Can love grow in a sick mind? In this film, we see the lengths someone will go to preserve the memories of his lost siblings. Marrowbone is the first film I’ve watched in a long time to keep me on the edge of my seat throughout its entirety and successfully convey a shocking plot twist. I was genuinely surprised at the ending of this film, and I believe it shows audiences a beautiful portrayal of the harsh reality behind a mental illness that occurs after a traumatic event. 

To explore in depth the plot of this movie and learn more about the characters after watching is also very important to understanding the story. I had to rewind and unpack the narrative that played out. Doing so brought the relationship between Jane and Sam more into focus. We may obviously assume Sam is the family’s youngest brother, but after reading the shown newspaper articles stating abuse from their father to Jane, one can infer that Sam was actually Jane’s son. This detail can easily be missed, but once learned, it opens up much more to think about regarding rape and the sheer insanity of the family’s father. Due to the trauma Jack experiences after losing all of his family, even his father, he is unable to cope and even attempts to join them in death, which is a raw moment that impacted me deeply. Instead of doing this, though, he becomes his siblings in order not to lose them. While doing this, we, the audience, see what he sees in his mind, which is the beauty and love he feels for them through his mind’s illness. 

This leads back to the question of love being able to grow in a sick mind. Clearly, it not only grows but is expressed in such human ways. By the time we discover the truth about them being gone, we feel so connected to each character in Jack’s mind that it is hard to separate their traits from his. So we know that his love for his siblings clearly grows stronger after death.  What I think is even more interesting is the love that grows between Jack and Allie throughout the film, even as Jack continues to struggle mentally. Overall, I really enjoyed this movie, and even though the story is fictional, I still think it provides an interesting take on the human mind and its capability to find comfort in even the worst circumstances.