Following in the footsteps of Back to the Future, Star Wars, and other like-minded pieces of Spielbergian entertainment, Super 8 is a film with a dirty little secret at its core- INCEST. But unlike those other films, in which the secret ain’t so secret, Super 8 plays it subtle, choosing to shroud its aberrant sexuality in an air of mystery.
And it’s a better film for it. Long after the disappointment of the recycled Cloverfield monster is gone, you’ll be all, “Wait a minute…” and suddenly you’re in love with Super 8 all over again. Forbidden love, that is, AKA the greatest love of all. (Take it away, Whitney!)
Embedding is disabled, but it’s worth clicking the link. Trust me.
Let me spell it out for the oblivious. When Louis Dainard crashes the funeral of Jackson Lamb’s wife, it isn’t solely because he feels responsible for her death- it’s because HE LOVED HER. They were having an affair, and, as you can imagine, that shit burned Jackson’s ass.
Not only that, the lovely Alice Dainard, who is the object of young Joe Lamb’s affection, is obviously a byproduct of their monkey-coupling. So you can see why Dad A and Dad B would want to keep those crazy kids as far away from each other as humanly possible. The two men hate each other as it is; neither of them wants to assume joint custody of an inbred retard baby and be forced to live out their lives like some sort of comically mismatched sitcom duo.
Need more proof? You know the scene where Alice cries while watching the filmstrip of Joe’s dead mom? That’s because IT’S HER MOTHER TOO. But she isn’t crying tears of sadness. No, those are tears of frustration. Because in that moment she begins to understand that the world will never accept the unholy love she has for her brother.
But all is not lost, for this perverted tale ends on a glimmer of hope. During the final scene, in which Joe lets go of his mother’s locket, he is really letting go of his shared lineage with Alice. They no longer have a mother, because her memory was needed to fuel a space alien’s rocket ship. The two lovebirds are flanked by their fathers, who have come to terms with being a non-gay couple raising a pair of incestuous siblings. It signifies a new era of the American family, and is a great victory for love.
At least that’s my interpretation, which is a hell of a lot more interesting than what actually happens in Man-eating E.T. Vs. The Goonies.
