MovieChat Forums > Full Circle (1981) Discussion > I don't understand the ending...

I don't understand the ending...

posted 10 years ago by tony-r-vario
14 replies | jump to latest

Can someone elaborate for me?

[–] fiatlux-1 10 years ago

The ending is somewhat ambiguous, it confused everyone basically because its not fully explained.

One could take it 2 ways:
1. Since Julia knew that Olivia was a killer, she could have known already that Olivia was going to kill her...and wanted her to. Julia was racked with guilt over her daughter's death, and also despite her huge riches seemed unwilling to live without her. So she may have *wanted* Olivia to kill her.
Hence why she welcomed her with open arms, and did not try to save herself when Olivia cut her throat with the doll.

2. Julia had lost it completely, and accepted who Olivia was & was so happy to have someone who looked like her daughter nearby. She welcomes Olivia into her arms, Olivia possesses her, kills her.
While possessing her, lets Julia die.

I truly believe it is the former. Julia knew what Olivia would do, and did not care.

"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."

[–] tony-r-vario 10 years ago

Thank you. It makes more sense.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] SuCue 9 years ago

Julia is also happy to see Olivia at the end because she now knows that Olivia is the murderer and not Kate. The book explains it better: Julia worries constantly that Kate has become an evil spirit who is killing people close to Julia to get revenge for her choking death. That's why Julia's obsessed with finding information about Olivia: she wants to prove that Olivia is the evil spirit and not Kate.

[–] guigui-paul 9 years ago

IMO the film's ending is very "logical":

Julia was broken, depressed because of Kate's death in her hands so at the end she punished herself, committing suicide OR accepting her fate in Olivia's deadly hands.

http://www.myspace.com/guillaumep
http://darioargentofr.blogspot.com/

[–] adriangr 8 years ago

I agree with the general opinions here. I think Julia was weary of living with the guilt of killing her own daughter, and decided to give herself to Olivia. But apart from a simple suicide motive, I think she also wanted to give her maternal love to Olivia, partly as she had no daughter left to love, and wanted to give this miserable ghost some affection...and partly in the hope that this would act as a penance for her deed of killing Olivia, by letting Olivia do what she knew she would do, which was to kill again.

I love watching Mia Farrow act out this final scene and have spent a lot of time wondering what the character is thinking in those last moments. There are so many layers to these last few minutes of the film, and the slowness of it, plus the emotional impact produced by that final revolving shot, makes it one of the best scenes I have ever witnessed in cinema, full stop

[–] guigui-paul 8 years ago

Adriangr, i agree with you 100%:

"I love watching Mia Farrow act out this final scene and have spent a lot of time wondering what the character is thinking in those last moments. There are so many layers to these last few minutes of the film, and the slowness of it, plus the emotional impact produced by that final revolving shot, makes it one of the best scenes I have ever witnessed in cinema, full stop

The whole film is very good, but the last 10 minutes are just of an exceptional level of filmaking, everything perfect in this finale: Mia's acting, the awesome creepy and beautiful "angelic" face of Olivia, the camerawork/lightning, the editing and of course the soundtrack.
I'see seen this film for the first time in 1994 and i've never forgot this ending since..

Where is a decent Blu Ray/Dvd of this awesome film???

http://www.myspace.com/guillaumep
http://darioargentofr.blogspot.com/

[–] guigui-paul 8 years ago

"I love watching Mia Farrow act out this final scene and have spent a lot of time wondering what the character is thinking in those last moments."

Totally!!

SPOILERS

These close-up of Mia Farrow's face when the ghost child is moving towards her are just fantastic!!!
You really wonder what Julia is thinking there, indeed:
is she looking at the ghost (Julia's stare seems "hollow", like if there was nobody with her in the place)? Has she lost her mind (she says "my toy!" like a little girl)?
Does Julia think that Olivia is Kate? Does Julia know that she is going to be killed or commit suicide on herself (when she says "everything's right now...stay with me, stay with me...that's so haunting...and desperate, maybe?)?
De
finitively a sublime; breathtaking ending.

[–] PeterBradford1 8 years ago

I saw this film the day it opened in New York City. May 29, 1981. It fascinated me. The ending shocked me. When the camera starts to pan to the back of the chair, I thought that was the end of the movie. Julia had drifted off to fantasy-land imagining that Olivia was real. Or, perhaps, Olivia had become real. When the camera continued to pan around to the other side of the chair...it shocked the hell out of me! I sat in my seat in the theater and couldn't move. I never saw that coming. Great film!!!

[–] guigui-paul 8 years ago

To PeterBradford1:

"
I saw this film the day it opened in New York City. May 29, 1981. It fascinated me."

You're so lucky!
I would LOVE to see the film in theaters!!!
I can only imagine the shock it was to see it in theaters, 1978 (European releases) or 1981 (US release)...it's a so beautifully shot, acted and scored movie.

T"he ending shocked me. When the camera starts to pan to the back of the chair, I thought that was the end of the movie."

Me too

"When the camera continued to pan around to the other side of the chair...it shocked the hell out of me! I sat in my seat in the theater and couldn't move. I never saw that coming."

I had the same reaction, exactly!
I saw the film for the first time on vhs, in 1994, and the ending scene totally "destroyed" me...it's so sad, desperate, bleak, awful...yet strangely beautiful at the same time...one of the best ending scene/shots ever, for sure.

[–] PeterBradford1 8 years ago

I totally agree!

[–] bdhrentertainment 8 years ago

It seemed like Julia was possessed for the greater majority of the movie. Olivia was testing those that were still alive. Those that told, died. That's why the Captain lived. After Olivia was done with Julia, she killed her and Julia welcomed death with open arms. That's my take on the movie and ending.

[–] fiatlux-1 8 years ago

t seemed like Julia was possessed for the greater majority of the movie.
Olivia was testing those that were still alive. Those that told, died. That's why the Captain lived. After Olivia was done with Julia, she killed her and Julia welcomed death with open arms. That's my take on the movie and ending.

Interesting theory on the Captain living. I had not thought of that.

I do agree that Julia was possessed by Olivia for much of the film....and that was NOT something I picked up on the first watch!
It took another viewing for me to catch on to this, the film is that subtle & clever in its clues.
The way the film pans (twice) to Julia sitting in a coat near the door, or in bed even...right before or exactly right after someone is killed.
Very clever indeed.
I love this film.

I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus.
Didn't he discover America?
Penfold, shush.

[–] guigui-paul 8 years ago

"The way the film pans (twice) to Julia sitting in a coat near the door, or in bed even...right before or exactly right after someone is killed.
Very clever indeed"

Yes, and think also the way Richard Loncraine the director links in another way Julia to the murders:
in one scene Julia puts down/off her radiator and there's an electric shock, then the scene after Mark dies in his bathtub by some electrick shock, by electrocution!
in another scene, there's broken glass in Julia's bedroom (this great scene when Julia is touched by "Olivia" in her sleep/dream) then in the next scene Swith dies, slipping on...broken glass!
In these two scenes there are subtle visual clues linking Julia to the deaths, like she was possessed to carry on the killings, being a murderer herself.

I love this film too!!!