How far are you willing to go to spite your parents and rebel against the standards they’ve set for you? Apparently, for the character Ruth, the sky is the limit. Though it is natural for kids to rebel and want to move apart from their upbringing as I did, the character Maggie wants to bond with her daughter come hell or high water, but Ruth is dead set on pulling back as far as she can. The questions that are raised here is can Maggie ever accept that her daughter has grown apart from her, and how far is Ruth willing to go to spite her mother? Is she willing to even damage her own health, and possibly kill herself to do so?
Not since “War of the Roses” have I seen two people in so much pain being with one another, but the difference here is that the torment they inflict on each other is on a more deeper level, and Maggie can’t figure out that the closer she gets the more damage she inflicts. The performances by Bridget Collins and Victoria Jefferey are bittersweet with the right shades of confliction and pain that come from a mother and daughter that have drifted apart. Director Eyal doesn’t explain if Ruth is being a spoiled bitch, or if Maggie was a horrible mother, he just explains that Maggie is trying to bond, but Ruth won’t have it regardless. The final disturbing scene shows how far Ruth is willing to go to get away from her. And the climax leaves us wondering: Has Maggie finally gotten the message?
