Caregivers in Fiction: Knives Out
Caregivers in Fiction - Issue #1
SPOILER WARNING: Especially for this movie, spoilers are a HUGE deal so please tread lightly, or better yet don’t read this until you’ve watched the movie.
With “Glass Onion” released a few weeks ago I thought it fitting for our first Caregivers in Fiction post to be about the fantastic first film released in 2019. “Knives Out” is Rian Johnson’s whodunit blockbuster hit that revitalized the genre. It’s a self-aware, plot-driven, well acted movie with a banger cast and a script that treats the audience like smart and intelligent people who may or may not have been able to follow the complex sub-plots until the end (I know I couldn’t!).
Plot summary
Detective and private investigator Benoit Blanc is anonymously hired to investigate the apparent suicide of Harlan Thrombey, an 85-year-old best-selling crime novelist. Everyone in the wildly dysfunctional and greedy Thrombey family is a suspect as they all vie for the massive inheritance. Benoit’s hopes rests on Marta, who knows more than she lets off and is at the center of the ultimate mystery; how did Harlan Thrombey die?
There are several characters in the star studded ensemble cast, but the deuteragonist we’ll focus on is Marta Cabrera. She is the plot’s main character and the caregiver that we’d like to learn from. Marta is a South American immigrant who is the personal caregiver to Harlan. She’s a kind hearted and deeply moral person who is both a well meaning and a capable nurse. Marta is the ace-in-the-hole and most pivotal character of the film. Her key trait: she vomits whenever attempting to lie, and so much of the plot revolves around this immovable condition. Nausea and emesis upon deceit aside, the film explores what it means to be a great nurse, a good detective, and a bad family member.
The weaving sub-plots and motives untangle in the end to reveal that Harlan’s grandson Ransom, the sly and nefarious black sheep, was the one behind the murder and framing of Marta.
Character Study
Apart from just being an all-around sweet and demure young woman, Marta has several traits that a good caregiver has, as demonstrated by her interactions with Harlan (shown in scenes revealing her innocence). There are a few things we can learn from Marta.
Marta goes above and beyond
When Marta mistakenly believed that she had given Harlan the wrong Morphine dosage (100mg instead of the prescribed 3mg), Harlan implored Marta to commit to a plan he devised that would clear Marta of any wrongdoing. What he asked her to do was nearly if not strictly criminal. It involved impersonation, breaking and entering, lying to police, and she voluntarily tampered with evidence to obstruct Benoit and the state police during their investigation.
While this was all at Harlan’s request, we obviously don’t condone criminal activity at the behest of anyone, and especially not the person you’re caring for. But Marta also goes above and beyond in more grounded ways too. She clearly cares for Harlan’s physical as well as mental wellbeing. They seem to have a fantastic relationship where Harlan cooperates with being cared for, and Marta provides him both medical help and company. It’s also made clear in the movie that Harlan confides in Marta, and he shares his concerns about his family to her; something he doesn’t do to anyone else. This is definitely something worth learning.
Caregiving can entail a bit of therapy sometimes, or at the very least, a bit of gossip! It’s totally normal for caregivers to be the emotional rock for carees. Becoming emotionally involved has its risks, but the potential benefit to your caree could be hugely impactful. There is interesting research on the role attachment theory has on caregivers. To quote a 2019 paper:
“Research clearly indicates that the condition of the attachment behavioural system affects the workings of the caregiving system, making it likely that heightening attachment security will yield benefits in the realm of compassionate caregiving.”
One of the best things you can do as a caregiver is to enhance the caree’s sense of security. You can do this by helping your caree regularly recall times when beneficial support was provided, or to imagine similar situations, perhaps even ones depicted in fiction, religion, or art. Examples often make propositions more real.
Harlan and Marta play Go together (Marta is noted to be better) which seems to be a game Harlan plays with his family as well. Games are a great way to improve memory, cognitive skills, and socialization. Studies have shown that games like chess, card games, and board games can prevent cognitive decline. Gamification is a great way to make menial tasks a bit more engaging. We see a small example of that when Harlan promises Marta to take his meds if she can beat him in a game of Go. Don’t hesitate to humor your caree with friendly competition!
Marta is a morally driven person
In the final act, Marta has the chance to save Fran (the other caregiver at the service of the Thrombey family), who at the time was presumed to have damning evidence that would prove Marta’s guilt. Despite knowing that she would go to jail and her mother deported if she saved Fran’s life, Marta still chose to save Fran’s life.
Marta doesn’t hesitate to take the blame for what she believes is her fault. When threatened by the Thrombey’s who would expose her mother’s immigration status, Marta admits that she doesn’t care if she goes to jail so long as her family is safe and together. She accepts responsibility and doesn’t look for excuses.
Some more subtle demonstrations of Marta’s goodness:
Marta is polite to the family despite repeated disregard and offence to her ethnicity (we still don’t know if she’s from Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay or Brazil)
Marta assures Meg that she will ensure that Meg’s tuition continues to be paid so that she may go to school since Harlan gave Marta the entire inheritance.
Marta decides to renounce the inheritance and return all assets to the family as it was before Harlan changed his will, despite the harassment she endured.
The Thrombey family circle Harlan like a pack of vultures. Each of them thinks they have the strongest relationship with the patriarch of the family, and each of them believe that this will win them the inheritance. When Marta is revealed to be the sole proprietor of Harlan’s assets, the family resorts to blackmailing her into renouncing the inheritance. As a caregiver, you might face hostile family members like this. Sometimes, it’s your own family, the issue may be deeply personal, and it might be difficult to navigate through the conflict. The best cure is prevention, and clearly dividing responsibilities is just as important as clearly dividing assets of an estate.
Ultimately, Marta’s kind heart is what won her the inheritance and defeat Ransom for trying to frame her for Harlan’s murder. Marta’s goodness is also why Benoit did not immediately suspect her to be behind Harlan’s death despite having evidence from the beginning that she was involved.
In the end, after Marta’s name is cleared of any wrongdoing, Marta still wishes to help the Thrombey family, a sentiment to which Benoit humorously replies that he “has his own opinions” on the matter, but trusts that she will follow her heart.
Marta is an experienced nurse
And of course, in the end, Marta’s full innocence is made obvious when she correctly identifies the Morphine over the Ketorolac based on its subtle difference in tincture and viscosity. After all it was something she had done a hundred times before. Even when she gave the “wrong” medication, Marta knows to use the antidote (Naloxone) to save Harlan (it is revealed that Ransom took the antidote).
Ketorolac is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug that works by decreasing production of prostaglandins, a hormone-like substance that causes inflammation. Morphine is a painkiller that works by interacting with opioid receptors in your cells. An overdose of morphine is as deadly as any opioid drug. Morphine prescriptions should come with naloxone as a safety precaution. Naloxone essentially fits into the same receptors in your brain cells as opioids do, and it kicks out and blocks opioids from further binding with them. Naloxone can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose if administered soon enough, and should continue to be administered until the person receives proper medical care.
Marta seems to communicate well with the rest of the family, and they were all aware that Harlan was on a few pain medications; something that the family of a caree should absolutely know.
Marta makes mistakes
This might be one of the best lessons to learn from Marta. One of the biggest mistakes Marta makes is also the reason why Harlan died; she didn’t call the ambulance the moment that she realized she had given the “wrong” medication. The moment you realize you made a potentially life threatening mistake, you must call the appropriate professional, be it poison control, emergency responder, the police, or anyone else. It’s heartwarming that Harlan would rather die than let Marta lose everything and see her family deported, but no travesty is worth avoiding at the cost of a life.
People make mistakes. They can manifest as bad choices, wrong answers, poor judgement, and more. Caregivers are no exception. You’re going to mess up (here’s a great article about the most common caregiving mistakes). And yes sometimes it’ll be a big deal. Your job is to fail forward, and keep moving onward as long as there is someone to care for. The important thing is that you communicate. When something goes wrong, accept responsibility, fix it, and communicate it honestly to whomever it might concern.
Final thoughts
What can we takeaway?
Find ways to go above and beyond; make maximum impact with minimum effort, both for yourself and for your caree.
Ponder the morality of your actions. Caregiving is a deeply personal and moral endeavor, having answers to hard questions will make it easier.
People make mistakes, in life and in caregiving. Accept responsibility, do your best to make it right, and move on. I know it’s much easier said than done.
It sounds flamboyant and cliché but Marta simply embodies what it means to be a good caregiver and a fantastic human being. Just as Benoit points out in the end, Marta defeated Ransom by playing the game her own way instead of Harlan's and Ransom’s, just like when they play Go. Marta doesn’t play to win, she plays to create the most good in the world, and the Thrombey family underestimated what a truly kind and skilled caregiver could do.
Sources
https://ps.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ps.201800567
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287255588_Attachment_and_Caregiving
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/opioids/naloxone.html
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