Topic: To his knees

[jerasjr]

The two occasions that Ennis goes to his knees he is leaving Jack.  The first time as Jack leaves after their time on BBM, and he regrets having to lose Jack, but is left with the only solution that he feels he can make.  Again, he falls to his knees, embraced by Jack,when they have, we find out later,  reached the conclusion of their love story.  In both Ennis gives in to what he has held in check and it has a huge impact.  Why do we feel it's impact in our lives?

[tpe]

Our knees buckle when we cannot sustain our own weight in times of true weakness or uncontrollable passion.

In the case of Ennis, I am moved because it is passion, and not weakness, that brings him to his knees.  It refuses to be kept inside forever.

That is why I am so moved.

[Stephen]

When I first saw the film, my heart nearly stopped when Ennis sank to knees in Jack's arms and cried out,"you made me this way, I'm nothing...." I think I felt Ennis' sense of futility in the wake of a great passion that he could not completely acknowledge......and at the same time I felt with him, I also felt so profoundly sorry for him that I cried with him.  In the post first summer scene, when Ennis ducks under a bridge and falls to his knees with dry heaves of unacknowledged passion, I think we react with surprised empathy at the power of his gut reaction to parting the way with Jack; it's our first sign that Ennis has internalized his passions for Jack even beyond his own understanding; and this I think speaks to all of us.

[tpe]

When I first saw the film, my heart nearly stopped when Ennis sank to knees in Jack's arms and cried out,"you made me this way, I'm nothing...." I think I felt Ennis' sense of futility in the wake of a great passion that he could not completely acknowledge......and at the same time I felt with him, I also felt so profoundly sorry for him that I cried with him.  In the post first summer scene, when Ennis ducks under a bridge and falls to his knees with dry heaves of unacknowledged passion, I think we react with surprised empathy at the power of his gut reaction to parting the way with Jack; it's our first sign that Ennis has internalized his passions for Jack even beyond his own understanding; and this I think speaks to all of us.

Stephen,  jerasjr, or anyone who has thought about this:  I realize that the scene during the final meeting is the one that really breaks my heart -- precisely because it is juxtoposed with the 'Embrace from Behind' flashback.  In the flashback, Ennis seems so in control -- so contented -- so tender -- so self-assured.  What a contrast it is to the present scene.

[Stephen]

Yes, a heart breaking contrast: and I just realized that everything in that last scene falls apart as Jack becomes more intense and Ennis tells him to "lighten up"......the flashback to Ennis embracing Jack from behind reflects an earlier time when Jack wasn't making demands and vocalizing his frustration; and so it was easier for Ennis to be light and in the moment, as the moments were so few.....if anyone told me to lighten up when I was deeply troubled by something, I,too, would blow up......