MovieChat Forums > Total Recall (1990) Discussion > Presuming that it's indeed a paid dream,...

Presuming that it's indeed a paid dream, why the subterfuge?

posted 8 years ago by Wolfy_Snackrib
19 replies | jump to latest

Why are people showing up to tell him that he's in a simulation if he is indeed in a simulation? If it is indeed a dream, are we presuming something went wrong for him at recall, but eventually worked out? Or is everything going as planned and it's part of the simulation that a bunch of guys tries to convince him that it's a dream? Sounds kind of counter intuitive for a dream. It's like... it was made for an audience such as us?!

[–] ErgonomicSpliff 8 years ago

are we presuming something went wrong for him at recall, but eventually worked out?

You're half right, here. Something did go wrong at Rekall. It did not work out in the end.

Dr. Edgemar was concerned that if Quaid didn't snap out of the freeform delusion that he was experiencing, Quaid would suffer a schizoid embolism and wind up lobotomized which is ultimately what happened, even though we don't see it as such. He was actually inserted into Quaid's ego trip to try to save him.

Also, none of what Quaid experienced was a "dream." All of the film's events from the time Quaid is sedated in the Rekall implant chair are part of the ego trip that Quaid purchased, with the exception of the implantation of Edgemar.

The fade to white at the end of the film after Quaid kisses Melina is the end of the Rekall ego trip and likely represents Quaid waking up from being lobotomized, just as Edgemar predicted.

[–] McQueen1980 7 years ago

everything after rekall is simply a dream simulation in the movie

u can see he requested a melina type girl and he got her

he also requested being a secret agent in mars which he got

[–] strntz (10764) 4 years ago

u can see he requested a melina type girl and he got her

He asked for a Melina type girl because she was already buried in his sub-conscience mind.

Everything he wanted about Mars was something that he already knew.

[–] hal-9010 7 years ago

Pretty much what Dr Edgemar tells him/us. The dream adventure went wrong. Horribly wrong. His mind had taken over the storytelling and it was no longer in their control and so they needed to wake him up. First hint of the dream going haywire is that the enemy in his adventure is actual people he knows, like his co-workers and his wife etc. Those aspects was never part of Rekall's ego-trip, that was all Quaid.. in short, they need to wake him up because they feared he would never wake up.

And in the end, he did not. As the movie fades to white (not black which is normal for movies) is likely the directors way of telling us he just got lobotomized - precisely as Dr Edgemar said he would.

___________
** I am normally not a praying man, but if you are up there, please save me Superman **

[–] Herreken 7 years ago

I don't think it's a "paid dream" because it was supposed to be a trip to Mars with the secret agent story. However, the secret agent story begins while he's still on Earth which wasn't part of the package...I think.

DISPLAY thy breasts, my Julia!

[–] Benjatron26354 7 years ago

My question though is that if it is a dream, why would there be scenes where Quaid isn't present? The dream would be from Quaid's point of view so really he should be in every scene of the movie.

[–] kaneforgov 7 years ago

The film makers went out of their way to make sure that both the ‘dream’ and ‘real’ scenarios are at least somewhat plausible. You will also find 'holes' in either perspective. It was intentional and has achieved the intended result of having people debate the film as ‘real’ or ‘a dream’ for over 26 years.

[–] TheUltimateHippo (2250) 6 years ago

There are 2 options:

1) Something went wrong and Quaid is experiencing a Schizoid Embolism. Quaid refuses to return to reality and Dr. Edgemar was implanted as a precautionary measure to lead him out of his dream and back to reality. If this is the case then because Quaid shot Edgemar that means the only way to bring him out of his fantasy is to lobotomize him which is what happens at the very end and why we see the white light

2) Inside of Quaids fantasy Cohaagan is in league with Edgemar and he hired him to trick Quaid into thinking that he is really back at Recall, the pill was a knock out drug and they were going to erase his memory, put him back with Lori and attempt the plan all over again.

[–] The LA Baker (799) 6 years ago

Why would a memory implant sweat?

[–] HAL 9010 (903) 6 years ago

Why wouldn't it? Clearly Quaid was sweating as fucx himself, and Lori too. And the Doc was a real person, just implanted in his dreams. We see him in Rekall's commercials before Quaid goes under.

If your avatar is a true representation of you (which it seems to be) then it would naturally react to stress etc. otherwise it would not be very convincing, would it?

And indeed the Doctor was in a very stressful situation, also evident when he shows some anger. Not a life and death situation perhaps, but surely not a typical day at the office either: He would either save his “patient” or he would lose him forever… and likely also the corporate-image of his Company. I would sweat a few drops myself in this situation. So, I never quite understood why a drop of sweat would convince Quaid that he was lying?

[–] MickyMac (2934) 6 years ago

Dream is making it appear real, the sweating is to convince him it's all real.

[–] HAL 9010 (903) 6 years ago

Exactly. Characters or avatars have to sweat etc. to work in a simulation like this...

The fact that Quaid takes this drop of sweat as a sign the Doc is lying is actually a sign that he is so deep in this dream adventure that nothing can convince him otherwise and he will subconsciously chose to interpret anything his way, if this believe should be challenged.

[–] MickyMac (2934) 6 years ago

And was thinking in that moment there has to be something to prove it's real, then boom sweating as he's inventing these things.

[–] HAL 9010 (903) 6 years ago

Good point. It could simply be created by his subconsciousness to further his adventure and avoid being shot down by Rekall.... that supports that is it just one perfect drop, which is a bit unnatural, I would say...

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Of course it was a dream. There is no way in HELL that Mars would be terraformed so quickly.

[–] MickyMac (2934) 6 years ago

In reality it would take hours.

Other hand it could be bad Hollywood science like the elevator down to the Earth's core in the remake.

[–] strntz (10764) 6 years ago

Of course it was a dream. There is no way in HELL that Mars would be terraformed so quickly.

Doesn't make it a dream, just makes it bad physics.. Same as Star Trek... Every Trek experience must all be a dream because a matter transporter is physically impossible.