The Live Action Film
Fridge Brilliance:
- The Backwards Man that haunts Nolan the whole movie is a huge internal reference to both of the accidents that Thomas and Nolan suffered from. Thomas' whole body was broken by his fall down the stairs, while Nolan was bloodied up and hurt from his accident that put him into a coma.
- Thomas' change of heart near the end upon hearing Ava calling for her dad may seem sudden, but it makes sense when you realize that he remembers when Ava cared for him while he was amnesiac. While he was a horrible abuser before, when his memory was wiped he acted completely pleasant with Ava, even if he was a bit dependent on her. So, when he hears Ava call out for her dad, Thomas remembered how terribly he treated his old family and, with his newfound care for Ava, decided that she should have her real father back. notice how he also responds when Ava calls to Nolan.
- The Backwards Man interrupting Nolan's memories and attacking him may seem strange until you realize that it's the real Nolan likely trying to get his body back.
- The reasons why the faces are blurred in the memories isn't only because of Nolan's amnesia; people don't memorize every aspect of a memory, just what the brain would see as most important. The only faces "worth" remembering is probably the faces of those closest to Nolan (ie, his wife, his baby, etc.).
- This is also why all of the memories are centered around his wife and kid, since they would probably be the most urgent to remember to any father or husband.
- This is also a hint that the memories are not Nolan's: for one thing, Gary, you know, his brother, isn't at the wedding! Judging from how close the two are, and what a big deal Gary made out of Nolan and Rachel's relationship, you'd think he'd have been present.
- Another thing; A man with Thomas' temper probably wouldn't have too many close friends, so it's likely many of the guests were esteemed people with good reputations. In other words, he has no real connection to them, there is no reason for him to remember any of them.
- Another hint that these memories are not Nolan's: when flipping through pictures of him and Rachel, a picture demonstrates that the wedding was outdoors, not in the church that "Nolan"/ Josh remembers.
- The reason Nolan didn't realize something was off with the memories of his wife is likely because Rachel and Thomas' wife are both women who are short, thin, have light brown skin, and a curly afro of similar length. Since they have such similar appearances, if their faces are blurred, there's almost no indication that they would be different women. Add to that the fact that Nolan doesn't remember anything about his wife in the first place, and it makes sense.
- Ava and Thomas' daughter look pretty different from each other, but the reason Nolan couldn't tell that the baby wasn't Ava is both because her face was obscured, and she was a baby, meaning any difference between the two wouldn't have been clear.
- As if the differences between Nolan and Thomas wasn't more clear, Nolan's wedding from the album is clearly outdoors, with bright light shining through the trees, making the image more romantic. Thomas' wedding was in a dark, oppressive church, showing the true nature of their marriage.
Fridge Horror:
- The last time we see Thomas, he has walked out into the void of Nolan's mind and seems stuck there. The horror comes from his Uncertain Doom: is he conscious? Has he been erased from existence? Or is he doomed to sit in the dark of Nolan's mind, forgotten and alone, presumably until Nolan finally dies?
- There is also the fact that Thomas seems horrified at the idea of being erased or forgotten; he freaks out when discovering that his wife had gotten rid of all her pictures of him and acted like he hadn't existed. It's also implied that his father was an abusive deadbeat who was forgotten and erased from their successful family, and that his mother forced him into success with the constant threat of being forgotten. Which makes the idea of him sitting in the dark and quietly fading away into nothingness even more unsettling. Sure, Thomas had it coming, but it's still disturbing.
- Even worse? Ultimately, it's all his mother's fault, since she decided to play God and bring him back to life.
- The story from Ava's perspective is both this and a Tear Jerker. She is a little girl who not only loses her mother in a car accident, but her father loses his memory, and becomes very dependent on her to the point where she must act like a miniature adult for the household to function. If Nolan was never brought to normal, she would have affectively had to raise herself.
- The fact that Nolan has lost so much memory that he can't remember basic things the two would do together (their secret handshake, buckling her in, and cooking for her), It's basically like she lost both parents.
- Imagine if Thomas in Nolan's body decided to stay with Ava. Knowing his history of abuse and how quickly he relapsed when he was with Miranda and his daughter for only less than a day. How quickly do you think he would have extended that behavior towards Ava, especially since he would resent her for being someone he's stuck caring for?
- Even worse, how would poor Ava feel having her once loving father become an abusive Jerkass, seemingly due to the accident that killed her mother? The fact that she thought her father was annoyed with her earlier in the movie and that he didn't pick her up because of it makes these implications more horrifying.
- Imagine being Miranda. You've dealt with an abusive husband who hits you, until one day, he takes it too far and hits your daughter, so you push him down a flight of stairs, killing him. As traumatic as that is, you move on, finally free from under his thumb, and you erase any trace of him from your home, hoping to raise your daughter without an abusive father... only to have him come back to life in another body and continue treating you just as badly as when he was around. it's like an abuse victim's worst nightmare.
