Early on in the film, Barbara confides in her journal people have always trusted me with their secrets. But who do I trust with mine? The line proves interesting because it initially invites the audience into Barbaras world and makes us the confidante shes never had. Yet, as the film progresses, we also discover that Barbara is not to be trusted. The entries into her journal are often sharply observant. She can describe people with the most cuttingly accurate quip, as when she assesses Shebas trendy politics as being as transparent as her skin. But as the film progresses, we come to see the gap between the world as Barbara sees it and the world as it is. She may tell us that people have always trusted her with secrets but shes such a solitary, unapproachable figure and she stares down her colleagues with such ruthlessly judgmental eyes that its difficult to imagine anyone coming to her and revealing their most intimate secrets. As for Sheba, she doesnt so much trust Barbara with her secrets as she is forced into a dependent relationship with her based on the fact that Barbara discovers her secret.
