Forum Overview :: The Zionist Media Conspiracy
 
Poorly/hastily written, let me clarify by MM 12/04/2006, 8:33am PST
Fussbett wrote:

I agree with everything you've said, but you've only addressed the symbolism and metaphor. Is your position that the movie doesn't make sense on a literal leve at all, and must only be viewed through the symbolism?

Mischief Maker wrote:

In the end, when the spaceman finally accepts his death, then he goes back to the repeated modern day scene when instead of going to surgery, he walks with his wife who gives him the seed she wants planted over her grave.

"goes back" ...in time? ...in his memories?


I think it's left open to the viewer whether or not:

1. The spaceman is really taking place in the future

or

2. The whole story is hinging on the "what if" instant when the guy has a moment of indecision after turning down going for a walk with his wife so he can go to surgery.

SO if it's taking place in the future, the scene where he leaves surgery behind and walks with his wife to get the seed and later plant it over her grave is the symbolic equivalent of the spaceman's sacrifice. Instead of going to all that work through all those years, he could have gotten the same closure back at that moment.

OR if it's all taking place that instant, then the whole present day "magical tree sample cures cancer too late" is metaphorical too. It's the "what if we do come up with a cure that instant? There's still no way it'd be able to help her in time."

So you have the 3 metaphors, the spaceman trying to come to terms with his own mortality to accept hers, the conquistador fighting an impossible battle against death, and the too-slow cure in modern day that represents the conflict between the previous two. In the end, the spaceman wins because it's the only way for the conquistador to get past the guard with the flaming sword and the modern day doctor to get closure.

So once that conflict is resolved in that instant of indecision, the doctor decides he won't go to surgery, meets with his wife instead, and she gives him the seed. In that case, the seed isn't a magic tree of life seed and the magic tree of life is only a metaphor for the cycle of life and death.
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    Warn people that it's sad! Plus tell them that Mogwai did lots of the music! by Fussbett 11/26/2006, 8:05pm PST NEW
    SPOILERS ending discussion SPOILERS by Fussbett 11/26/2006, 9:00pm PST NEW
        Re: SPOILERS ending discussion SPOILERS by Mischief Maker 11/28/2006, 7:47am PST NEW
            Re: SPOILERS ending discussion SPOILERS by Fussbett 12/03/2006, 10:54pm PST NEW
                Poorly/hastily written, let me clarify by MM 12/04/2006, 8:33am PST NEW
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        I'm never going to read this, why don't you just give me the gist of it? NT by Jerry Whorebach 07/27/2008, 8:02pm PDT NEW
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        Thanks. NT by Mischief Maker 09/20/2012, 6:43am PDT NEW
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        I really enjoyed this thread. Loved the movie. NT by Ryan Paul 09/20/2012, 7:25am PDT NEW
 
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