One of the main issues with Christine Jeffs’ A Mistake is that it bites off more than it can chew. Through its protagonist, Elizabeth Taylor, the film talks about a lot of things yet doesn’t necessarily discuss the stuff that really matters. Most of the time, it felt like Christine had picked up some unnecessary chapters from the book, on which the film is based, because of which the narrative ends up dragging for no apparent reason. And the main conflict took a back seat while a proud and self-centered surgeon went through a transformative journey of her own. In A Mistake’s ending, Elizabeth did get her closure, but I don’t think viewers share the same feelings. So, let’s look at all the important events of the film that finally changed Elizabeth’s perspective towards life and her profession.
Spoiler Alert
Elizabeth’s Lack of Empathy Overshadows Her Skills
I have often been told that being a talented person doesn’t necessarily make you a good human being. And I guess the same applies to Elizabeth Taylor. She was one of the best surgeons working in a top medical hospital in Auckland. Elizabeth had a close to perfect life and performed every surgery with due diligence, but there was something she wasn’t good at, that is, making conversation. Elizabeth didn’t actually know how to talk to the patient’s parents or relatives. It wasn’t like she was shy or anything; she just didn’t know how to use the right words so it didn’t hurt the person standing in front of her. In short, she was quite blunt and straightforward, which anyone could have confused for arrogance. Obviously, when you are a doctor standing in front of grieving parents, you need to show some empathy towards the patients or their relatives, which wasn’t Elizabeth’s forte.
A Mistake’s ending clearly explained that Elizabeth’s patient, Lisa Williams, didn’t die because of Richard’s mistake, who had accidentally damaged one of the arteries while inserting the last trocar in Lisa’s abdomen. Lisa had septicemia. Her bloodstream had been poisoned by the infection, which eventually led to a cardiac arrest, taking Lisa’s life. Elizabeth could have used some better words and a bit of empathy to explain the same things to Lisa’s parents, but in her pride, she met her parents without even consulting the hospital staff who were taking care of Lisa after the operation and were with her during the time of her death. If you revisit Elizabeth’s first conversation with Lisa’s parents, you might notice her choice of words. She doesn’t feel any kind of remorse for Lisa’s death, and her phrasing is extremely professional, something one would read in a medical report. But you see, the parents who had recently lost their daughter didn’t need to understand the nitty-gritties of medical science; they just needed some assurance from the person to whom they had given the responsibility to save their daughter’s life. And Elizabeth’s professionalism and the seed of doubt in her mind stopped her from connecting with the parents on an emotional level. The parents felt offended by her words and later filed a formal complaint against her, which sabotaged Elizabeth’s practice for the time being.
The Flies and Atticus’ Death
It is said that tragedy affects everyone, but we all deal with it differently. Elizabeth, even though she didn’t want to accept, was quite shaken by Lisa’s death. That was the reason why she called her girlfriend Robin in the middle of the night. But Robin didn’t call back. Later, Elizabeth woke up and found some dust on the side of the wall. Symbolically, it underlined Elizabeth’s troubled state of mind, from which she had been trying to run away. The guilt of Lisa’s death was slowly poisoning Elizabeth’s mind, just like her appendix had poisoned her blood. On the second night, Elizabeth lost her mind completely and dug a hole in the wall to be done with the dust. It was really similar to how Richard had punctured a hole in Lisa’s artery. Sometime later, when Elizabeth poked an iron bar into the hole, some flies flew out of it and swarmed her entire house, just like blood had filled up in Lisa’s abdomen. It was just a metaphor for how you cannot always have your way through brute force and sometimes have to really sit down and get in touch with our own feelings, but that’s the best way to deal with one’s internal conflict. However, Elizabeth learned this lesson the hard way. She burned some fly repellent in her house and spent a peaceful night at the hotel only to find out in the end that she’d left her friend’s dog, Atticus, in the house. Atticus died due to Elizabeth’s mistake. The irony here is, it wasn’t “her” dog, just like Lisa wasn’t “her” own daughter. My question is: would Elizabeth have been similarly careless if she had a young child at home? Would she have stormed out of the house in panic and frustration, leaving behind a child in a room filled with smoke? Even though Lisa didn’t die because Richard had botched the surgery, it was Elizabeth’s responsibility to be there for Lisa until she had recovered. But the woman didn’t even dare to check her pulse and left it all for the hospital staff to manage. No, I am not a doctor, and I really don’t know if Elizabeth could have saved Lisa’s life, but she could have been there for her, that was the least she could have done for her patient. But a self-centered Elizabeth left, just like she left Atticus in the house. Yes, Atticus’ death did affect Elizabeth emotionally, and what’s the point of crying over spilled milk?
Richard’s Death Changed Elizabeth
Richard Whitehead, a 26-year-old doctor who worked as Elizabeth’s registrar, blamed himself for Lisa’s death. Throughout the film, a guilt-ridden Richard was haunted by the mistake he had committed and was just looking for some assurance from his senior. A similar thing took place in Richard’s case as well. Elizabeth told Richard in very “plain” and “simple” words that it wasn’t his mistake. She trusted his skills during the operation, and he didn’t meet those expectations. And if anyone was to be blamed for such a decision, then it was her, not him. But you have to understand that, just like Lisa’s parents, Richard, too, wasn’t looking for a practical or logical answer. And the moment Richard got a bit emotional and tried to discuss his nightmares with Elizabeth, her defense mechanism kicked in, and she quickly ran away from the conversation, never to talk to Richard again, because Elizabeth didn’t feel quite comfortable having those emotional conversations. I guess Richard wasn’t even looking for an answer. He just wanted someone to listen, to share his grief. He knew his father wouldn’t understand his plight and thought Elizabeth might be able to understand her confusion. But as always, Elizabeth was cold and distant. And if I am not wrong, then Richard didn’t really commit suicide. It was Elizabeth’s silence that killed the young lad.
RACS: Surgical Safety Conference
Full disclosure: this one was the most unnecessary part of the film. So basically they wanted to introduce a doctor’s report card so the patient could look at their doctor’s statistics before handing them the responsibility to save their lives. And just like Elizabeth mentioned, every patient and their condition is different, and if such transparency was introduced, then most surgeons wouldn’t take risky cases choosing to let these patients die instead of letting their deaths go into their record. But you see, it’s a never-ending discussion, and it doesn’t really have any effect on the film’s main conflict or its ending. It does highlight Elizabeth’s dedication and her moral responsibility towards her patient, but you see, her words don’t amount to anything when you know how she has treated Lisa, Richard, and Atticus. I am not calling her a villain of the story. I am not even blaming anyone, but one has understood that sometimes repeating the professional jargon isn’t enough. You don’t take responsibility for your mistakes by telling people (Lisa’s parents) that you take full responsibility for your actions, but by being there for them emotionally and mentally. Standing there when people (Richard) need you the most and not leaving people (Atticus) behind when things get difficult.
Elizabeth Finally Confronts Lisa’s Parents
I really hate the way some films make it so easy for their protagonists to come clean. Richard’s death was indeed a turning point in Elizabeth’s life, and I already saw it coming the moment the lad said that he was having nightmares about Lisa. But I didn’t really expect that Christine Jeffs would use Richard’s death as a device to make Elizabeth a hero among her colleagues. I mean, she was an ignorant woman who refused to talk to a young student when he was alive and later sobbed on his death. Andrew McGrath, the head of surgery, wanted to put the entire blame of Lisa’s death on Richard and turn him into a scapegoat, but Elizabeth didn’t agree to his devilish schemes of things. She took full responsibility for whatever happened with Lisa and Richard. It is probable that Andrew and the higher-ups would most likely get rid of Elizabeth for crossing the line.
In A Mistake’s ending, Elizabeth paid a last visit to Lisa’s parents to tell them the truth about her daughter’s death. They wanted to blame her or Richard for Lisa’s demise, but the fact was there was no one to blame. Lisa would have died even if Richard hadn’t botched the surgery. I guess it was the truth that Lisa’s parents wanted to hear from the very beginning, but Elizabeth turned it all into a long and tedious journey for both herself and the viewers. I hope she doesn’t make the same mistake again and becomes more compassionate in life and especially in her profession.
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