XF:IWTB analysis (contains spoilers)

[Guest Laurent.]

Another biblical imagery I missed (I suck at this):

From iluvtha80s on the XFU forum:

(...) 3 nuns in the last scene of the movie. someone else mentioned them on here as well. glad im not the only one who caught their significance.

Christian was giving a second chance at life, a re-"birth" if you will, and the 3 nuns for me very biblical representing wise 'men' welcoming a birth into this world. it also spoke to Scully's faith as Catholic, a sign that maybe her persistence to treat Christian was in fact from God, there to guide her and keep her through the procedure.

[HighPlainsDrifter]

when i saw the three nuns walk slowly up to the window, i thought of the holy trinity myself

[Guest Laurent.]

I guess this would indicate that there is some strong symbolism within the Christian character (hence the name) and his healing.

Also in the biblical symbolism: when Mulder says that Father Joe told Scully exactly the contrary of what the Devil would say (about not giving up on Christian)... does that mean that the priest from the hospital administration embodied the devil (as he told her to give up on the dying child)? The "good" priest would be the devil and the pedophile father would be the messenger of God? How wicked is that? Haha I love this movie.

[HighPlainsDrifter]

I thought that the Catholic Religion was against Stem Cell Research, thats why the Priest w/Big ears was gainst the whole thing

[Guest Laurent.]

I thought that the Catholic Religion was against Stem Cell Research, thats why the Priest w/Big ears was gainst the whole thing

Hahaha! I didn't even notice the big ears... I'll need to pay attention to that next time!

But you're right about the Stem Cell Therapy... yet this decision of the Church would have doomed Christian to a certain death. So who was speaking through Father Joe when he told Scully not to give up? Was it God asking Scully to go against the Church decision?

From Orison (the season 7 episode written by Chip Johannessen):

SCULLY: Who was at work in me.

MULDER: You mean if it was God?

SCULLY: I mean... what if it wasn't?

[HighPlainsDrifter]

even though Father Joe is a pedophile priest, I believe GOD was working through him. With time against him in which he didnt know he was dying Father Joe wanted to help even though he was confused himself and didnt know he had a pyschic link to Fagin Woodcock. It was a horrible-awful crime Joe commited but he was used as an Holy Vessel. When you actually open your inner eye we are able to percieve all of the wonderous messages GOD is tyring to tell us. For example when Scully is looking at the address numbers on the mail boxes. We see this done several times on MillenniuM

[Guest Laurent.]

I didn't really think that it was God acting thought Father Joe, but when you see it from that point of view there are some serious consequences implied. Like I said in a former post, I though it was more like the Paper Heart's psychic connection.

[HighPlainsDrifter]

Fagin was one of many victims of Father Joe and for some reason theres a psychic nexus between them two. I need to rewatch Paper Hearts again but it was Mulder that got into Roche's head in order to catch him. Looks like Roche was able to turn the tables on Mulder

[Guest Laurent.]

I've read so many reviews of this movie in the last few days!! There's a point I've seen mentioned a lot and I felt like I should talk about it here:

A lot of fans and non-fans have said that the mention of William and Samantha were forced, added nothing to the movie while confusing newbies... To truly believe that, you really have to know nothing about good writing and characterization. Both characters needed something, a motivation, to force them into the story of IWTB. Why does Scully care enough about the young boy's life to defy the priests and go against her hospital's administration? William. Why is Mulder so obsessed with disappearance linked to the paranormal? Samantha.

They both have lost so much (almost every single fight they've been in) and that is their motivation. Not giving up; that's what the movie is all about. Putting the faith themes aside, they want to believe that they can save these people lives even though they've lost loved ones before. They want to believe that their obsessions are not useless. That's what drives these characters. It had to be mentioned!

In the same optic, I know that "Samantha's effect" on Mulder's behavior was well described by Scully in one scene. But I prefer the way that Scully's motivation are explained, and it's a lot more interesting in fact. I just love the scene where Christian's mother ask Scully to give up on the treatment as she does not want to let her son go through the pain for nothing. She tells Scully that she would understand if she had a child (ouch! & a great look in GA's eyes). Scully then explains that she (wants to) believe the treatment could work... and that's enough to change the mother's decision and in fact, it would be enough to change almost any parents opinion. Thus explaining why Scully, who's so personally involved in the case because of William, is ready to go through such great length to save Christian's life. A motivation reflected (through a dark, disturbing mirror nonetheless) in the kidnapper's intentions.

[Guest Laurent.]

Sorry if I'm just rambling by myself in this thread... Three very different things I want to add:

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Someone on another board pointed out how the first Mulder and Scully scene in IWTB was filmed just like their first scene in the series: Scully entering the room and talking to Mulder's back while he starts talking almost to himself while concentrating on his work.

I found some other similarities to past X-Files scenes in the dialogues and the directing.. Mulder's first lines and Scully's first lines are both meant to define their characters like in Fight the Future. Scully quickly blurts out scientific lines and Mulder has a small psycho-pop monologue. Also, Scully's introduction was filmed pretty much like Mulder's big comeback in The Truth: with a 180 degrees camera movement around the character.

The scene where the "car-crash" girl is transported from her cage to the operation table was very similar, in direction, to the Deep Throat scene where Mulder is drugged and transported to an operation room and catches glimpses of the truth on the way; much like the girl only sees parts of the operation next to her.

There must be a lot of other similarities, but I don't want to go too far into that.

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The other point I wanted to discuss is Skinner's involvement. A lot of regular fans (as opposed to obsessive fanatics) thought the character came out of nowhere just for the sake of reunion. I think his short appearance manages to give the character some sort of emotional closure, similar to what Mulder had in FTF. Here's the parallel I made:

-In the second season of the show, Scully is abducted in front of Mulder. Mulder tries to find her, yet fails, but she is eventually brought back to him.

-In Fight the Future, Scully is kidnapped again and this time, Mulder gets to save her and it all ends with a "hug scene" in the snow.

-In the second season after the movie, Mulder is abducted in front of Skinner. Skinner tries to find him, yet fails, but he is eventually brought back.

-In I Want to Believe, Mulder is in danger again and this time, Skinner gets to save him and it all ends with a "hug scene" in the snow.

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Lastly, more on the religious/mythological imagery of the movie: the role of the snow. The pool, the fields, the "operation cabin" & the sex offenders' quarters are all set in the snow. Yet the environment seems a lot warmer around the hospital and M&S house. A XFU member pointed out how this could be a reference to Dante's inferno, where it snowed in Hell. This, along with the mythological Hellhounds and the three "wise men / nurses", would define a clear difference between Heaven and Hell.

Now, I'm thinking that there must be an in-between somewhere in the movie!! Maybe the hospital had a bit of snow, yet it wasn't actually snowing, or maybe it's around the sex offenders' barracks... I'll have to watch out for this during my next viewing. These two places could be seen as a middle ground between Heaven & Hell. The hospital is both the place where the church chooses to doom a child's life, yet Scully manages to pull out a miracle. And the sex-offenders' quarters are both houses for evil men, yet it is also where Father Joe finds redemption...

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Any thoughts? Haha Again, sorry for talking so much... I love it though. I hope someone else will join me and HPD in the discussion. The brits are seeing it this weekend I guess, I'll be waiting for your thoughts here!!