Question: After burning the house, where does everyone live for the next year? Gilbert's voiceover says that Arnie is about to turn nineteen, so a year has passed. Amy has just gotten the bakery manager job, and Gilbert and Arnie are waiting for Becky. So what did they do between their mother's death and the "one year later" scene?
Question: When Gilbert and Arnie first meet Becky they tell her that Arnie's birthday is in 6 days. It is indicated that Mr. Carver dies and is buried sometime in between then, but if he died say two or three days before the party normally it would take about a week to plan a funeral. Are funerals planned quickly in smaller towns in the real world or is it just for the film?
Answer: I don't know where you are from but here in the Northeast United States, funerals are planned and completed in 3-4 days. The Jewish bury their loved ones within 36 hours.
Question: It's stated a couple times in the movie that Arnie could die at any moment. Pardon my ignorance, but why exactly is this? Is there something about his condition that makes him highly susceptible to dropping dead, or is it a matter of his behavioral impulses (such as climbing the water tower) that put him at a high risk of dying in an accident?
Chosen answer: It's because of his often reckless behavior; it's never implied within the film that his unique condition has anything to do the likelihood that he could "go at any time."
Answer: In the beginning, Gilbert explains that the doctors said Arnie will only live till 10 years old, and that he is well past that, so he "could go at any time."
Answer: They shot it last and they didn't wear wigs.