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zandert33
Sep 20, 2002

Anybody have any thoughts on Michael Shannon's sex scene with his wife, and the purpose of it in the scope of the story? The movie seems to work to show women as sexual: the masturbation scenes, Elisa pursuing the fishman, and Mike Shannon's wife initiating sex.

I'm just not sure if that is the purpose of the scene, or if I'm missing something else.

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zandert33
Sep 20, 2002

chiasaur11 posted:

Look at how he has sex.

Where Elisa sets the fishman at ease before they go into things, Michael Shannon's character goes at his wife like a washing machine. Her comfort isn't important. Her pleasure isn't important. It's all about him.

It's establishing that his perfect 50s family isn't a group of people he loves and cares about, but a thing he has. It doesn't matter if his wife is happy, as long as he's still getting what he wants from her.

Basically, it's a way to establish his home life is of a piece with his attitude at work without going to the cliches.


I'm not sure if this is how I read things completely. Remember, when the kids leave for school it's the WIFE who asks him to go upstairs. She's the one who pulls her breast out, and for the most part she seemed to be into it prior to the blood running down his hand. Maybe you see it as her appeasing her husband, or her asking him to "go upstairs" because she thinks he needs it, but that's not how I felt about the way she acted. Maybe he was selfish in that moment, but it didn't seem to be a "normal" thing from the way the scene played out.

quote:

You might say he gets off on dead fish, both at home and at work.

I don't agree with this at all.

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