MovieChat Forums > The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) Discussion > Birdy - did Ed git disappointed in her?

Birdy - did Ed git disappointed in her?

posted 9 years ago by hraban
2 replies | jump to latest

Hi,
I've seen the movie yesterday at it left me speechless - such a masterpiece and I am so ashamed of not watching it before!
There is a question about the movie though that I could not explain to myself: did Ed git disappointed in Birdy in the end of the movie?
It seems to me they built a relationship this close because they saw a self reflection in one another. Ed did not not know what to do with his life and he could not find the aim of being here at all; Birdy was too young to have any plans for the future and was also unambitious. Ed tried to give her a reason for living by bringing her to the music teacher but failed - she then said she does not really want to do music.
He clearly did not have any sexual attraction towards her. She seemed to him so innocent and divine, the same alien in this world like he was, it was just the music that kept her here. And all of a sudden the all impression turns out to be wrong when she tried to give a blowjob.
After the car accident he asks the doctor about Birdy and that was the last mention of her in the whole movie. She did not even visit him during the trial let alone the electric chair. She was probably the last person in the world close to him and no one mentions her anymore till the very end titles.

Is it overthinking or my theory has some grounds?

[–] bhoover247 9 years ago

Birdy was a failure in Ed's life just as everything else Ed tried. His marriage, the dry cleaning venture and his blackmail scheme. Ed thought he saw real talent in Birdy and turned out that not only did Birdy not have talent, but she wasn't really intrested in trying to do what Ed wanted. Birdy responded in a sexual way that not only seemed obscene to Ed, but also seemed as if Birdy thought that it was what Ed wanted all along. I'm not sure that Ed read anybody's true intentions the entire movie. Even in a minor thing like hiring a barber he missed the mark and got a guy he couldn't stand.

[–] Noboru_Wataya 9 years ago

There may be a little bit of additional confusion derived form the production itself; because Coens seem to imply a few times that Crane is a repressed gay man, but Thornton imagined Crane as being sexually interested in Birdy. It would seem appropriately indirect and reserved of the Coens to withhold some layers of motivation from the lead actor, in order to further complicate such a recondite movie.