(Let me first make a little side note that I am agoraphobic myself.)
The beginning of the movie, opening credits, some people may say that the puzzle pieces are symbolic of you having to put all the pieces together throughout the movie, some people would say it's just what the film makers decided to do. Personally, I think it's more of an Abigail bit; when you're agoraphobic and don't leave the house, as you can imagine there's not many choices of what to do with your time. I, along with some agoraphobic friends I've met on patientslikeme, spend a lot of our time working on puzzles. Something that keeps both your mind and your hands busy, something that you can watch progress, especially the 200+ piece puzzles.
When detective Jerry Eeans of the NYPD went to first visit Abigail her timid reaction and keeping her distance is very understandable for someone with agoraphobia or social phobia. I found the arachnophobia comment rather funny, it's a natural reaction for people to try to understand each other and being told phobias others have is actually another very common thing for agoraphobics to receive, as someone's way of trying to get them to let down their guard since they can relate. I watched this movie with my mother, who doesn't truly understand my diagnoses yet, and she made the comment of how gross it was for Abigail to sniff the china cup he used, and then take a sip from the same place that he drank from. Just like with any other phobia, agoraphobics don't LIKE their fear of the outdoors, they don't CHOOSE to stay indoors all day with the blinds shut and the door locked. Every creature craves interaction, and for those with disabilities it's harder to get that interaction. But even if someone won't leave their room, or their house, they still want people to interact with. They still want to feel loved and love someone else, they want to feel the warmth of another's touch. She felt an interaction with that cup, not only had someone come into her house, but they touched and drank from something she owned.
Many people have a hard time with change, they like their same routine and change will cause any range of emotions from fear, to anger. Abigail wants to purchase the apartment across from her, not so she can have more space, but so there is no change in her life. There's no new neighbors to get used to, and no chance of them being any different from Katherine, her deceased neighbor. Since she can't leave her apartment I would doubt she'd ever step foot into the apartment if purchased, or put any of her stuff in there unless she got her long time family friend, and believed psychiatrist, Dr. Ray Fontaine, or her concierge to do it for her. And from the movies actions, I would say her purchase of the apartment would have been just what she needed.
Feeling sympathy for those in trouble, especially if you're A- a woman (I am too, just stating a fact, not generalizing) or B- been through the same situation, often times puts a lot of people in trouble. Abigail should have just called the police, but hearing the beatings of Lillian in the hallway triggered her PTSD and gave her flash-backs of her very own beatings. She felt the strong urge to help this woman, not just hide away from it. Bringing her in and caressing her while her believed husband beat on the door was her own way of caressing the beaten child of her past.
Then begins the part of the movie that my title refers to. I only came to watch this movie for my agoraphobia, but the only thing that got me through the movie was my OCD not letting me quit out on it 47 minutes in when Lillian was walking Abigail out of her apartment and down the hall. For someone who hasn't gone into the hall for more than 11 years, that is absolutely AMAZING work! I was actually in tears watching her do something so brave, and having - who was thought to be - a good friend help her through that.
I'm not really going to nitt-pick the rest of this movie, in fact, I'm going to skip a huge chunk and go to the last scene, the scene that so many people are discussing in FAQs and on yahoo answers and on goodreads, and I'm sure many more websites.
Abigail and Lillian meet-up in the bank. How someone with such severe agoraphobia could go from barely making it down to the table closest to the elevator, could make it downtown Manhattan to one of the busiest banks in the state. Betrayal made her do one of the bravest things any agoraphobic could do, and not only did she take it on with such strength, but she did so without a single hyperventilation, or puking session - HUGE. Many people say that this has "cured" her agoraphobia. That she's starting her new life in someplace safe and warm and will live on a normal life. WRONG. Getting up the courage to leave the apartment once to save her name and save herself from the public's eye does not in anyway mean she's cured of her agoraphobia. My guess is if they kept the camera's rolling, she'd get on the plane, have a mini panic attack, get a new place, find a new home-visit psychiatrist, and never leave the house again for years.
The beginning of the movie, opening credits, some people may say that the puzzle pieces are symbolic of you having to put all the pieces together throughout the movie, some people would say it's just what the film makers decided to do. Personally, I think it's more of an Abigail bit; when you're agoraphobic and don't leave the house, as you can imagine there's not many choices of what to do with your time. I, along with some agoraphobic friends I've met on patientslikeme, spend a lot of our time working on puzzles. Something that keeps both your mind and your hands busy, something that you can watch progress, especially the 200+ piece puzzles.
When detective Jerry Eeans of the NYPD went to first visit Abigail her timid reaction and keeping her distance is very understandable for someone with agoraphobia or social phobia. I found the arachnophobia comment rather funny, it's a natural reaction for people to try to understand each other and being told phobias others have is actually another very common thing for agoraphobics to receive, as someone's way of trying to get them to let down their guard since they can relate. I watched this movie with my mother, who doesn't truly understand my diagnoses yet, and she made the comment of how gross it was for Abigail to sniff the china cup he used, and then take a sip from the same place that he drank from. Just like with any other phobia, agoraphobics don't LIKE their fear of the outdoors, they don't CHOOSE to stay indoors all day with the blinds shut and the door locked. Every creature craves interaction, and for those with disabilities it's harder to get that interaction. But even if someone won't leave their room, or their house, they still want people to interact with. They still want to feel loved and love someone else, they want to feel the warmth of another's touch. She felt an interaction with that cup, not only had someone come into her house, but they touched and drank from something she owned.
Many people have a hard time with change, they like their same routine and change will cause any range of emotions from fear, to anger. Abigail wants to purchase the apartment across from her, not so she can have more space, but so there is no change in her life. There's no new neighbors to get used to, and no chance of them being any different from Katherine, her deceased neighbor. Since she can't leave her apartment I would doubt she'd ever step foot into the apartment if purchased, or put any of her stuff in there unless she got her long time family friend, and believed psychiatrist, Dr. Ray Fontaine, or her concierge to do it for her. And from the movies actions, I would say her purchase of the apartment would have been just what she needed.
Feeling sympathy for those in trouble, especially if you're A- a woman (I am too, just stating a fact, not generalizing) or B- been through the same situation, often times puts a lot of people in trouble. Abigail should have just called the police, but hearing the beatings of Lillian in the hallway triggered her PTSD and gave her flash-backs of her very own beatings. She felt the strong urge to help this woman, not just hide away from it. Bringing her in and caressing her while her believed husband beat on the door was her own way of caressing the beaten child of her past.
Then begins the part of the movie that my title refers to. I only came to watch this movie for my agoraphobia, but the only thing that got me through the movie was my OCD not letting me quit out on it 47 minutes in when Lillian was walking Abigail out of her apartment and down the hall. For someone who hasn't gone into the hall for more than 11 years, that is absolutely AMAZING work! I was actually in tears watching her do something so brave, and having - who was thought to be - a good friend help her through that.
I'm not really going to nitt-pick the rest of this movie, in fact, I'm going to skip a huge chunk and go to the last scene, the scene that so many people are discussing in FAQs and on yahoo answers and on goodreads, and I'm sure many more websites.
Abigail and Lillian meet-up in the bank. How someone with such severe agoraphobia could go from barely making it down to the table closest to the elevator, could make it downtown Manhattan to one of the busiest banks in the state. Betrayal made her do one of the bravest things any agoraphobic could do, and not only did she take it on with such strength, but she did so without a single hyperventilation, or puking session - HUGE. Many people say that this has "cured" her agoraphobia. That she's starting her new life in someplace safe and warm and will live on a normal life. WRONG. Getting up the courage to leave the apartment once to save her name and save herself from the public's eye does not in anyway mean she's cured of her agoraphobia. My guess is if they kept the camera's rolling, she'd get on the plane, have a mini panic attack, get a new place, find a new home-visit psychiatrist, and never leave the house again for years.