Dear Johnny Fanboy,

Whilst watching MirrorMask on DVD, I found the following nit-pick. Do you want to think about it and reflect (geddit) on your answer?

The whole movie revolves around Helena's mum going into hospital. When Helena falls asleep that night she is unsure whether her mother will make it through the night (as Rolf Harris might say) as her operation is taking place that evening. The rest of the film is set in a dreamlike world in which Helena's mum is seen as both the Queen of Darkness and the Queen of Light.

When the film concludes and Helena's dad finds her on the roof of the building, why does the hospital ring him and tell him what has happened in the operating theatre? Surely he would have been ringing the hospital all the time and would know of her condition. Is it normal for hospitals to ring patients and let them know how their loved ones are?

Paula Cole

Johnny Fanboy replies:

We don't know for sure that it is the hospital staff that is calling Helena's father. It could be one of his circus colleagues who stayed behind at the hospital awaiting news. Helena's dad could have been at the hospital all night waiting for news and has only just returned home to make sure he is there when his daughter wakes up. His finding her on the roof makes it all the more likely that he has just returned from elsewhere.

Alternatively, perhaps he has indeed been ringing the hospital staff all through the night, to such an extent that the busy staff had finally had enough of him and offered to ring him back as soon as they had some news - just to get him out of their hair for a little while!

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