MovieChat Forums > The Doom Generation (1995) Discussion > Meaning of the end....

Meaning of the end....

posted 17 years ago by darmal5-1
8 replies | jump to latest

Friends and I have debated this for a while and here's what we came up with:

The film is basically a commentary on violence in film and the de-sentization (is this a word?) of the current social psyche.....meaning, that we can watch anyone on celluloid or video games get "taken out" and not blink an eye BUT just don't let it happen it a doggie.

Throughout the film the character shoot and kill just about everyone with no feelings of remorse BECAUSE IT IS FANTASY to them...just like in a movie or video game, yet when they have to put the dog down in the middle of the road, they show remorse BECAUSE IT IS REALITY. Once the characters have a moment of "reality" they must then accept the consequences of their former "fantasy" actions, hence the brutality of the neo-nazi scene.

Thus, if they hadn't hit the dog on the road, hadn't had to put it down, hadn't had to come to terms of their consciences (remember, for the first time in the film, McGowan turns away from the violence?) then the neo-nazi scene would not have ended in the death of Jordan.

So what does this tell us about ourselves? (or what was Araki trying to tell us?)

Just a thought....

Cheers.

[–] EndorasBox 17 years ago

It's an interesting theory. I always get annoyed when people get more upset over the death of an animal than the death of an innocent human being (I say innocent because of course I'd pick an animal over a murderer, rapist, etc.).

[–] aimless-46 17 years ago

McGowen's character, Amy Blue seems to be symbolic of the concept of pure beauty, which could be considered our closest relation to a world that exists outside ordinary life. An idea that psychologists like Jung (influenced by Eastern religion) have imagined as involving a sort of "collective unconscious" that persists through time while actual generations of human beings are born and die. Making beauty our proof while we live that there is "something higher" than ordinary existence. Like when a composer creates a melody and attributes it to a higher authority because they can't believe themselves capable of bringing something that perfect into the world.

Some do not recognize beauty when they see it and some are inspired when they see beauty, others must possess beauty-or failing to gain possession destroy it rather than share it with others. IMHO, protecting beauty from those who would possess it or destroy it is the focus of this film. Although Amy is able to disguise herself from most people (and from most viewers) behind a façade of bad language and grim 'attitude', she is occasionally recognized by those who would possess or destroy-illustrated by the characters that go into violent rapture when they see her.

I think that Jordan White is a too pure angel sent to protect Amy, and that Xavier Red is an evolving Jordan as his purity is replaced with protective survival skills. This is why the police agency can only find Amy's fingerprints on file. Like Charlie Kaufman and his twin brother Donald in 'Adaptation', death of one part of the dual identity is necessary for an integration of the two personalities.

[–] dilbertsuperman 17 years ago

Wow that's a hell of a stretch of symbolism.
I am inclined to believe they only found her fingerprints because she is a mall shoplifting ho, and the one younger guy was too young/innocent to have a record and the other too smooth to get caught.

The continual episodes of people having a fantasy about "who" Amy is supposed to be and she has no idea who that person is, more importantly she doesn't care and the person is agressively foisting that relationship expectation on her-
It's similiar to every teens natural reaction to their parent's limited imagination on who their children should grow up to be to me.

If you really want to over-analyze and symbolize this film you can take the dream like sequences to signify that Amy is simply out of her damn mind at the club having a speed dream that feels like it is several days when it's just a couple of hours tripping out, She never actually left the club -and then she finds her skull lighter, wakes up- and is completely numb from coming down.

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] dilbertsuperman 17 years ago

The dog was innocent- that's all.
The others had it coming to them ten times over. -Hence- no remorse.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] bex_erika89 16 years ago

i find ilbertsupermans first post to be extremely interesting, id never really analysed the events in that much detail but when thinking over it, it makes sense. A very direct and elusive, but provoking thoughtform of the director.
Interesting, very interesting.

[–] alienjesus 16 years ago

But thats not really a fair punishment, because Xavier is the one doing all the killing, but at the end he just gets punched a few times whereas amy gets raped and jordan gets mutilated (and dies?).

I am the Devil, and I'm here to do the Devil's work.