man-met-ego replied to your post “I went to go and see The Turning today. *MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW* I…”
Loving the theory of the ‘roommate’. I had forgotten that she is called Rose. Roses, specifically white roses, are very important in the '61 film, The Innocents. Possibly the original novella as well, but i’ve not read it myself. They apparently symbolise Innocence. Do you think her being called Rose is just a nod to that or is meant to have specific symbolism for Kate in this version as well?
*Fair Warning, Major Spoilers below for The Turning*
Oh, that’s interesting. I actually didn’t know about the symbolism of the roses in The Innocents. I’ll have to take a note of that the next time I re-watch it.
I mean, it very well could’ve been a nod to that adaptation. It wouldn’t surprise me if her name held some kind of significance or symbolism since The Turning is very much coated in that kind of imagery throughout.
Since I wasn’t familiar with the significance of roses beforehand, it’s hard for me to really theorize on this particular topic. However, just going off of what you have told me, I could see her name having some sort of symbolic meaning for Kate. Perhaps the character of Rose is the embodiment of Kate’s “innocence” so to speak, or I guess more so her sanity.
We see that the only person that Kate really was able to confide in and also acted as an anchor for her to ground her back in reality was Rose. She was the only one that felt like she was the bridge for Kate to the “real world”. When she’s at the mansion she’s very secluded and seems shut away from everyone. And Rose really acted as the one thing that would pull her out of that and get her back in touch with what was real, which could also play into my theory of Rose being Kate’s therapist.
If I remember correctly, Kate and Rose only interact three times. Once in person and then the next two times are over the phone. If we track where Kate was during these times, she still seemed like she had a hold on herself. But after their last call that’s when Kate really starts to slowly slip deeper into the madness of everything that is happening around her which could symbolize how Kate is now “out of touch” with her sanity.
Also, something that I just thought about is that if Rose potentially was a symbolism for Kate’s sanity then what if her mom was the symbolism for Kate’s madness? Think about it.
Rose and Darla (Kate’s mom) appear to be quite contrasting characters, with one seeming to be very in touch with reality while the other is not. In the beginning we see Kate more closer to Rose but towards the end Kate starts to become more connected to her mother (like with her drawings and the last phone call she receives is from her mom). And actually, another interesting thing to point out, is that the very first scene we see of Kate is Kate with Rose, and the very last scene we see of Kate is her alone with her mom. Again, perhaps this is to indicate Kate’s journey and her progression into madness. Just something to ponder…
See, this is why I personally feel like The Turning is a film that needs to be re-watched in order to really appreciate it. This isn’t just a “sit down and enjoy the scares” type of film. Where this film really shines and did a great job in is in the symbolism and analysis of scenes and characters. It’s a film that makes you think and question everything that you watched. And as someone who loves to theorize and break down films, this film did a great job in giving the audience a lot of room to play with and think about.


















