MovieChat Forums > Vanishing Point (1971) Discussion > What is it all about? ***Spoliers****

What is it all about? ***Spoliers****


I've said on a previous reply that the direction and cinematography ate first class, which makes this film a joy to watch, but it's hard to understand what it's all about.

Why does he do what he does? I mean, at the start of the film he must be exhausted, then for some reason he decided to get hopped up on speed and deliver the Challenger in record time, why? What point was he trying to prove and why do the counterculture characters tread him like a hero.

What does the title even mean?

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A cool thing about this film is how it leaves so much open to interpretation and doesn't paint things in specific detail to leave nothing to ruminate on. Existentialism was very en vogue in the media of this time period. One could argue that Kowalski was simply living life on his own terms, especially after not having his job or woman anchor him to society's norms. Why did he do what he did? As per his racing past, perhaps driving fast is what he was all about, and not even "the Man" was going to hold him back. The counterculture characters treated him like a hero because they could empathize with how Kowalski was challenging authority and society's rules. Forrest Gump also ran across America for seemingly unknown reasons and he had his followers also.

What does the title mean? It could mean the point on the horizon that the parallel lines of the roadsides appear to intersect, or the point at which Kowalski "vanishes" since the film starts at the exact spot where the bulldozers park, or it could mean the spot in time when people's philosophies and life attitudes were changing. Maybe the point Kowalski was proving was that not everything has to have an exact reason or point, hence, vanishing "point."

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Interesting points. This film is almost like a meditation to me, watching it has a very calming effect.

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