Bess is obviously a Christ figure - mystical, thought by others as slightly bonkers and different. Just like Christ her message was "All you need is love". She performed miracles such as praying that Jan could walk again. The Exclusive Brethren are of course the Pharisees - sticklers for rules and the holy law. They have lost touch with God, and forgotten about compassion and the humaneness of humanity. Her sister in law is a Doubting Thomas. The doctor is one of the apostles or possibly John the Baptist - perhaps someone with a deeper knowledge of the Bible can explain the parallels better than I. She suffered for her beliefs at the hands of the sadistic sailors and eventually died for the sake of love, just as Christ did at the hands of the Romans and scheming Pharissees. Her body was removed from the casket as Christ was also taken from the cave. Finally she was resurrected the bells pealing in the sky.
I thoroughly enjoyed the film, and need to see it again to pick up on bits I missed the first time. I thought it was a very clever allegory.
I thoroughly enjoyed the film, and need to see it again to pick up on bits I missed the first time. I thought it was a very clever allegory.