Well I admit I sometimes wonder if he just said that to make her think he's doing something with his life when really he had not much going on.
But for the most part I think he was telling her the truth. That after he OD'd on acid he searched out for something, anything, to bring him back to earth. Something to believe in other than her, and God's a lot more concrete than a person.
But then I think when he saw her at the grocery store, slowly but surely his newfound faith cracked for what he really loved, really believed in. He drifted away from it because after seeing her he realized she was still the stronger pull.
That's just what I personally think, but like you said, you're not supposed to know the answers in this movie, you're supposed to go with what you personally feel happened. That's part of what makes this movie so great.
Personally my main question is an has been since I saw the preview...why is he wearing a dress in the scene at the beach?

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Nothing's gonna change my world.

Well. In my opinion the dress was the part of him not caring what people think. As you saw later he was in the theatre with the flower sticked behind his ear.
This movie is very coherent, that is why it's so good to watch.

I have noticed some things said or written earlier happen later in the movie. Like "don't let me dissapear" and Amber naming her son. Message written in the notebook about Dewly in Jeannie's room and this happening in real. Thayer and Amber conversation about faking death: why would you do that? - oh, I think you know. Or him saying that he knew he would die or live forever but why not do both. Thayer looking like the angel wearing white dress with sun halo around his head and his death later. You can find much more there.

Thayer does everything with passion - he acts, writes, says, does things that you can find scary, crashing but also sincere. That kind of behaviour leads him often to the edge - like with his fake drowning at the begining or overdose in the classroom. I think it is partly a result of his need to break Amber and partly because of his character. That is also why he is obsessed with her, he is somehow drowning in her.

I would say that the mormon part is kind of escape from her, but impossible, because she shows up and everything comes back. First in the shop and some time later by the lake. There is no escape when you just give yourself to the other person. That is what Thayer did.

And Amber's life is the same as in high school. There is no beloved person close to her, just her alone in the room and husband on the phone.

I saw somewhere the questions whether Thayer died or faked and I think he did die. This balancing on the edge ended that time. But he broke Amber as he tried all those years, so that he could live forever. She will recollect him everytime she looks at her son. And everytime she talks to his sister. That is all Thayer left her.

I really like this movie.

Dear Isolophobia,

I know you wrote your response to Life_Unknown way back in November, but I only became a member in January. I was just reading over what you and others were saying about the "dress" Thayer was wearing at the beach. I don't know much about the Mormon faith, but I do know that they believe in a very modest style of dress. As a testament to their vows to God, Mormon wears special underwear or garments in place of what most people would consider typical underwear. I can't say for certain, but I think that the "dress" you are refering to has a similar significance in that it is a traditional Morman swimsuit. If you look at the swimsuits back in say the 1940s, they covered the man's entire torso and chest (kind of like a one-piece female swimsuit today). Because Mormons believe so strictly in the idea of modesty, the "dress" is a full coverage swimsuit unlike the swim trunks most men wear today that leave their chest completely bare. Granted, I'm not saying that is exactly what it was supposed to be, but it would make sense since Thayer had supposedly converted to Mormonism and because, as he leaves Amber, he strips it off as if to say he's reverting back to his old ways. I'd have to research it more to know for sure, but that's just my take on the whole "dress" issue. Hope that helps anybody who was wondering about it...

I think that he really did join the Mormon church and it was because it was a safe place to be. I think that he left because Mormons are just not his kind of people. The way that he says "I came back early, it was a good trip" does sound a little fishy, but I think that he just quit one day and that's all there is to it.

As for the dress, I don't think it's a Mormon thing because he takes it off.