Film is the manipulative medium par excellence. When you think back on the history of film and the 20th century you see the propaganda that's been made. So there are moral demands on the director to treat the spectators as seriously as he or she takes himself and not to see them merely as victims that can be manipulated to whatever ends they have.
I think anybody who has had a long relationship and has had a really hard time letting go wants to feel like it's not all for naught and it's meaningful because it makes you who you are.