Question: (Spoiler warning) I didn't really understand why the wildfire was put into the story. I know that fires happen in California often and that the scene at the end of the movie looks creepy with all of the smoke and fires in the background, but was there supposed to be any other special meaning or symbolism?
Question: What was Abel's problem? I don't really buy his wife having an affair with a white man and being reminded about it by Chris and Lisa's actions as a reasonable excuse for him going psycho. I think there was a bigger problem he had with them that may have made him snap.
Question: Even before Abel saw the interracial couple making out in the pool, why would he be so suspicious that they are a bad influence? How exactly does his wife's death and unfaithfulness play a role in this mistrust?
Answer: Abel was mentally unstable and that drove his overall behavior. His initial antagonism about Chris and Lisa started with a variety of factors including them being an inter-racial couple, Chris' smoking, and the couple listening to hip hop music. This was all exaggerated in Abel's mind, and continued festering. Abel's late wife had an affair with a white man, which seems to be a factor in his objection to any inter-racial relationship and distrust of white men. It's implied that Abel's extreme, controlling behavior is what led to his wife's infidelity.
Question: At the end of the film, when Chris, surrounded by the LASD, asks Abel if he listened to his wife and if he saw her leaving coming, did he know that that would trigger Abel's mental unstableness and thus expose him to the deputies? It's as if Chris gave the deputies an opening and a reason to shoot Abel dead.
Answer: Abel had been repeatedly criticizing Chris' marriage and was very sensitive to being called out in his ways or being talked back to, such as when he hit his daughter when she lashed out at him. Chris likely put two and two together and figured that Abel would be easily triggered if he did the same thing Abel had been doing to him by questioning his loyalty to his late wife.
Question: Just a thought. If the Mattsons chose to file a complaint against Abel, would his history of unethical behaviour on the job make his superiors more inclined to take the complaint seriously? It just seems odd to me that accusations of inappropriate behaviour against a policeman outside the job would be dismissed so easily when he has a long history of questionable behaviour on the job.
Answer: The department may want to cover up Abel's behaviour to avoid bad publicity or accusations about police brutality and corruption. Most likely, it would result in an investigation by Internal Affairs, which they may have various reasons, aside from Abel, of wanting to prevent.
Question: Just a thought. If the Mattsons chose to file a complaint against Abel, would his history of unethical behaviour on the job make his superiors more inclined to take the complaint seriously? It just seems odd to me that accusations of inappropriate behaviour against a policeman outside the job would be dismissed so easily when he has a long history of questionable behaviour on the job.
Answer: It's not unheard of that some police departments have covered up their own officers' inappropriate behaviour or misdeeds, particularly ones who are higher ranking. It would then become a matter for Internal Affairs or even the Department of Justice to investigate.
Answer: As far as symbolism, from a film student's perspective (mine), it's like destruction or division, two common themes in the film. The two characters are split in values and the fire is raging between them. As the fire gets closer to the houses, it increases in intensity, as does the fighting between neighbors. I think in this film, fire was used not only as a plot device, but a metaphor for the story as well.
manthabeat ★