The End of the Movie - Limbo (1999) Discussion

[–] The_Critical_Eye 16 years ago

i agree. i watched this on tele last night. It was like they ran out of cash and thought we can't afford to film an ending so will just cut it here. Lame.

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[–] rilo-2 16 years ago

I thought it was purposeful and great. Had me reeling.

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[–] LittleEarthquakes 16 years ago

The first time I saw this movie the ending pi**ed me off too, but yet I couldn't quit thinking about it, by the next evening I had realized that the ending they gave it was the best ending possible, for one...the title of the movie is *limbo* and thus ends with us, the viewers, and the characters in limbo. plus if they ended it happily it would have pi**ed half the viewers off and if they'd ended it badly it would have pi**ed the other half of the viewers off...this way it leaves you wondering (in limbo).

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[–] JoeTouchole 16 years ago

I agree with Little Earthquakes as I just finished watching it for the 3rd time.
After I saw it initially, I too was very disappointed. Once I got some distance though it began to make more sense. In fact other than the dead brother, (who's fate is sealed) each character is dealing with their own issues , placing them in isolation (Alaska), or a constant state of flux. The last 2 times I've watched it, I've come to the conclusion that the island is the battle ground where each character is forced to look at why their lives have been held in limbo. The plane represents the chance to free themselves from the self imposed constraints that has restricted their past lives in the real world. Their fate is left to us, as we consider how each character has grown by interacting with each other.

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[–] Keldatis 16 years ago

People just don't get it. This film is a complex character study, not a thriller. It doesn't matter whether or not the plane at the end of the film is carrying good guys or bad guys. It doesn't matter whether or not we, the audience, know if it's carrying good guys or bad guys. What matters is how the characters react to its arrival, fully aware of what the consequences might be. Their reactions tell us about their qualities as people, their strengths and weaknesses and even their capacity for moral rectitude. For example: at one point in the film Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio's character says that she would never do anything to hurt or endanger her daughter. However at the end when the plane arrives Mastrantonio's character, desperate to be rescued, runs out of the forest to signal the plane. She does this knowing that the plane could be carrying people who have come to kill them, all of them, including her child. This tells us a great deal about the character: her poor relationship with her daughter, her immaturity as an adult and a parent and her inability to think about anyone but herself. In other words, her reaction to the plane's arrival reveals her true nature.

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[–] tenacious925 16 years ago

Keldatis, I must say I do not agree with your assessment of her character. First off she doesnt really know the full extent of the danger until after the first plane arrives. After the pilot leaves is when she learns of the history between the man and the pilot and that he might not really be out there to save them. Also, she doesnt run to the plane at the end of the movie, she ran toward the plane the FIRST time.. thats not the end of the movie. Also, since the plane cant handle all of their weight, she asks the pilot to atleast take her daughter to safety meaning that even though she wants to be saved, she pleads for her daughter, not herself. When the plane landed at the end, they all just stood there knowing there was nothing they could do, they were at the mercy of fate. I saw the deep love she had for her daughter, and her true nature was to save her daughter first. Atleast thats my opinion

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As for the other posters that are upset about the ending....

I think by the end they realize there is nothing they can do, if those men are coming to kill them, then they are going to be killed, nothing can change that.

I think the ending suggests that the characters finally accepted their fates regardless whether it was to be saved or murdered. Therefore theres no reason to tie up the picture with a nice little bow. They didnt run to the plane like the first time, and they didnt run from the plane in fear either. The point isnt whether they are saved or killed, the point is they came to terms with either outcome. My initial reaction was to be disappointed because like most people I too am used to being given "the answer". However after thinking about it a few minutes, I found it very powerful.

I think the people that remain disappointed with the ending of this movie are a different kind of movie watcher. Some people like movies that explain everything and tie up all the lose ends with a written answer, and some movie watchers like movies that provoke thought. This movie is for the latter.

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[–] kaixony 16 years ago

I thought the ending was brilliant! The whole movie is called Limbo for a reason. When the plane comes it ends the characters state of Limbo and hence ends the movie. It is the perfect ending.

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[–] TheDurangoKid 16 years ago

I saw this film for the first time last night. I found the early part to be rather heavy handed: too densely scripted and with rather stilted acting by the minor characters trying too hard to deliver those laborious lines convincingly. Some of the plot devices were implausible too. (The diary was one of the better ones, although I immediately realised the "secret" it would reveal.)

But as the film progressed, my estimation of it grew, due to the excellent cinematography of Haskell Wexler and the increasingly good performances by the three leads (was it filmed in sequence?).

As the plane approached through the hazy sky - perfect in its symbolism and as a visual image, I thought to myself "Please, John Sayles. If you have any claim to be a good director and editor, this film MUST end at this exact moment." He didn't let me down.

Although the future of the man, woman and daughter in one sense is still in limbo, the important resolution - their reconciliation and mutual commitment has already occurred. It is insignificant whether some criminals go to the trouble of killing some random bystanders for no sensible reason - that's not the story.

Although there are also themes such as the interaction of humans with nature, the film is centred on three people with unhappy backgrounds. Each yearns for a stable life with a caring family. The ending shows them huddled together, apprehensive about the future (represented by the plane), but facing it together. They have emerged from limbo in the most important sense.

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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] MoviemanCin 8 years ago

I was pissed at first also. I thought WTF?? But then after I thought about it for a few minutes I realized it was brilliant. It kind of reminded me of the ending of The Sopranos.

I give the film a 7.8/10. The score is very haunting too. I'm listening to it right now.

Schrodinger's cat walks into a bar and doesn't.

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