Belle is the protagonist of They Lay in a Pool of Blood That Is Not Their Own!
From a young age, Belle was always on the quiet side. The perfect daughter; a sweet little girl who loved her parents more than anything in the world. However, following her mom's death, Belle would change entirely, becoming mute from the trauma and nearly non-responsive to outside authorities. She did not become a rebel, as she would never fight back. She would just do nothing. Belle would become nothing without her mom.
Every day, Belle would stare at the picture of her mom on the memorial altar inside their home, praying that she would come home some day. Belle's father, Christopher, missed his wife just as much as Belle missed her mother, yet Christopher seldom showed it. Christopher's urge to move on in life is what resulted in their moving to the village, as he wanted community with neighbors and with God once more. In a rash decision to leave the past behind, Christopher burns Belle's prized photo of the mother. In the process, Belle attempts to resist against the authority, but is shut down. Christopher walks outside and lights the photo on fire while all Belle can do is watch inside through the glass.
The two watching the fire reflects the burning of their past. The symbolism of the fire is used for Belle's character throughout the film, as her perception is constantly molded and reformed by her new experiences changing what she knows from the past.
Belle's development is not traditional. It is not positive. Instead, the film follows Belle spiraling down a bleak, negative world view. She finds her place in a community and reaps its benefits, but abandons it after being exposed to the unintentional evildoings of others in her community. She grows closer to God, before departing and becoming her own God. The film follows Belle on her journey toward eventual self-ruin and the ruin of those around her.
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