Didn't See Any Tears... My Explanation for the Ending
The first time I viewed this movie several years ago, I thought the whole brothel/shooting part was just a fantasy of Severine's.
Now, viewing it again years later, I think something entirely different was going on.
In short, I believe that the brothel/shooting DID in fact happen. And Husson DOES tell Pierre the truth.
However, the truth never gets to Pierre- because he's asleep. Severine eventually realizes this soon after she enters the room, which explains her strange smile. Then a time jump forward occurs, where we see Pierre, having fully recovered from the shooting (and still clueless to his wife's past).
I believe the clues are in the subtle directing and editing following Severine's (expected) confrontation with Pierre following Husson's exit:
Let's breakdown the scene (with my subjective headings), starting with the scene where Severine enters the room, sits on the couch and
begins knitting.
- CUT 1: Shot of Severine sitting up and sewing, before sitting back with a look of resignation on her face.
- CUT 2: Shot of Pierre in the chair, sitting straight up.
- CUT 3: Shot of Pierre in the chair, slouched over to the side of the chair, pan to wrists facing up.
- CUT 4: Shot of Pierre in the chair, can't tell if he's sitting up or slouching, but you can definitely see that he's BREATHING.
- CUT 5: Shot of Severine sitting up and LEANING IN, glancing downwards briefly, then looking back towards Pierre with a SLOW SMILE (of realization) on her face.
- CUT 6: Shot of Pierre alive and healthy in the chair, asking Severine what she's thinking about.
- CUT 7: Shot of Severine SITTING BACK on the couch (subtle but noticeable difference between her end position in CUT 5, where she's leaning in). This is another sign that there is a time discontinuity between CUT 5 and CUT 6. She responds to Pierre's question. Note that you cannot see whether or not she is holding the knitting kit in her hands. This is important because it could be another clue of a time discontinuity between CUT 5 and CUT 6.
- CUT 8: Shot of Severine from behind the couch, talking to Pierre. Again you cannot see if she is still holding the knitting kit in her hands. Did Bunuel do this intentionally? I think so.
The fact that 3 different shots were used to show Pierre in a chair (rather than one simple continuous shot)is very important. It tells us that there is a time discontinuity between those shots.
Now the one thing that I disagree with, which I've seen posted here before, is the claim that Pierre is crying when Severine enters the room (ie he knows everything). I must have watched this final scene at least 10-15 times, paused it, etc., and have not seen anything that can be conclusively called a tear. I know some have claimed that a tear is clearly visible on the bottom of Pierre's left cheek. However, you'll notice that the "tear" is actually a hole (whether intentional or unintentional) in the cloth of the wheelchair.
So once again, in a nutshell:
- The fantasies and shooting DID OCCUR.
- Husson DID SPEAK to Pierre, however his words never got through because Pierre was asleep.
- There is no conclusive visual evidence to show that Pierre is crying (maybe this question will be answered in an HD-DVD/Blue-Ray release?).
- Severine is smiling because upon closer examination, she realizes that Pierre is sleeping (and that her secret is still be safe).
- The final scene takes place in the future, with a fully recovered (and still clueless) Pierre.
FIN (bad pun intended)