Vanilla Sky (spoilers)
TV ClubHouse: archive: Movies Feb-Aug 2002:
Vanilla Sky (spoilers)
Sammmy | Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 06:57 am     Discuss here questions about the movie without worry of ruining the movie for those who haven't yet seen it. They have been forewarned by the title of this thread. |
Zeyna | Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 10:16 am     Thanks for making this thread Sammy! The ending basically explains that after he gets into the accident, he can't cope with his life and signs a contract with a company that promises to freeze his body until technology permits to thaw him, fix his face and let him live a new life. He also agreed that for a higher price he would get the option that allows him to dream while he's frozen - which is basically the entire movie from when he wakes up on the street the morning after the night club. The portion that is erased from his memory is waking up on the street, and realizing that he can't go on living, signing the contract with LE and comitting suicide (by taking pills). Soooo - the ending shows the "Tech support" explaining what has happened, that he's been dreaming and no one is actually real, Sophia, the doctor, his friend etc. But, why is thech support assumed to be real? Could he not be part of his dream as well? At the very end, he jumps from the building to "begin his new life", after which you hear a voice saying "Open your eyes" - now to me this sounds like Cameron Diaz's voice which is actually how the movie begins. This brings me to wonder why at the very beginning of the movie, he hears this on his machine, wakes up, gets into his car and drives down abandoned streets, jumps out and starts running away. This part is really not explained at all. Plus, if you recall, the biginning of the movie starts with what to me looked like a blinking eye, showing an aerial view of the city, with each blink getting closer to a building (perhaps him falling from the very end of the movie???).. I won't go on, but I almost think that he's dreaming everything, or that after accident he's in a coma and imagining all this. But again, this does not explain the beginning scene (unless he dies at the end, last words he hears are "open your eyes", and then wakes up in the afterlife, the beginning of the movie where he's on the empty street?) I'm really curious for other people's take on the movie... |
Sammmy | Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 01:08 pm     Okay, the way you explained the movie at the beginning of your post, I completely agree with and understand. That is the way I saw it, too. But why does a dream need Tech support? Is the tech support guy part of the dream, too? Is the Lucid Dream turning into a permanent nightmare because of his guilty conscience concerning his dismissive treatment of people prior to the accident. The nightmare being the dream he can never leave and everytime he tries he hear "Open Your Eyes" again. First at the beginning of the movie, then in the middle on the curb (the splice) and again at the end. The middle "Open your eyes" is explained, but not the end or beginning. Also, during the movie when he spends the night with Penelope and they draw pictures of each other...when they show each other the pictures, I glanced at my friend and said, "Apparently they are both artist?" and rolled my eyes. Both pictures were very good, unrealistically so. This was all before the dream sequence began, or did it????? Perhaps those pictures were so perfect because he was dreaming?? I could go on with my questions and observations, but won't. I don't remember the opening the way you described. I'll have to see it again and notice the eye. One movie critic who saw it twice said that the voice at the very beginning was Penelope Cruz. Huh?? Any other thoughts?? |
Phrf | Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 09:44 pm     This is Karen's friend Pat. I saw the film a couple of days ago and thought that the entire film was not a dream, nor was any part of it. Rather, the whole thing was a visit to the phyche of a derranged man on the verge of commiting suicide, which in fact he does at the end of the film. The eyes opening merely introduce us to the possibility of another life after this or maybe just a sequel to the film. Excellent montage, especially the sound!! Loved it. Pat |
Zeyna | Friday, December 28, 2001 - 04:24 am     I could be wrong about the voice - it might have been Penelope's. About the drawings, I can't remeber hers in this version, but in the original, her picture was very kiddy like, where as his was perfect. One interesting tid-bit, in the original, she was not a dancer. She was a mime, with a few scenes showing her face painted white (resembling his mask). |
Sammmy | Friday, December 28, 2001 - 08:14 pm     "One interesting tid-bit, in the original, she was not a dancer. She was a mime, with a few scenes showing her face painted white (resembling his mask)." Now that's cool! |
Juju2bigdog | Wednesday, January 02, 2002 - 09:56 am     Saw the movie yesterday. Thought it was fascinating. My interpretation of the empty streets scenes at the beginning of the movie was him recounting a dream to the psychologist while in jail for probably killing somebody. I took it to be a movie foreshadowing that he was going to end up in jail somehow. You will notice that when he ran from LE in the end and ended up on the rood, there were also no people in the building. |
Heyteach | Sunday, February 17, 2002 - 01:06 am     Well, it is good to know that seeing the original movie is no help! At least I will not spend time trying to find it now. (Maybe the book?? Anyone read it?) One reviewer made reference to Calderon de la Barca's play "La Vida es Sueno" (Life is a Dream) which is summarized in a famous monolgue (similiar to Shakespeare's "all the world's a stage..."). It says the rich man just dreams of his riches, etc., etc. and ends with the line "Life is a dream, and dreams are dreams." So what's the deal? Was it all a bad dream, the result of a glitch in the programming? Or was the whole thing a dream about dreaming? I really think people who make such movies should be required to put explanations at the end of them! Or at least they could print it somewhere after the run of the movie! |
Alaskagal | Monday, June 10, 2002 - 01:27 pm     What a great movie. I loved it. My take: Tom got in the accident and was so depressed about his condition and in so much pain he made a deal with this company that they'd freeze his body and he could stay in a dreaming state, where his subconscieus took over. At the end he decided it was time to wake up and live again. |
|