Afterwards, every conversation has been made stunted and awkward by her absence. Guy Maddin’s father character is treated almost identically. He doesn’t appear in the film except for in the living room scenes, when he is represented by a man-sized earth mound under the carpet. The family have to learn to negotiate the changed landscape of their own home. To me, it’s a perfect metaphor for Mrs Ramsay’s loss, or for any loss.