I personally think that the director perfectly captured the psychological struggle traumatized children who lost their parents at an early age endure. A struggle which is essentially one of the main themes of this movie, next to the betrayal-theme. While I agree with most of the reviews already expressed here, I would like to suggest a different approach to the already heavily discussed relationship between Aurora and her ward, Lagardère. From a psychoanalytical point of view, this relationship, and especially the strange twist at the finale of the movie, can be perfectly explained. Aurora was traumatized from a very early age when she lost her father and mother in a stressful battle. During the following years, she believed Lagardère was her father. When this turned out to be untrue, she fears to lose the connection with her father figure once again. Triggered by this primordial fear, Aurora's subconsciousness quickly directs her towards the only mature fatherly like persona she knows, Lagardère. But in a different kind of relationship where he can still exercise the role of protector and caretaker, i.e. as a lover.
