A bit off my usual path, but I happened to see a short clip from Dolores Claiborne (a bit of the scene where her husband hits Dolores) and when she gets him back with that pot of milk, some primal instinct activated within me--a flash of memory from when I had been hit myself--and then after seeing Kathy Bates wielding that hatchet, I so, so much wanted her to just get him right then and there.
Something about the tension and torque of that scene: the seeming levity and then sudden shift in tone--like whiplash--made more tense and terrifying by Dolores' encompassing yet controlled rage following that... it was rather cathartic for me, I guiltily admit. Her character did what I have only imagined doing in my most violent visions--"you can be as mean and cruel to me as you like, but know this: if you hit me again, one of us is going to the boneyard."
Thankfully, I have not had such an incident myself in recent memory. But as I stated earlier, it sure was a moment of catharsis to witness from the outside, in a way. Now, I'd like to either see the rest of that film or find a copy of the novel.
