cigarette smoking   motel   independent film   based on novel   christmas   character name in title   father son relationship   hotel   1950s   blood   new york city   new year's eve   manhattan new york city   flashback   father daughter relationship   female nudity   gore   bare breasts   department store   recording   lawyer   piano   divorce   divorce lawyer   abrupt ending   no ending   suburb   record player   road trip   friend   on the road   boyfriend girlfriend relationship   lesbian   high school   grandparent   lesbian sex   lesbian kiss   child custody   female protagonist   matches   basement   camera   gloves   housekeeper   photographer   tape recorder   three word title   time magazine   sexual awakening   attack   car   photography   infanticide   break up   father in law daughter in law relationship   garage   spurned man   character says i love you   store clerk   telegram   new year's day   santa claus hat   female female kiss   gas   hit with a shovel   sister   christmas present   kill   electronic eavesdropping   mother in law daughter in law relationship   grandparents   tv static   pepper spray   power tool   bickering couple   married woman   older woman younger woman relationship   forename as title   new york times the newspaper   railroad tracks   christmas season   divorce settlement   electric train   lesbian romance   opening scene repeated later in film   reference to dwight d. eisenhower   rejecting a marriage proposal   train set   wanting divorce   waterloo iowa   year 1952   year 1953   in medias res   shower scene   mass hysteria   family home   hose   meat tenderizer   parents killing children   stabbed in cheek   suburban neighborhood   wire hanger   friendship   hospital   murder   explosion   doorbell   knife   written by director   one word title   mother son relationship   little girl   title appears in writing   restaurant   husband wife relationship   telephone call   title spoken by character   telephone   kiss   party   suitcase   mother daughter relationship   police   house   phone booth   piano player   tv