Picture Bride Response (pt 2)

I was a bit surprised by the ending of Picture Bride because I felt all of the issues were resolved too quickly for proper development. I understand that Riyo became more intimate with her husband when she shared the secret of her past--her parents both died from TB--but it didn't seem to me that he reacted in any way that would make him more attractive. In fact, he said his parents wouldn't have arranged the marriage, had they known, and he pulls away from her that night. Also, I wish the film would have developed the metaphor of the centipede and the Portuguese boss. Through Riyo's singing, I see she is finally cooperating with the strike idea, though I feel the centipede metaphor that had figured more prominently in the beginning was rather lost among all of the wrap-ups by the end. That is not to say I didn't enjoy the movie. I found it to be a very interesting movie, but it romanticizes the idea of picture brides much more than the reality Takaki portrays in his novel. From the two cases we see, Kana and Riyo, despite the superficial arguments, their relationships are very good. I would imagine not all brides get along with their new husbands so well, and I felt the movie only scratches the surface of the darker aspects: exploiting racial relations, immigrant labor, prostitution, and picture brides.