The Ending Of Things Heard & Seen Explained

While it certainly sounds like a philosophically heavy movie, those who worked on it behind the scenes found a way to make it tie into current events. We learn how the original husband who resided in the house thought his wife to be a heretic, so he punished her for such. Society may like to think it's progressed beyond the overly puritan views of the past, but there's still a serious problem today with men attempting to control women. We even see this throughout "Things Heard & Seen" as George frequently attempts to gaslight his wife into thinking she only believes in ghosts due to her under-eating. 

Co-director Robert Pulcini spoke on this idea during an interview with Decider: "I think it's actually a very topical notion as we're seeing this kind of cultural revolt going on with, "toxic people" who have gotten away with things for so long getting their comeuppance. There's something very satisfying about this shift of who's damned actually in this story and who has the power to do that. I think there's a spiritual power, you know, feminine power in this movie that really delivers the ending." 

Pulcini's co-director, Shari Springer Berman, carried on with this train of thought, explaining, "I see [the final scene] as a metaphor for all the women who have been abused by husbands and fathers and preachers, and teachers and all the business people and producers and all that. Maybe not in this in their lifetime, but in the metaphysical sense of the eternity, of gaining some power."

In light of the #MeToo movement and many powerful men's crimes being exposed, even decades after the fact, it looks as though the scales of justice have gotten a little closer, at least somewhat. There's still a lot of work to be done in terms of gender parity in society, but "Things Heard & Seen" suggests that the tides have begun to turn.