MovieChat Forums > Siworae (2000) Discussion > Explanation timelines (SPOILERS)

Explanation timelines (SPOILERS)

posted 16 years ago by bartvdl
5 replies | jump to latest

I read in different threads on the board explanations for the timelines, but I think that the confusion starts at the moment she puts the letter in the mailbox trying to warn him for his death. During the movie it was clear that both were living in the same timeline, but he in the year 1997-1998, she in 1999-2000. All things were clear: scene where he puts the tape recorder in the mailbox that she lost in the past at the station, the wine he reserved for her that she drinks two years later and so on... So let's assume that this was all in timeline 1. It's in this timeline he dies, because she remembered the moment he dies and she wants to warn him by putting a letter in the mailbox. At that moment in the movie, the moment she puts the letter in the mailbox, timeline 2 starts.

For this explanation I use the idea of the what-if question. What if he reads the letter, what if he doesn't read the letter. The what-if creates two possibilities, so two timelines. (For the people who saw Sliding Doors, it's the same idea). So let continue. The movie started in timeline 1 and in this timeline he dies, so he didn't read it, otherwise he was still alive. It makes sense: because if he reads the letter on time, he won't go to see her and he won't die. If she didn’t see him dying, she could never trying to warn him. Otherwise it would create a paradox(*) Because of his death they can't communicate anymore by letters via the mailbox. In this timeline she will never be together with him.

But now the other part. Timeline 2 was created because he reads the letter on time. So he didn't go to help her and he didn't die. All the other events remain the same. Remember that timeline 2 was created the moment she puts the warning letter in the mailbox, so all the events before this split were the same. In timeline 2 he decides to wait to see her at the moment she leaves Il Mare.

Consequence of this meeting is that she won't send the letters to him (from the future to the past). But because he is from the past and standing there, means that he did receive the letters. You can't take away what he already has. But at the moment he meets her, he changes the future (the past cannot be changed). She will not send letters. This has effect that there are no more paradoxes, for example the paradox that she will never send a warning letter to him because she doesn’t see him dying on the street. Because of his intervention of meeting her the moment before she puts the letter in the mailbox, he solves this paradox. Because if the wait at the moment he received the warning letter, you come in the same paradox as described above in (*).

Why meeting her at that moment. I guess it was smart of him. His story is the most believable at that moment, because he can tell what she wrote down on the letter and can also tell that she has the intention for putting that letter in the mailbox.

To summarize:
1) There is a creation of a second timeline the moment she puts the warning letter in the mailbox
2) He changes the future in the second timeline by meeting her when she leaves Il Mare (there is no creation of an other timeline at that moment)

If you had any suggestions/corrections, please let me hear.
Sorry for the type errors. I've tried my best, but English is not my first language.

[–] j_eyon-2 15 years ago

You probably need to add in the changes that take effect when he goes to the train station -- one to get her player and the other two times. If he had gone to that train station at those times in timeline 1, it wouldn't have been for the purpose of helping or meeting her.

Since the player was ruined by the girl getting hit by a car, that must be an offshoot too.

[–] trpnallday 15 years ago

I like the way you tried working through the paradoxes!

I am not sure (no one is really) how something like this would actually pan out but it sure is fun to think about!

Personally, I think his plan hedges heavily on whether he can keep physical items with him when jumping from timeline (one bubble universe) to another timeline (a newly created bubble universe). The mere possession of such items (i.e. the letters from her) would be a paradox in and of itself. If the letters that he shouldn't have since he is changing the future (obviously if they meet like this she won't write to him anymore) do not disappear then he can use them as evidence to convince her of his story.

[–] roy-194 14 years ago

There's an issue about what happened between the time of his death and when she moved out of Il Mare.

Was Il Mare vacant as a result of his death the reason of why she was able to move in? Thus his death was cause by his receiving of her letters started when she moved out. And she couldn't have moved out and sent him the first letter which started the succession of letters which led to his death which allowed her to move in into Il Mare in the first place. It's a cyclic paradox.

Though I love Il Mare .. I think Lake House eliminated some of the major paradoxs.

The ending of Lake House was much more cleaner.... Because if you were him, The smartest thing to do after avoiding death would be to wait the two years to meet her (without anymore letters) to make sure that any more timeline pardoxs aren't created and to make sure she's in the right emotional state when you first meet her.

[–] LuisEndymion 14 years ago

Was Il Mare vacant as a result of his death the reason of why she was able to move in?

Probably at first the reason was his death, but when he receives the last letter and survives he probably plans the meeting at the end. He knows exactly when she moves to the house, so he can easily leave the house before in order to meet her when she moves in.

This explanation is far from perfect, because it assumes that her new future has changed (she won't write letters) but his past remains unchanged with letters that no longer will be written.

The ending of Lake House was much more cleaner.... Because if you were him, The smartest thing to do after avoiding death would be to wait the two years to meet her (without anymore letters) to make sure that any more timeline pardoxs aren't created and to make sure she's in the right emotional state when you first meet her.

I agree. Definitely these paradoxs are better resolved in the Lake House. And paradoxs aside we have her "emotional state" problem. He is in love and knows her, but she don't ever know who he is. But I don't find one better explnation to the end of Il Mare.

[–] Desertman84 14 years ago

The original ending of Il Mare is that Sung-hyun did not receive the warning letter from Kim Eun-ju. So the movie ended with Sung-hyun dying in the end upon getting hit by a car. The two never had a chance to meet at all.

But Sidus later decided that the ending was too tragic that they did revise it. So in its later release, the movie ended with Sung-hyun receiving the letter and meeting Kim Eun-ju,when she was about to leave Il Mare.

But one has to realize that with the new ending,the movie leaves it up to the viewers of what will happen between Sung-hyun and Kim Eun-ju.

In the new ending, it was obvious that Han Sung-hyun wasn't killed as he received the warning on time. Then he meets Kim Eun-ju the moment she leaves Il Mare.

But the movie leaves an open ending considering that he meets Kim Eun-ju the moment she leaves Il Mare.It could be either a sad ending considering that Han Sung-hyun has had a lot of memories of Kim Eun-ju but she has no memories of him at all since their exchange of letters have yet to happen.Or it could be a happy ending since Han Sung-hyun can win Kim Eun-ju's heart despite of not having the exchange of letters in the mailbox taking place considering that he already knew a lot of things about her AND SHE JUST BROKE UP WITH HER BOYFRIEND AT THE POINT WHEN SHE LEFT IL MARE.In other words,he already has an idea on how to win her heart.

Personally,I think that Sung-hyun should have met her NOT AT THAT POINT but when they decided to meet each other at the beach and when the exchange of letter have already happened.

In summary,the ending of Il Mare leaves it to the audience to imagine what will take place.

The Lake House made it a happy ending when Alex waited for Kate for two years at the lake house. In short, the movie made a closure on what is store for both Alex and Kate.