WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE

US, 1993, 118 minutes, Colour.
Johnny Depp, Leonardo Di Caprio, Juliette Lewis, Mary Steenburgen, Kevin Tighe, Crispin Glover.
Directed by Lasse Halstrom.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape is a slice of small-town American life that is both moving and entertaining. Written for the screen from his novel by Peter Hedges, the film is a sensitive look at some ordinary people whom life seems to be passing by.
The film is also sensitively directed by a Swede observing America from the outside, Lasse Halstrom, whose films include My Life as a Dog, Once Around, Something to Talk About and The Cider House Rules.

During the 90s Johnny Depp specialised in this kind of vulnerable role, from Edward Scissorhands to Benny and June and Don Juan de Marco. The tour-de-force performance comes from the Oscar-nominated Leonardo di Caprio.

The film invites us to look compassionately at people that we might not notice if we passed them on the street, people who feel that they have nowhere to go but who have rich and strong personalties if only they had the opportunity to develop. This is particularly true of the large Mrs Grape, played unselfconsciously by Darlene Cates.

1. A piece of Americana? The mid-west? The ordinary state of Iowa? The town and its isolation, its values?

2. The title, the focus on Gilbert himself, his problems, within his family, the town, relationships?

3. The film's portrait of Endora, the town itself, isolated, the hills and the road in and out, the houses, the market, the water tower, the caravan park? A glimpse of an ordinary American town?

4. The musical score, the songs and their comment on characters and action?

5. The film and its values, the world of the small town, the caravan park, changes, development and lack of development, nowhere to go _ and not being able to leave even to go nowhere? Hope and hopelessness?

6. The portrait of Gilbert Grape: Johnny Depp, his screen presence and appearance, both active and passive? His relationship with his mother, the memory of his dead father, his mother and her size and the daily care for her in bed, her food? His relationship with his sisters, their ambitions, being cantankerous, not wanting to work, forfeiting responsibilities? His love for Arnie, care for him, appreciating his mental condition, need for constant supervision? The difficulties, his being tied down to the house, his desire for freedom - and the water tower as a sign of freedom, the view from the tower? His working in the market, the humdrum aspects of his life and work there? Deliveries? His deliveries to Betty Carver and her husband, his having an affair with Betty, deceiving her husband (and his being on the trampoline while they were in the house)? Her family? His friends, their discussions? The hamburgers? Life and death in the town, funerals? The encounter with Becky, watching the caravans come in? The groceries? Her grandmother and the help? Her long talks with Becky, sharing attitudes, philosophy of life? Having to get Arnie down from the tower? Arnie and his erratic behaviour, washing him? His going out with Becky and neglecting Arnie, finding Arnie shivering in the bath? The later washing, Arnie's cantankerousness, his hitting Arnie, his regrets, the need to apologise? The meals, the shoring up of the floor? His wanting to leave Endora and unable to get beyond the borders of the town? Arnie and his exasperation, watching Becky and Arnie and overcoming Arnie's fear of water? His decision to stay? The police and getting Arnie down from the tower, their keeping him in custody, his mother and her leaving the house and going down to the station for her son? The return, the party? Her going upstairs, her death? The decision to burn the house down? Leaving - a year later and Arnie and Gilbert by the roadside waiting for Becky? A kind young man, a good person, wanting to do good for everyone?

7. Leonardo di Caprio's screen presence as Arnie? The teenager? His age, manner, giggle, enjoyment of life, the brain damage? His love for Gilbert, dependence on him? His curiosity, the caravans? Climbing the tower and his enjoying it? Going to the shop? The meeting with Becky - and the friendship, her later able to get him to go into the water to be unafraid of the water? At home, the meals, his mother? Gilbert and his practical care of him, getting him down from the tower? Washing him, leaving him and Arnie freezing, the later clash, Gilbert hitting him? His fear of being "drownded"? The tower, getting him down, being taken to jail? His mother coming to get him? The fight with Gilbert? His going up the tree? His eighteenth birthday party, the celebration, with Becky? His mother's death, the burning of the house? Sitting on the roadside with Gilbert?

8. The sketch of the two sisters, Amy and Ellen? Amy and her niceness, care for her mother, being somewhat imprisoned in the house? The contrast with Helen, the teeth, the realist, embarrassed by the situation? The kids looking in the house? Their being chased away? The party, their concern about their mother, the burning of the house?

9. The mother, the story of her husband and his hanging himself, the basement? Her relationship with her children, her not moving out of her bed, her weight, continually eating, clutching the popcorn, saying that she was not always like this? The pressure on the floor? Her being angry with Gilbert, making demands on him? Her hearing of Arnie being at the police station, going out, her being laughed at? The reaction of her children? Of the kids who looked in the window and had the fear of her? Her going upstairs, her death?

10. Becky and her grandmother, on the move, the caravans, her friendship with Gilbert, in the market, the discussions, lovemaking? Her being helpful to Arnie, with the water?

11. The Carvers, Betty and her husband, the children, his work in the insurance, her being a housewife, her boredom, having the affair? The irony of the husband interviewing Gilbert about insurance? His death, the funeral, Betty deciding to leave the town?

12. The children, their gossip, peering in the windows? Gilbert's friends, their being together at the shop, discussions, nothing to do?

13. The theme of dying towns, the opening up of the Burger Barn, the gala opening, the effect on the local shops?

14. The people of the town, ordinary Americans, values, lack of values, hopes, hopelessness, change? The overall film as a portrait of Gilbert and as a fable about love?