CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!
I thought this movie was quite brilliant. What I thought would be a classic ghost story was a tale of madness, a dissolving marriage, female repression and uprising, and ultimately - about how far a parent will go to protect their child. This begins in a beautiful Victorian setting with a new and passionate marriage. As with many women during that time, she nearly dies in childbirth and must never have sex again because getting pregnant again would probably kill her. Eventually, this causes their union to deteriorate. She also learns of his "profession", which is not quite as noble as once presumed. This causes her to retreat further from the relationship. The "flying man" ghost begins to appear always in the daughter's bedroom. I do believe the husband was committing incest, and because she cannot fathom such an atrocity, she creates monsters in the room - this is just my opinion, and not necessarily a spoiler. Eventually, she seeks the help of a spiritualist and their bond becomes strong, reminiscent of the two women in The Crimson Petal and the White (also set in Victorian London) - one weak, the other strong - a rescuer. There is a theme in this movie of "protection". The word is used often in reference to different characters. In the end of the movie, we see the someone protecting the one they love most in all the world. I really enjoyed this movie.
I thought this movie was quite brilliant. What I thought would be a classic ghost story was a tale of madness, a dissolving marriage, female repression and uprising, and ultimately - about how far a parent will go to protect their child. This begins in a beautiful Victorian setting with a new and passionate marriage. As with many women during that time, she nearly dies in childbirth and must never have sex again because getting pregnant again would probably kill her. Eventually, this causes their union to deteriorate. She also learns of his "profession", which is not quite as noble as once presumed. This causes her to retreat further from the relationship. The "flying man" ghost begins to appear always in the daughter's bedroom. I do believe the husband was committing incest, and because she cannot fathom such an atrocity, she creates monsters in the room - this is just my opinion, and not necessarily a spoiler. Eventually, she seeks the help of a spiritualist and their bond becomes strong, reminiscent of the two women in The Crimson Petal and the White (also set in Victorian London) - one weak, the other strong - a rescuer. There is a theme in this movie of "protection". The word is used often in reference to different characters. In the end of the movie, we see the someone protecting the one they love most in all the world. I really enjoyed this movie.