What's eating Gilbert Grape

I thought that the movie was amazing in so many ways. The way that at the beginning Gilbert didn't really know what to do with his life. Whenever Arnie was in trouble Gilbert always stood up for him and protected him. When brothers bond like that is sweet and wonderful. Gilbert developed over time to become a little more aggressive towards Arnie. Whenever Gilbert was in a scene or getting mad, the camera would be really zoomed in closing off a lot of open space around him. Gilbert felt like he was trapped inside. Halfway through the movie this girl Becky came into town and seemed to change Gilbert. Whenever Becky was around there was light where she was. I remember a the scene in the movie when the both of them were sitting by a fire outside in the dark, that to me feels like even when his world feels dark, she still has her light with her.



One of the scenes in the movie really touched me. The mother was ashamed that she was not what she used to be when she was younger. When Arnie got arrested for climbing up the water tower she went down the police station and demanded the release of her son, even though she hadn't left the house in 7 years. When she got out the station people were staring at her because she wasn't like the rest of them. Over the course of the movie she became more confident about what people thought of her. She hadn't been up to her bed in 7 years, she worked up the strength and courage to achieve something that not even her family thought that she could do. In the end though she ended up dying in her bed. Instead of having a big show for everyone to see when they carried her out, Gilbert and his sisters took all the furniture and beds out and set fire to the house. When Gilbert lit the house on fire, I felt that he was burning all his demons in there. I sensed that he was lighter and happier with Arnie than he was before.