Is anyone able to make sense of this movie? What is it trying to say, what statement is it trying to make? I've got my theories but I'd be interested to see what other people think and discuss it from there. Some questions:
- Why didn't he kill his secretary? Or Luis the gay guy in the bathroom?
The movie is very satirical and biting of the corporate American lifestyle and the yuppie culture that was around at the time. It exposes how false and shallow that culture can be, and does so through the perspective of a disturbed person. It also brings up an interesting contrast; is Bale the insane one or are all the people who mindlessly follow that culture? I think the author wanted to explore that culture and corporate America through the eyes of an (insane?) person to show how insane and messed up the system is. I think he wanted to show how messed up a person can be by trying to follow that elitist circle, and how lonely it is at the top (for people who are very thoughtful and want to do the right thing!)
I think his secretary was one of the few women in his life that he could not 'kill'. My impression of her was one of the things that anchors him to the 'real' world, and he could not break from reality. I think she represents what a normal, real alternative to the life that Bale lives in currently. She is an escape from the darkness inside him, and the possibility of redemption. I don't think he could kill her.
I think he did not kill Luis because he mistook who Luis was. Once he learned that Luis was gay, he could no longer place him in the category of all the others who he was mindlessly having competition with. Luis was an outside force that repulsed his worldviews about corporate life (which he seemed to hate to a certain extent). It also broke him from the mindless cycle that his group of friends seem to be drowning in; towards the end of the movie, we see him questioning this surreal lifestyle and his place in it. He seems to want to get out, but does not know how. He releases his frustration in his violent acts and imagination, but does not truly feel free.
- What was with the ending?? It hardly seemed plausible, obviously deliberately so but why?
The ending presents an interesting question: did those events really happen or did he just dream all of it up? Is he already a psychotic serial killer or was the entire movie about the dreams of a madman (who may very well go on to kill)? It presents a very interesting turn of events on what his perceived reality and the actual reality; what truly is 'real' in that movie?
I think the whole point of the sign was to state how there doesn't seem to be any escape from psychosis: how can you mentally solve the problem when your mind itself is the problem? That was one of the things that struck me after I had watched the movie. You could also go on to say that he agrees with the sign at the end of the movie; there is no escape from those thoughts/memories, so he will live them out in his (altered state of reality) world.
- Is the psychotic character a means of displaying the absurdity of capitalism and materialism?
Btw I'd turn gay for Christian Bale - so intense, so masculine, so in control
I think his character shows us the absurdity of modern life, and shows the dark side of capitalism, materialism, and the yuppie culture. The fact that very few people in the movie seemed to be thinking critically also stood out to me. While it is a disturbing movie, I think that Bale was great in it. After watching that movie, I'm not sure I would *ever* want to be a part of corporate America.
