u/kraddyodaddy

Yea or Nay on Mores and Continueds?

I watched CEOTTK for the first time several months ago. For years I heard people talk about it like it was some warm, uplifting story about benevolent aliens. I went in expecting something closer to ET.

Instead, I watched a movie about a man having what looks like a complete mental breakdown.

Roy becomes obsessed with a vision nobody else can understand. His wife and children spend the entire movie trying to help him while he becomes increasingly detached from reality. The famous mashed potato scene isn't whimsical to me. It's disturbing. His family is terrified and he's completely consumed by a delusion.

I know the movie eventually reveals that the aliens are real, but that doesn't make his behavior any less tragic. He abandons his job, his responsibilities, and ultimately his family.

The ending especially shocked me. The film seems to present it as a triumphant moment. The music swells, the ship arrives, and Roy leaves Earth.

All I could think was: this guy is abandoning his wife and children forever.

Honestly, the ending felt less like enlightenment and more like a metaphor for him losing his mind completely. A man abandons everyone who loves him because he's become obsessed with something they can't understand. The family gets no closure. He's just gone.

What surprised me most is that the movie never seems interested in the damage Roy causes. It wants the audience to celebrate his departure.

Maybe this played differently in 1977, but watching it today I didn't see a story about first contact. I saw a story about a man losing his mind while his family helplessly watches.

Am I alone on this?