I think it's pretty ridiculous to think that Albert and her friend would go out in dresses in the friend's OWN NEIGHBORHOOD....when they're living lives passing as men.
Did anyone else find this jarring? I don't know how big Dublin is, or how far that neighborhood was from the hotel, but I can't imagine Albert ever agreeing to this...or that the friend would want to endanger her own cover, either.
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Yeah that whole scene was weird. It served no purpose.
"Amonium nitrate. Kerosene. Fuse. Match. Boom."
I noticed that as they walked out of the house they were careful to hide under the hoods, and the man that walked by them tipped his hat to them as he would do to any woman he would see. I think this made them feel like real women for that brief moment.
I feel like this was such an important scene in many ways. From the moment they put the dresses on and then to them running on the beach. It allowed the two of them to not have to "pretend" to be a different gender, and feel the freedom, even if for a brief moment in time, of being the women they were born as. The fact that they've had to disguise themselves and portray a masculine character their whole adult lives, just to survive economically in that era, has probably been lonely and exhausting. So to allow themselves to be feminine, was probably liberating and freeing. You could practically feel the joy of that moment as Albert was running on the sand. Those two could relate to each other in a way that no one else would understand.
I'm sure that the beach was far enough from the town that no one was really around that would "catch them". And they just felt secure enough to hide under the hoods and looking down when walking back to the house.
<< I feel like this was such an important scene in many ways...The fact that they've had to disguise themselves and portray a masculine character their whole adult lives, just to survive economically in that era, has probably been lonely and exhausting. So to allow themselves to be feminine, was probably liberating and freeing. You could practically feel the joy of that moment as Albert was running on the sand. >>
I like the scene a lot...I just don't think it would ever happen. If they did it while they were off on vacation somewhere, or they snuck out to the beach at night, Yes.
But they could have been jailed, and their secrets exposed.
Helen complained about having to walk so far from the hotel to this place...that her feet now had blisters. So it would not have been as much an issue for Albert to do this than for Mr. Page. As for Page, I think she felt stronger in herself and that she was barely visible, so would not be recognized by neighbours. Although her height should have been of concern.
I think the tip of the hat by the passing gentleman showed that he only saw two ladies and that they had no reason for concern. Nobody of that time would think that anybody would go out and about dressed as the other gender.
One las thought. I thought Page was doing this as a way to pay homage (if that's the right expression) to her departed wife. That they were celebrating that wife's work and life...and their love. It was sweet. :-)
The point of the beach scene wasn't "freedom to be women" at all.
Hubert didn't dress as a man just to make a living, he was transgender. He dressed as a man at home and married a woman. Him putting on the dress his wife made was a way of honoring and remembering her. Meanwhile, this scene happened just after Albert suggested the two of them living together. Hubert wanted to be with a woman, and was testing to see if Albert would like that. After the beach scene, Hubert is immediately seen comforting Albert and telling him he doesn't have to be anything but himself. For my part, I thought Albert seemed asexual rather than trans, and happned to feel more comfortable living as a man because it protected him for sexual violence like he experienced in his youth.
The joy they experienced on the beach was that of being completely honest with one another, not of getting to be women for a day. Neither of them wanted to be women.
this scene happened just after Albert suggested the two of them living together. Hubert wanted to be with a woman, and was testing to see if Albert would like that. After the beach scene, Hubert is immediately seen comforting Albert and telling him he doesn't have to be anything but himself.Do you mean that when Hubert was telling Albert that he didn't have to be anything but himself, he was essentially telling Albert but he didn't have to change from being a man? Because I wasn't sure if he was trying to tell him that he should be okay with his male identity, or that he should pack into his female identity -- so I'm hoping the former.
For my part, I thought Albert seemed asexual rather than trans, and happned to feel more comfortable living as a man because it protected him for sexual violence like he experienced in his youth.So, you are one of those who believe that she'll make us is that the man because of insecurity, not because that's how he feels himself to be, deep down... bummer. I keep hoping that someone will come along and say that he really saw himself as a man deep down in that he wasn't so tragic after all, because he was living the way he liked. But the way people keep describing them, he wasn't living the way he liked, but the way he felt he was forced to live.
The joy they experienced on the beach was that of being completely honest with one another, not of getting to be women for a day. Neither of them wanted to be women.But, considering how you seem to think Robert only wanted to dress like a man to protect himself from sexual abuse, wouldn't you also think that given the right environment, he would want to be a woman? I hope not, because as I said, I like him as a cross-dressing person. But, I'm wondering if that's what you think?
I don't understand why Page kept on the shoulder pads and breast binders when she put on her dress. It reminded me of Herman Munster from the neck down.
shareI think that it was pretty important for the movie. It allowed her to live out her dream of being on the shore, and being able to relax and be a women one last time before she died.
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