Maggie: 7 Tics In Arnie’s Performance That Make It Great

4. He Looks In Pain When The Truth Can't Be Hidden

One of the most difficult parts of the film to watch is the way Maggie's condition plays out on her father's face, which accounts for why he spends most of the film not allowing his stoic exterior to drop. Early on when he's faced with talking about Maggie's grim diagnosis with his wife (Joely Richardson), he cannot make eye-contact, looking at the floor as he relates what he knows to be true. It happens elsewhere, as he seeks solace away from other people's gazes as if he will crumble to share that intimacy. And when he's in Maggie's company alone, he seamlessly transitions from smiling and laughing (to make the most of their time together) and reverting to the stern father who you suspect might just have been the reason she ran away.