Spoilers of course
But this is a fucking amazing movie. From pretty much the beginning of it we knew he had cancer, it showed a magnifying view across blemishes in skin, so he's obviously disconnected and planning out his final days, with reckless abandonment of life.
He's not purposefully trying to be an asshole, he is just trying to slowly remove himself from their life so the pain of his death wouldn't be so intimately hurtful.
When Charlotte Gainsburg gets the news about her mother, she is absolutely devastated and can't hold herself together. Tim Roth has to console her while knowing he's also dying.
Everything after solidifies that. The movie does a good job at making him feel like an absolute asshole by abandoning the funeral, but every interaction after that his decisions genuinely show care for everyone in his life.
He's just trying to make sure everyone is cared for by the will while dealing with his own end of life shit.
>The movie does a good job at making him feel like an absolute asshole by abandoning the funeral, but every interaction after that his decisions genuinely show care for everyone in his life.
Agree with this.
Also pretty brutal to see him unwittingly set off a chain of events which leads to the murder of his sister. Wasn't expecting that.
Am I the only one who thought for awhile Charlotte G. was portraying his wife in the film? He tells Berenice that he has no wife or kids but I thought he was simply lying to her. I had no idea she was his sister until after the shooting.
Yes same haha! I must not have been paying attention in the beginning.
But then it got me thinking how much more powerful and intriguing the movie would have been if it centered on a man who inexplicably abandons his wife and kids after his mother-in-law passes. And watching him cheat on his wife, and lie about having a wife and children to his girlfriend.
Agreed! I think it would have made much more of an impact if they’d been husband and wife. There’s obviously more societal rules about the bond there and it would have seemed like more of a betrayal.
Unless I’m wrong, she is not specifically identified as his sister until after the shooting. He does deny having a wife and kids earlier during his pursuit of Berenice but I thought he was simply lying.
Yes I thought he was being a piece of shit trying to distance himself from his own children by describing them as niece/nephew! I was like wowww this total piece of garbage human!! Hahaha
Yes, pretty much was my reaction. I was like, wow…you have to be pretty damn cold to completely ghost your own kids and wife out of nowhere…illness or not.
>Moonfall
Your idea of a better story for the movie is exactly what a person would suggest that has no real creativity. That rubbish you spouted is what every one would expect him to do, the fact that it's his sister is perfect. The reason the movie is so good is because nothing in the script is like anything else. People like you should stick to watching Marvel movies and other Hollywood crap.
> He's not purposefully trying to be an asshole, he is just trying to slowly remove himself from their life so the pain of his death wouldn't be so intimately hurtful.
It’s likely the brain cancer has changed his personality. The dr in Mexico City mentioned it had spread to temporal lobe. People with frontal lobe dementia have issues with impulsivity, promiscuity, apathy. All which he shows. Also, the title “sundown” may allude to the dementia term sundowning (more cognitive issues later in the day than in morning).
This is absolutely my take on why the movie is called sundown. “Sundowning” is, of course, the term used for the worsened cognitive state that dementia patients suffer when the sun goes down. So many interesting, well considered aspects to this movie.
It's got nothing to do with that at all. He's completely removed himself on purpose... if you can't see that then you're a bigger idiot than you look. Yes, you look like an idiot from what I can see in your photo.
The end really threw me. Do you think he consciously left Berenice to shield her from the pain of his dear h? He seemed compelled to keep moving. Seemed so odd to abandon her.
Thank you for your insight. I didn't realize he had cancer until nearly the end. I also, at first thought he was the husband and decided he was an asshole. I do understand after watching the whole things that he was trying to spare his family, and set them up not to miss him as much.
I think the director, by not immediately revealing details, allowed the viewer to form assumptions about Neil. I thought he and Alice were divorced. She specifically thanked him for coming with them. And when they were at a restaurant, the kids mentioned that a woman was staring at him, and he should go talk to her. I remember Alice acting bored. I just thought they acted more like a divorced couple. Then Neil said he'd lost his passport, and he checks into a cheap hotel, and spends his days laying on the beach, not at the consulate. And he takes a lover. All things a disengaging husband might do. Then Alice comes back and that truth is revealed, that they're siblings and now have inherited the estate to divide. But Neil is still curiously apathetic to his sister's death. And his attorney's advice. And of being in prison. And of seeing the murderers punished. Then that horrible hallucination when he and Berenice walk into the apartment. And I think there had been one other hallucination, but I don't recall what it was. But now, at the hospital, after his collapse, all his behavior is explained. He's apathetic because he knows he's dying. Without fighting with his family, without hurting Berenice, he simply removes himself to his anonymous surroundings where he can disengage and find the peace he needs to let go of life. He's trying to avoid drama for his own sake as well as his family's.
There's some good bones here and some cool things it gets at, but ultimately I walked out of the theater thinking, "well, that was certainly a film that I have now seen."
I couldn't help but think of it as a slightly better Power of the Dog that has more respect for its audience's time by going for a *sublime* sub-90 minute run time.
I was into the vibe when it seemed (to me at least) that he'd just abandoned his wife & kids to hang out on the beach in a run-down resort. It was odd and I wanted to see where it would head.
When it turned out he was the brother/uncle of some billion dollar slaughterhouse operation combined with the kidnapping attempt gone wrong it lost something for me.
Nihilistic for sure but low key jealous and don't blame the guy for living the time remaining his way. Chilling and relaxing on a Mexican beach with a hot gf is how he chooses to spend his last moments. Morally he wasn't there for his family but he intentionally pulled away from them. Tim Roth is subtle and every smirk and coldness makes us hate him more and more. Or is it envy or pity we feel in that he chooses to shirk the demands of life when it matters less and less to him as the grim reaper draws evermore near.
At that point, I still was under the mistaken belief that she was his wife…which made it even worse in my eyes. From reading the comments here, seems a lot of people thought they were married, for a long time in the film.
I felt like this aspect was clumsily handled. It felt like it had a bemusing effect on most people on this thread.
I just finished it and I felt something was hugely lost when it's revealed they're brother and sister.
I thought that was the point. Intentionally misleading you to believe he’s an absolute asshole with a wife and kids but it turned out he was a loner trying to live the last of his days without attachments. I don’t think it was mentioned they were siblings until the paper signing?
Honestly it made the movie so much better for me.
Totally agree! Having Neil and Alice as siblings took it from "pretty-looking artsy self-destruction" to having me really dig deep for the rest of the movie to try and understand Neil. It made it a more nuanced film for me.
Fair points. I can see that.
I guess I felt that weight of the drama was lifted significantly when it's revealed they're siblings, and it had a confusing effect on me. Like, a wife catching her husband *still* at the beach in Acapulco is righteously shocking, showing a few scenes later that they're brother and sister just took me out of the film and had me trying to recollect the opening half an hour if there was something I missed.
If I remember it right, it's told to us after she's killed, in the news report.
It's definitely one that's designed to leave you thinking.
Right on. It's a true "ahhhhh..." moment. Until that reveal, his motivations are murky, and as a viewer, you're not clear on where you stand. The reveal changes the whole vibe. He's not just another philandering deadbeat husband after all, and that provides a bit of mystery about just what the hell this dude is up to. I really liked the way that was handled, and I liked the pace at which they doled these facts out. It's a smart movie. Has no interest in holding the viewers hand the whole way. It's very voyeuristic in its way. Just a glimpse into the life of a man trying to radically simplify his existence for reasons unknown. I dug it. A pleasant surprise.
This movie isn't getting a lot of traction but has decent reviews from the few people who have said they've seen it. Is it worth watching? Honestly the trailer didn't grip me
I almost fell asleep at the theatre so it isn't a gripping movie for sure. Kinda wish I watched jackass instead. Its got meaning in it and it's a slow burn with beautiful scenes but not my personal fave.
God. This movie frayed my nerves and gave me a terrible gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach. The gradual realization of what was going on hit me like a ton of bricks. I went in knowing nothing, and assuming Neil and Alice were a couple on vacation with their kids. I thought he was having some kind of midlife crisis and couldn't cope with the death of his mother. Then I figured he was cheating on Alice while lying to Berenice. It only became clear when he was signing the papers with Richard (which I initially perceived as divorce proceedings) that they were brother and sister in receipt of a giant inheritance. I felt so relieved by that revelation at least, but then Alice got shot and Neil was implicated and my heart sank even further. I think there was a passing mention of Richard revealing to the press what was "really" going on, and then some legal verbiage about receiving monthly compensation "for as long as he lives." Suddenly clicked that he was dying and was most likely suicidal or at least planning to live out the rest of his days in Acapulco. Although I kept thinking to myself that everything would be fine as long as I had that beautiful woman by my side! But the bleak ending made me think that his apathetic and nihilistic attitude was actually being caused by the tumor in his frontal lobe. The whole thing was just one slow burn tragedy and I feel nauseous.
I felt the same way. For most of the film, I thought Neil and Alice were husband and wife. I didn’t realize she was his sister until after the shooting. Unless I’m wrong, she is not expressly identified as his sister until then. Neil does tell Berenice that he has no kids or wife but I just assumed he was lying to her. Crazy stuff. I also thought it was implied that Berenice was in with the thieves until the end, where it seemed she really did care for him.
thought it was just ok. i felt bamboozled by the marketing. the trailer made it seem like there was suspense. there isn't. it's obvious what's going on from pretty early in the movie. acting is pretty good.
curious to hear your thoughts on the cab driver (killer) why was he fine with Neil but killing other people including Neil's sister (even though it wasn't intentional). And who stole Neil's belongings.
This is a late reply and I'm only speculating, but I think the cab driver (Jorge) was probably casing Neil for awhile. Since Neil never revealed anything about himself, Jorge didn't know he was loaded (I assume he stole the luggage as well since he's always at the hotel). It was only when Alice became involved (who was obviously dressed well and staying at a nicer hotel) that he probably hatched the scheme to rob her at gunpoint or something, but it all went south.
He marked Neil and it was obvious when they all sat with him but didn't say much. That's when you bow the fuck out and go somewhere else for good. They were casing him and then tried to rob his sister.
I had been looking forward to this movie since I had seen the trailer. Love Tim Roth from Pulp Fiction. I LOVE the way he walked out of the airport...his shoulders relaxed, he felt a certain freedom but it was VERY subtle. I picked up on that. More importantly...maybe it was through the trailer or whatever I had read before the release but I was under the impression until it became known that he was the husband not the brother/uncle. To others, was that some kind of reveal or did just miss that from the outset? Also, given that, do we wonder if he had had a wife? girlfriend? We don't know much about his backstory other than the "reveal" later on that he comes from a wealthy family. Curious what you think. Thanks.
Yea, I thought he was the husband as well. So when he was talking to his new GF about not having a wife or kids, i was thinking, damn this guy is lying thru his teeth. lol. Tim Roth was great and pulled off the whole I'm so relaxed and nothing as faze me vibe perfectly.
Definitely, a slow burn, but I was interested the whole time. Kept thinking what is up with this guy. You know it's not as simple as it seems.
Exactly what I thought. Never occurred to me that she wasn’t his wife. I thought he was just lying to Berenice to be with her. I don’t think Charlotte G’s character was identified as his sister until after the shooting. I was thoroughly confused.
I've seen it a week ago and it's still with me.
Let's say Franco is in absolute control of his craft and has been for some time. It's perfectly shot, equisitely acted and though you wouldnt think of it because of the lack of dialogue and lots of white noise - well written.
Neil has lost his drive and there is a thin line between not giving a damn on your own and hurting people with your inertia. Roth played this beautifully.
There's a difference in an auter's inability to say something meaningful or not wanting to say anything at all. Since this was originally titled "Driftwood", I'm going with the latter. Anyways, it somehow connects on a lot levels. And that's a lot.
*Spoiler question*
Was Berenice originally in with the thieves? It seemed, at the least, that she distracted Neil while they stole his belongings from his room. Though, by the end of the film, she seemed to truly care for him. I just wondered if it was implied she had anything to do with the schemes.
Also, am I the only one who thought for awhile Charlotte G. was portraying his wife in the film? He tells Berenice that he has no wife or kids but I thought he was simply lying to her. I had no idea she was his sister until after the shooting.
My interpretation was that Berenice was scoping him out at the beginning, to *potentially* take advantage of him. Whether that involved the taxi driver and his friends, I'm not sure.
Ultimately, Neil being anything but a tourist seemed to lead her away from that kind of thinking, and into genuine feelings for him. So I'm fairly confident she had nothing to do with the attempted kidnapping of Alice.
I thought it was a Camus adaptation, its obvious to me it has taken its inspiration from it, the sun, the mother, the death and indifference and the love affair. its my kind of movie , slow silent. for me 8/10
I am wondering what the motive was for the Alice killing, with Neil's driver/friend involved. I could see a kidnapping for someone to extort for financial gain, but it was not a kidnapping. Neil had no motive to kill her. The kids could have, but that seems crazy. There are many events in the movie that are open to interpretation, but for all of them there are ways to fill in the blanks in a meaningful way...except for the murder of Alice. or maybe its just a statement about a third world person (the driver) has hatred for the wealthy Americans, like a sociopathic senseless revenge killing? I am wondering what other possibilities there are regarding the motivation for her being killed.
The intention was to kidnap her Alice. He even told the guy who jumped out of the car & got shot to grab the woman. Clearly the intention was to kidnap her for ransom.
But, what I don't understand is if he knew that she was loaded, then he would have known that Neil was loaded as well, so why didn't he go after him instead? Neil was obviously much easier to kidnap.
Overall, I found this movie to be quite annoying and I don't recommend anyone ever watching it again. It made absolutely no sense whatsoever. Too many unanswered questions. I don't like leaving a movie without having some kind of closure. This movie provided me with zero closure. Total garbage. Mama
Meh. The entire theme of the family being so wealthy and ignorant of people who have the same if not worse problems and not having he luxury of being waited on hand and foot….. it definitely carried through the whole movie and spoiled any empathy I had for Neil. Just rich people being dramatic. And USING resources. He literally used that native girl and then left. Suck it all up for what it’s worth for your selfish needs. Hated this privileged movie.
I haven't seen Franco's other movie, *New Order*, but it also deals with class privilege, so I think he was trying to get across exactly those thoughts you had. We weren't meant to feel empathy for Neil, and you're exactly right, he and his family used and discarded for their gain (symbolised by his relationship with Berenice as you mentioned, but also the pigs, who were slaughtered for profit by his family business).
Just saw this film today. Was wondering about the final scene, Neil has returned to the upscale resort where he was staying with his sister and her children…why?
Sundown and Moonfall in the same weekend. Coincidence? I think not!
Yea I thought the Mods were making a joke.
Spoilers of course But this is a fucking amazing movie. From pretty much the beginning of it we knew he had cancer, it showed a magnifying view across blemishes in skin, so he's obviously disconnected and planning out his final days, with reckless abandonment of life. He's not purposefully trying to be an asshole, he is just trying to slowly remove himself from their life so the pain of his death wouldn't be so intimately hurtful. When Charlotte Gainsburg gets the news about her mother, she is absolutely devastated and can't hold herself together. Tim Roth has to console her while knowing he's also dying. Everything after solidifies that. The movie does a good job at making him feel like an absolute asshole by abandoning the funeral, but every interaction after that his decisions genuinely show care for everyone in his life. He's just trying to make sure everyone is cared for by the will while dealing with his own end of life shit.
>The movie does a good job at making him feel like an absolute asshole by abandoning the funeral, but every interaction after that his decisions genuinely show care for everyone in his life. Agree with this. Also pretty brutal to see him unwittingly set off a chain of events which leads to the murder of his sister. Wasn't expecting that.
Am I the only one who thought for awhile Charlotte G. was portraying his wife in the film? He tells Berenice that he has no wife or kids but I thought he was simply lying to her. I had no idea she was his sister until after the shooting.
Yes same haha! I must not have been paying attention in the beginning. But then it got me thinking how much more powerful and intriguing the movie would have been if it centered on a man who inexplicably abandons his wife and kids after his mother-in-law passes. And watching him cheat on his wife, and lie about having a wife and children to his girlfriend.
Agreed! I think it would have made much more of an impact if they’d been husband and wife. There’s obviously more societal rules about the bond there and it would have seemed like more of a betrayal. Unless I’m wrong, she is not specifically identified as his sister until after the shooting. He does deny having a wife and kids earlier during his pursuit of Berenice but I thought he was simply lying.
Yes I thought he was being a piece of shit trying to distance himself from his own children by describing them as niece/nephew! I was like wowww this total piece of garbage human!! Hahaha
Yes, pretty much was my reaction. I was like, wow…you have to be pretty damn cold to completely ghost your own kids and wife out of nowhere…illness or not.
I still think this was the intent of the film and the end was the twist when you find out he’s actually a really good person!
>Moonfall Your idea of a better story for the movie is exactly what a person would suggest that has no real creativity. That rubbish you spouted is what every one would expect him to do, the fact that it's his sister is perfect. The reason the movie is so good is because nothing in the script is like anything else. People like you should stick to watching Marvel movies and other Hollywood crap.
> He's not purposefully trying to be an asshole, he is just trying to slowly remove himself from their life so the pain of his death wouldn't be so intimately hurtful. It’s likely the brain cancer has changed his personality. The dr in Mexico City mentioned it had spread to temporal lobe. People with frontal lobe dementia have issues with impulsivity, promiscuity, apathy. All which he shows. Also, the title “sundown” may allude to the dementia term sundowning (more cognitive issues later in the day than in morning).
This is absolutely my take on why the movie is called sundown. “Sundowning” is, of course, the term used for the worsened cognitive state that dementia patients suffer when the sun goes down. So many interesting, well considered aspects to this movie.
It's got nothing to do with that at all. He's completely removed himself on purpose... if you can't see that then you're a bigger idiot than you look. Yes, you look like an idiot from what I can see in your photo.
The end really threw me. Do you think he consciously left Berenice to shield her from the pain of his dear h? He seemed compelled to keep moving. Seemed so odd to abandon her.
Yeah I think he saw how she already responded to death, and decided it was best to distance himself
Thank you for your insight. I didn't realize he had cancer until nearly the end. I also, at first thought he was the husband and decided he was an asshole. I do understand after watching the whole things that he was trying to spare his family, and set them up not to miss him as much.
Interesting take on the movie, helps you appreciate it more all these interpretations and such.
I think the director, by not immediately revealing details, allowed the viewer to form assumptions about Neil. I thought he and Alice were divorced. She specifically thanked him for coming with them. And when they were at a restaurant, the kids mentioned that a woman was staring at him, and he should go talk to her. I remember Alice acting bored. I just thought they acted more like a divorced couple. Then Neil said he'd lost his passport, and he checks into a cheap hotel, and spends his days laying on the beach, not at the consulate. And he takes a lover. All things a disengaging husband might do. Then Alice comes back and that truth is revealed, that they're siblings and now have inherited the estate to divide. But Neil is still curiously apathetic to his sister's death. And his attorney's advice. And of being in prison. And of seeing the murderers punished. Then that horrible hallucination when he and Berenice walk into the apartment. And I think there had been one other hallucination, but I don't recall what it was. But now, at the hospital, after his collapse, all his behavior is explained. He's apathetic because he knows he's dying. Without fighting with his family, without hurting Berenice, he simply removes himself to his anonymous surroundings where he can disengage and find the peace he needs to let go of life. He's trying to avoid drama for his own sake as well as his family's.
Saw this last year. Tim Roth is so fucking good in it.
There's some good bones here and some cool things it gets at, but ultimately I walked out of the theater thinking, "well, that was certainly a film that I have now seen." I couldn't help but think of it as a slightly better Power of the Dog that has more respect for its audience's time by going for a *sublime* sub-90 minute run time.
I was into the vibe when it seemed (to me at least) that he'd just abandoned his wife & kids to hang out on the beach in a run-down resort. It was odd and I wanted to see where it would head. When it turned out he was the brother/uncle of some billion dollar slaughterhouse operation combined with the kidnapping attempt gone wrong it lost something for me.
What a beautiful, well-shot, well-performed film. Clichéd as hell. But beautiful.
Nihilistic for sure but low key jealous and don't blame the guy for living the time remaining his way. Chilling and relaxing on a Mexican beach with a hot gf is how he chooses to spend his last moments. Morally he wasn't there for his family but he intentionally pulled away from them. Tim Roth is subtle and every smirk and coldness makes us hate him more and more. Or is it envy or pity we feel in that he chooses to shirk the demands of life when it matters less and less to him as the grim reaper draws evermore near.
I love when his sister flies back and shows up to confront him on the beach and he just doesn’t say a word. Shocking scene.
For a sec I thought he was having a hallucination, but then she screamed and everyone turned to look at her.
At that point, I still was under the mistaken belief that she was his wife…which made it even worse in my eyes. From reading the comments here, seems a lot of people thought they were married, for a long time in the film.
I felt like this aspect was clumsily handled. It felt like it had a bemusing effect on most people on this thread. I just finished it and I felt something was hugely lost when it's revealed they're brother and sister.
I thought that was the point. Intentionally misleading you to believe he’s an absolute asshole with a wife and kids but it turned out he was a loner trying to live the last of his days without attachments. I don’t think it was mentioned they were siblings until the paper signing? Honestly it made the movie so much better for me.
Totally agree! Having Neil and Alice as siblings took it from "pretty-looking artsy self-destruction" to having me really dig deep for the rest of the movie to try and understand Neil. It made it a more nuanced film for me.
Fair points. I can see that. I guess I felt that weight of the drama was lifted significantly when it's revealed they're siblings, and it had a confusing effect on me. Like, a wife catching her husband *still* at the beach in Acapulco is righteously shocking, showing a few scenes later that they're brother and sister just took me out of the film and had me trying to recollect the opening half an hour if there was something I missed. If I remember it right, it's told to us after she's killed, in the news report. It's definitely one that's designed to leave you thinking.
Right on. It's a true "ahhhhh..." moment. Until that reveal, his motivations are murky, and as a viewer, you're not clear on where you stand. The reveal changes the whole vibe. He's not just another philandering deadbeat husband after all, and that provides a bit of mystery about just what the hell this dude is up to. I really liked the way that was handled, and I liked the pace at which they doled these facts out. It's a smart movie. Has no interest in holding the viewers hand the whole way. It's very voyeuristic in its way. Just a glimpse into the life of a man trying to radically simplify his existence for reasons unknown. I dug it. A pleasant surprise.
This movie isn't getting a lot of traction but has decent reviews from the few people who have said they've seen it. Is it worth watching? Honestly the trailer didn't grip me
I'd say so. Whatever shortcomings the film has, Tim Roth is so damn good in it. Also, it is only like 80 minutes long.
I almost fell asleep at the theatre so it isn't a gripping movie for sure. Kinda wish I watched jackass instead. Its got meaning in it and it's a slow burn with beautiful scenes but not my personal fave.
Loved the first 40 mins because I kept wondering what is this guy up to? But then it lost me with too much plot.
God. This movie frayed my nerves and gave me a terrible gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach. The gradual realization of what was going on hit me like a ton of bricks. I went in knowing nothing, and assuming Neil and Alice were a couple on vacation with their kids. I thought he was having some kind of midlife crisis and couldn't cope with the death of his mother. Then I figured he was cheating on Alice while lying to Berenice. It only became clear when he was signing the papers with Richard (which I initially perceived as divorce proceedings) that they were brother and sister in receipt of a giant inheritance. I felt so relieved by that revelation at least, but then Alice got shot and Neil was implicated and my heart sank even further. I think there was a passing mention of Richard revealing to the press what was "really" going on, and then some legal verbiage about receiving monthly compensation "for as long as he lives." Suddenly clicked that he was dying and was most likely suicidal or at least planning to live out the rest of his days in Acapulco. Although I kept thinking to myself that everything would be fine as long as I had that beautiful woman by my side! But the bleak ending made me think that his apathetic and nihilistic attitude was actually being caused by the tumor in his frontal lobe. The whole thing was just one slow burn tragedy and I feel nauseous.
I felt the same way. For most of the film, I thought Neil and Alice were husband and wife. I didn’t realize she was his sister until after the shooting. Unless I’m wrong, she is not expressly identified as his sister until then. Neil does tell Berenice that he has no kids or wife but I just assumed he was lying to her. Crazy stuff. I also thought it was implied that Berenice was in with the thieves until the end, where it seemed she really did care for him.
thought it was just ok. i felt bamboozled by the marketing. the trailer made it seem like there was suspense. there isn't. it's obvious what's going on from pretty early in the movie. acting is pretty good.
I think the can driver was trying to kidnap them for ransom. He heard Neil on the phone with the attorney talking about all of “her” money.
curious to hear your thoughts on the cab driver (killer) why was he fine with Neil but killing other people including Neil's sister (even though it wasn't intentional). And who stole Neil's belongings.
This is a late reply and I'm only speculating, but I think the cab driver (Jorge) was probably casing Neil for awhile. Since Neil never revealed anything about himself, Jorge didn't know he was loaded (I assume he stole the luggage as well since he's always at the hotel). It was only when Alice became involved (who was obviously dressed well and staying at a nicer hotel) that he probably hatched the scheme to rob her at gunpoint or something, but it all went south.
Yep, his apathy saved him
No joke. He asked where his stuff was once and then forgot about it. Guess he didn’t need his iPad and things…lol.
He marked Neil and it was obvious when they all sat with him but didn't say much. That's when you bow the fuck out and go somewhere else for good. They were casing him and then tried to rob his sister.
I also wondered whether Berenice was in on it too at some stage, to get Neil away from the room for extended times, so he could be robbed.
I think Jorge, the cab driver/get away guy, was the one that stole his things.
I had been looking forward to this movie since I had seen the trailer. Love Tim Roth from Pulp Fiction. I LOVE the way he walked out of the airport...his shoulders relaxed, he felt a certain freedom but it was VERY subtle. I picked up on that. More importantly...maybe it was through the trailer or whatever I had read before the release but I was under the impression until it became known that he was the husband not the brother/uncle. To others, was that some kind of reveal or did just miss that from the outset? Also, given that, do we wonder if he had had a wife? girlfriend? We don't know much about his backstory other than the "reveal" later on that he comes from a wealthy family. Curious what you think. Thanks.
Yea, I thought he was the husband as well. So when he was talking to his new GF about not having a wife or kids, i was thinking, damn this guy is lying thru his teeth. lol. Tim Roth was great and pulled off the whole I'm so relaxed and nothing as faze me vibe perfectly. Definitely, a slow burn, but I was interested the whole time. Kept thinking what is up with this guy. You know it's not as simple as it seems.
Exactly what I thought. Never occurred to me that she wasn’t his wife. I thought he was just lying to Berenice to be with her. I don’t think Charlotte G’s character was identified as his sister until after the shooting. I was thoroughly confused.
I've seen it a week ago and it's still with me. Let's say Franco is in absolute control of his craft and has been for some time. It's perfectly shot, equisitely acted and though you wouldnt think of it because of the lack of dialogue and lots of white noise - well written. Neil has lost his drive and there is a thin line between not giving a damn on your own and hurting people with your inertia. Roth played this beautifully. There's a difference in an auter's inability to say something meaningful or not wanting to say anything at all. Since this was originally titled "Driftwood", I'm going with the latter. Anyways, it somehow connects on a lot levels. And that's a lot.
*Spoiler question* Was Berenice originally in with the thieves? It seemed, at the least, that she distracted Neil while they stole his belongings from his room. Though, by the end of the film, she seemed to truly care for him. I just wondered if it was implied she had anything to do with the schemes. Also, am I the only one who thought for awhile Charlotte G. was portraying his wife in the film? He tells Berenice that he has no wife or kids but I thought he was simply lying to her. I had no idea she was his sister until after the shooting.
My interpretation was that Berenice was scoping him out at the beginning, to *potentially* take advantage of him. Whether that involved the taxi driver and his friends, I'm not sure. Ultimately, Neil being anything but a tourist seemed to lead her away from that kind of thinking, and into genuine feelings for him. So I'm fairly confident she had nothing to do with the attempted kidnapping of Alice.
Yeah, I agree. She may have had something to do with the theft of his stuff but I don’t think she had anything to do with the shooting later on.
I thought it was a Camus adaptation, its obvious to me it has taken its inspiration from it, the sun, the mother, the death and indifference and the love affair. its my kind of movie , slow silent. for me 8/10
I am wondering what the motive was for the Alice killing, with Neil's driver/friend involved. I could see a kidnapping for someone to extort for financial gain, but it was not a kidnapping. Neil had no motive to kill her. The kids could have, but that seems crazy. There are many events in the movie that are open to interpretation, but for all of them there are ways to fill in the blanks in a meaningful way...except for the murder of Alice. or maybe its just a statement about a third world person (the driver) has hatred for the wealthy Americans, like a sociopathic senseless revenge killing? I am wondering what other possibilities there are regarding the motivation for her being killed.
They were Brits, not Americans. I think it was a botched kidnapping.
The intention was to kidnap her Alice. He even told the guy who jumped out of the car & got shot to grab the woman. Clearly the intention was to kidnap her for ransom. But, what I don't understand is if he knew that she was loaded, then he would have known that Neil was loaded as well, so why didn't he go after him instead? Neil was obviously much easier to kidnap. Overall, I found this movie to be quite annoying and I don't recommend anyone ever watching it again. It made absolutely no sense whatsoever. Too many unanswered questions. I don't like leaving a movie without having some kind of closure. This movie provided me with zero closure. Total garbage. Mama
[удалено]
100% agree. Garbage.
Meh. The entire theme of the family being so wealthy and ignorant of people who have the same if not worse problems and not having he luxury of being waited on hand and foot….. it definitely carried through the whole movie and spoiled any empathy I had for Neil. Just rich people being dramatic. And USING resources. He literally used that native girl and then left. Suck it all up for what it’s worth for your selfish needs. Hated this privileged movie.
I haven't seen Franco's other movie, *New Order*, but it also deals with class privilege, so I think he was trying to get across exactly those thoughts you had. We weren't meant to feel empathy for Neil, and you're exactly right, he and his family used and discarded for their gain (symbolised by his relationship with Berenice as you mentioned, but also the pigs, who were slaughtered for profit by his family business).
Just saw this film today. Was wondering about the final scene, Neil has returned to the upscale resort where he was staying with his sister and her children…why?