Fever Dream

“It’s the worms. You have to be patient and wait. And while we wait, we have to find the exact moment when the worms come into being. 

Why? 

Because it’s important, it’s very important for us all.”

This is the very start of David and Amanda’s conversation. Talk of “worms” is David’s cryptic way of describing the poison killing Amanda. Their origin is the moment of Amanda and Nina’s poisoning, and his insistence that its discovery is important for everyone suggests that no one is aware of the danger that Amanda missed. Bringing her awareness to it will also bring it out into the open.

“‘He was mine. Not anymore.’ 

I look at her, confused. 

‘He doesn’t belong to me anymore.’ 

‘Carla, children are forever.’ 

‘No, dear,’ she says. She has long nails, and she points at me, her finger level with my eyes.”

This is how Carla begins her story of David’s illness. Amanda doesn’t understand how a child could no longer belong to a mother. Carla’s insistence, combined with the condescending “dear” and the pointing finger, suggests a sense of naivety on Amanda’s part. Carla treats the other woman almost like a child.

“You see how around here you can’t go for a walk with a stroller. In town you can, but from here to the playground you have to go between the big estates and the shanties along the train tracks.”

This quote illustrates the inequality in the rural community. The estates are juxtaposed against the shanties, suggesting that industrial agriculture benefits some while others remain in poverty. It also illustrates the disconnect between Carla’s life and Amanda’s. Raising her daughter in the city, Amanda hasn’t had the same experiences and faced the same difficulties as Carla.