mixture of emotions: anger, shock, fear, shame, etc. It was a highly charged situation and considering Mort burst in screaming with a gun threatening to kill them, Ted's reaction seems normal under the circumstances. Mort talking with himself in the car is a subtle clue to the audience that his personality has more than one facet to it.

Question: Why does Mort Rainey want the screwdriver back from Tom Greenwald's head, and doesn't take his axe back too?

Answer: The screwdriver could be used as evidence to convict him if the body would ever be found. And he may have taken out the axe as well. It is not shown, but that doesn't mean that he didn't take it.

Question: There is a scene in the movie where Mort destroys his bathroom, once he destroys his shower door he sees a mouse, he picks it up and lets it go, what does this have to do with the movie?

Answer: He hears the mouse and sees his reflection in the mirror, leading him to believe Shooter was in there. He releases the mouse out of compassion.

Question: I have seen the movie three times, and I still don't get it...why does Mort Rainey try to hide the fact that he smokes?

Answer: Particularly in America, within one generation smoking has moved from a very widespread convention to a habit viewed as filthy and unseemly. Thus, many people hide their smoking from others to avoid this prejudice.

Question: When Mort shows Ken his bruises, does Ken see them? Later in the movie when Mort is obviously crazy, he can't see his bruises. So, were the bruises his imagination or were the bruises being gone his imagination?

Answer: Mort never shows the bruises to Ken. He plans to when they meet Tom in the morning, but we never see him actually do it. It doesn't matter whether they were there or not (either they were self-inflicted or imaginary), the fact that they appear and disappear shows his altered perception.