There is a far more serious film just beneath the surface of Rachel Getting Married. It involves sexual abuse, anorexia, maternal neglect, and paternal and sibling denial. It is clear that we are expected to feel hopeful that Anne Hathaway's character Kym will recover sufficiently to escape to paradise(Hawaii). However, looking at the hints and subtext provided by Lumet and Demme it seems clear that Kym will struggle to transcend her family role as patsy. A role about which she is naturally ambivalent. Kym is a good girl and wants to please both her rehab councilors, her 12 step peers, and of course her criminally dysfunctional family. There are three scenes that suggest this other film. About 60 minutes in there is a scene at the hair dresser's with an unnamed ward mate from Loeb House who reveals Kym's response to the human mirror exercise. I think we are to understand that this is a coded rendition of the truth. Tellingly, Rachel storms off, calling the story a lie. Indeed, Kym denies any truth of the charges of sexual abuse to her father. Then there is the scene where Kym confronts her mother, confirms the substance of the story, and accuses her mother of neglect and insist she take some responsibility for the death of her younger brother. Her mother refuses, the scene concludes with physical abuse, that may or may not be a mirror of sexual abuse. Kym flees, and to make amends to her mother, attempts suicide. It is not a serious attempt. It is an act of contrition, not despair. Finally, there is the remarkable bathtub scene, where Rachel, full of forgiveness and approbation, infantilizes Kym by bathing her. Kym for her part makes another gesture of amends by shaving her arm pit. For me, the substance of this film lies here. The whole of the wedding and even the title seem acts of misdirection. It is not clear that Lumet and Demme are wholly aware of this subtext. If they are than the film fails for aesthetic reasons. If they are not than it is a failure of imagination.
Review of Rachel Getting Married
