The first time I watched Pontiac Moon, I took it at face value. The perfect act was to drive a certain distance, matching mileage to the moonshot on arrival at Spires Of the Moon in Idaho. Then I watched it again and realized it wasn't about that at all.
When Washington starts their journey intoning, "one perfect act," the camera zooms to ... the wedding ring on his finger and lingers there. The perfect act was never the surface story at all. It was his deep love for his wife and son and an attempt to save both of them from their own self-imposed prisons.
His son -- regimented and stiff. His wife so filled with anxiety she can never let any trace of the outside world enter her home or life.
This is why, after carefully mapping out their route, he deliberately leaves the map behind for his wife to find as she tries to figure out what happened. Maybe she'll rise to the challenge. Maybe not. He leaves it to her. For maybe the first time in his life, he leaves the decision to someone else to make for themselves. This is his One Perfect Act. This is Love.
When Washington starts their journey intoning, "one perfect act," the camera zooms to ... the wedding ring on his finger and lingers there. The perfect act was never the surface story at all. It was his deep love for his wife and son and an attempt to save both of them from their own self-imposed prisons.
His son -- regimented and stiff. His wife so filled with anxiety she can never let any trace of the outside world enter her home or life.
This is why, after carefully mapping out their route, he deliberately leaves the map behind for his wife to find as she tries to figure out what happened. Maybe she'll rise to the challenge. Maybe not. He leaves it to her. For maybe the first time in his life, he leaves the decision to someone else to make for themselves. This is his One Perfect Act. This is Love.