The Lake House

Jun. 23.

Girl: “There’s always something better coming around the corner”
Kate: “But if she’s not careful, she could spend her whole life waiting”

This is the dialog between Kate and a little girl. It’s the first time the film mentions about “Waiting”. “Waiting” is about “Time”. The filmmaker is imaginative and creative. The story happened at a beautiful lake house where time stood still and a mailbox became a time machine connected with future, where Kate lives 2 years ahead apart from Alex.

Their first “date” is that Alex’s taking Kate on walks of his favorite places of Chicago one Saturday morning by sending her a personalized map. Kate wishes they could have done this walk together. He leaves her a loving message on a brick wall at the end written “Kate, I am here with you. Thanks for the lovely Saturday together”.

The close-up “Together” makes this love walk so warm.

As Alex said, “We’ll be together in time even if we’re far apart. I’ll find a way to be close to you.” he’s attempted to be close to her in many ways. The way they communicate reminds me of long distance or online dating, however, they appear to be so natural and pure. As Kate said, “The one man I can never met him, I would like to give my whole heart to.”

Kate’s favorite novel “Persuasion” also talks about “Waiting“. “These two people, they meet, they almost fall in love, but the timing isn’t right. They have to part and then years later, they meet again. They get another chance. You know, but they don’t know if too much time has passed, if they wait too long, if it’s, you know, too late to make it work.”

Not only Alex’s attempted to be close to Kate, Kate too. Crisis enters Alex’s life when his father has a heart attack and shortly thereafter dies. She rushes to the mailbox and as a gift to Alex, she places a book in the mailbox, which she says is a tribute to his father, a book that is not yet published in Alex’s time. “I wish somehow I could be there with you that we could sit together and look out over the water and the light in this house your father built. I could be a shoulder for you like you’ve been for me. And tell you that everything is gonna be Okay.”

Determined to bridge the distance between them at last, they tempt fate by arranging to meet. Alex makes a reservation in 2004 for a date in 2006 at Il Mare, a fancy restaurant, but only Kate appears. Alex does not show up. The next day Kate writes Alex a letter telling Alex of this fact, but he doesn’t understand. “Something must have happened” he responds. Kate retreats, believing she will never have happiness. She urges Alex to move on.

“A man was killed right in front of me. He died in my arms. And I thought, ‘It can’t end just like that on Valentine’s Day.’ I thought about all the people who love him, waiting at home, who will never see him again, and then I thought ‘What if there’s no one? What if you live your whole life and no one is waiting?’ So I drove to the lake house looking for any kind of answer. And I found you. And let myself get lost, lost in the beautiful fantasy where time stood still. But it’s not real, Alex. I have to learn to live the life that I have got.”

On Valentines Day 2008, Kate goes to Visionary Vanguard Associates, an upcoming architects office, to talk about renovations to her apartment, but does not realise it is run by Alex’s brother Harry. Kate notices a beautiful watercolour of the Lake House and asks who did it. Harry says it was done by Alex Wyler, his brother, but tells her he passed away 2 years ago to the day. Kate realises something and races to the mailbox by the Lake House, placing a letter inside. Alex was the man that died that day, two years previously, and she tells him to wait 2 years, not to look for her or try to find her. Kate knows that Alex can’t change her reality what has happened in Kate’s reality has happened. In order for Kate’s and Alex’s reality to merge, Alex must meet Kate at the Lake House on February 14th 2008.

“It’s taken me all this time to say it, but I love you. If you still care for me, wait for me, wait with me, just wait.”

In 2008, the Mail Box Flag drops and Kate, previously sobbing on the ground, watches it in earnest, and behind her a truck pulls up. Out steps Alex. They share their second passionate embrace and after several minutes walk arm in arm into the Lake House.

Life is 3D + Time = 4D, so is love. Timing requires patience. True love is not emotional or impulsive, but natural and pure, with patience. Natural and Pure, that’s what the Lake House touches me. Time understands love.