Through a Glass, Darkly

On the remote island vacation, Karin is released from the asylum where she was treated for schizophrenia. Martin, a respected doctor, tells Karin's father David that her illness is nearly incurable. The revelation strains the family dynamics as they navigate the fragile threads of trust during their 24-hour stay.

The group gathers to watch a play Minus has written for David. David pretends to approve, but the performance reads as a subtle attack on his character. The scene foreshadows the day's tensions between art, ego, and family.

That night, Karin rejects Martin's advances and follows the sound of a foghorn to the attic. She faints during a moment when voices seem to come from behind the peeling wallpaper. The eerie climb into the attic marks the start of her personal confrontation with perceived realities.

Karin sneaks into David's room and finds his diary, reading his description of her disease as incurable. She discovers his desire to record her deterioration in meticulous detail, which shocks and unsettles her. The discovery deepens her sense of invasion by her own family.

The next morning, David and Martin confront each other while fishing. Martin accuses David of sacrificing Karin for his art and of cowardice and phoniness, while David evasively defends himself. He finally confesses a suicide attempt and reveals his love for Karin, Minus, and Martin.

Karin opens up to Minus about her episodes and her wait for God to appear behind the wallpaper. Minus reveals his sexual frustration, and Karin teases him after discovering his pornographic magazine. The exchange deepens their fraught bond and underscores the breakdown of boundaries.

During a looming storm, Karin sees a wrecked ship on the beach and runs to it for shelter, where Minus follows and they engage in incestuous sexual activity. The act crystallizes the breakdown of family norms under the strain of fear and desire.

Minus recounts the ship incident to the others, prompting Martin to call for an ambulance. The trauma of Karin's actions deepens the fear and urgency among the family and signals the imminent medical intervention. Tension rises as the group processes what happened.

Karin asks to speak with her father alone and confesses her misconduct toward Martin and Minus. She explains that a voice urged her to act and to search David's desk, and she requests to remain in the hospital to avoid living between realities. They prepare to go to hospital while Karin heads toward the attic again.

In the attic, Karin declares that God is about to walk out of the closet door and fixates on a crack in the wall where a spider emerges. An ambulance helicopter passes by, rattling the door, and Karin is sedated as fear overtakes her. She later describes seeing God as an evil-faced, cold-eyed spider that failed to penetrate her.

Karin vanishes and reappears in a frenzy, then is sedated again. The men prepare to depart the island by helicopter, with Karin and Martin leaving first. The moment leaves a sense of spiritual encounter that defies rational explanation.

Minus tells his father he is afraid of losing touch with ordinary reality after Karin's grip on him. He asks whether he can survive that way, and David responds that he can if he has something to hold on to. The two share a quiet, hopeful bond amid the chaos.

David and Minus reflect on love, faith, and the possibility that love can sustain Karin. In a moving moment, Minus whispers that his father spoke to him, underscoring the fragile but vital connection between generations amidst crisis.