MovieChat Forums > Signs & Wonders (2000) Discussion > resolution questions *SPOILERS*

resolution questions SPOILERS

posted 13 years ago by rayincumbria
2 replies | jump to latest

How do people read the ending SPOILERS> These questions will ruin the twists at the end!

Have I got this right? The daughter did something wrong -we know that because she asked her dad if to do so was bad.. but was it her who;
a) put the glass in the cake b) caused the explosion. c) both.
If so, why? For the purpose of getting dad back into the family? (She asked if doing something wrong for a good end was justified).
I think we were supposed to believe it was Katherine who did the glass

I didn't quite follow the bit in the cafe where the daughter was swopping keys/the tapes around. Did she steal the tape to play to Andreas and hurt him?
Would a person who has survived torture jump off a cliff just because his new wife still had some love for her ex?
I find it hard to see that a child could/would arrange the explosion.
I wondered briefly if;
a) The CIA/US Embassy/The American corporation had rigged the explosion (to get rid of a political radical who planned to bring up the past)
b) The daughter swopped keys to frame Dad (to get a more reliable family group together)
.. But I don't have much faith in either of those as there is little or no evidence.
Suggestions please!

few visible scars

[–] rserrano 11 years ago

Yes, the daughter put the glass in the cake. We know this because Andreas took the last cake, proclaiming that that's the one he always winds up with. She would have known this (and could have presumably prevented anyone else from taking that cake). It is quite unlikely that the daughter caused the explosion. This was most probably a result of the political reasons that you sight.

Would a person who has survived torture jump off a cliff just because his new wife still had love for her ex? Yes. We know because Andreas was asked earlier this same question by Alec, and he answered immediately that he would jump. It's quite possible that Alec may have even shared this specific detail with his daughter, as we have overheard several of their conversations on similar topics.

The "something wrong" that she did was taking the tape. She saw this as an opportunity to bring their family back together by eliminating the only impediment, which was Andreas.

The movie ends with Alec in his cell, putting all the "signs" together and realizing the staggering amount of suffering he has inflicted into his own life as well as the lives of everyone around him.

More generally, each major character in the film is striving for something. Alec first wants Katherine, then Marjorie, then Katerine again, then Marjorie again. Marjorie wants Andreas, then Alec. Andreas wants Marjorie. Katherine wants Alec. The daughter wants her family back. At some point each of these wishes is granted, and yet no lasting satisfaction comes from any of it. We are left feeling the hopelessness of their misguided efforts.

[–] rayincumbria 11 years ago

Good morning rserrano,
Many thanks for a good, clear and inteligent reply. I need to revisit the film as I cannot fully remember some of the pointers you told me about!

few visible scars