A lot of people talk about this scene — how the light seems to act as if it were its own character, carrying with it a fragile kind of hope. But what strikes me most is what Benoit Blanc says just before that. In just a few words, he seems to capture the entire tragedy of Grace Wicks’ life.
This scene left a great impression on me the first time I watched Wake Up Dead Man. I didn’t have the to fully grasp what it was saying. It reminded me of that moment in the first film when Blanc speaks about donuts and holes and the sense of all of it.
Father Jud prompts Blanc to speak truthfully, to share his thoughts about this place. Suddenly, it gets dark. Blanc starts with talk about the grandeur, the mystery. And we are here to solve this mystery.
He says that in this place lies a story that he does not believe in — that the very bedrock of this church was built on a lie. It’s just an empty promise made to a naive child, a promise filled with malevolence, misogyny, and homophobia.
All of this made me think about the story of a person that we heard at the beginning of the movie — it was actually the first story we heard about: Grace Wicks. That harlot whore. That poor girl.
Grace, who was Prentice’s child. Grace, who was promised a great fortune — her great escape from this place. From this place filled with misogyny that kept her under her father’s control. All of that taken away from her.
And just like Benoit wants to pick this place apart and get to the truth he can swallow without choking, Grace tore this place down to find Eve’s Apple.
Eve’s Apple — a jewel that shows us how weak we can be when tempted. A jewel that shows us the truth of human nature.
The truth that some of us cannot swallow without choking.
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