I just watched this movie with my mom. The movie is about Frank Goode (played by Robert De Niro), who connected telephone wires as a living and have just lost his wife 5 months ago. He attempts to reconnect with his children, Amy (Kate Beckinsale), Robert (Sam Rockwell), Rosy (Drew Barrymore) and David,  as how his wife did when she was still alive. However, he fails to reach his children because all of them are busy with their own lives. He thinks, “If they can’t come to me, I’ll come to them.” so he journeys to surprise his children one by one despite his lung problem.

The movie has a lot of symbolism that the dialogues reveal. Some scenes may seem arbitrary, but as the movie proceeds, the meaning appears. One of the first scenes is when Frank talks to a lady, who stares at the scenery while they’re in a train. Frank asks, “What do you think of my work? You’ve been staring at it for quite some time now.” After a lengthy guessing game, Frank tells the lady that he used to connect telephone wires.  After seeing this scene, one might ask why this was necessary. Actually, the fact that Frank set up the telephone wires as a means of connection/communication is an irony. In their family, Frank proves isolated from the rest of his family because his children are more expressive and open with their mother, and Frank tries to fill that hole due to his wife’s absence. Furthermore, a storm called Alice approaches the east coast. A woman, seating next to Frank in a bus, tells him, “You know the storm Alice? It’s coming. My name is also Alice. It means truth.” This symbol seems more subtle. As the storm becomes nearer, Frank experiences a mild heart attack. During the attack, he dreams of his children when they were younger, gathered with him around the table. He tells them that they have not been telling the truth and tells them that he has guessed what has been going on with his children. Therefore, the truth is somewhat revealed except for what has happened to David. When the storm hits, Frank imagines David and talks to him, and both reach resolution and bid each other farewell.

Frank comes back to a gallery where David’s artworks are displayed and wants to buy one of his son’s paintings. The receptionist tells Frank that the one he wants is already sold, but David painted one especially and more passionately than the others. The woman said that she does not understand the meaning that particular painting, but she knows that it must have been very special. Frank understands. David painted telephone lines. It is then when Frank becomes reconnected with his children.

The movie is also a reminiscent of The Death of a Salesman, where the father’s high expectations of his children distances himself from them. In entirety, the movie is very heartwarming and appealing. It may seem straightforward for some, but there are many subtle elements embedded in the movie that one should watch out for.

(Some quotes may not be accurate.)