MovieChat Forums > I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (2004) Discussion > new theory on ending (spoilers)

new theory on ending (spoilers)

posted 19 years ago by harrell_d
3 replies | jump to latest

Having read the previous thread, I don't think anyone hit the mark, though a few hit upon some good points.

Here's my take: (which is, of course, the correct one) ;-)

Will was going to take his ex-wife's advice and leave, taking her with him.
His only revenge was going to be to kill the dog, and to leave Boad to wonder for the rest of his life when the bullet was going to come.

However, as he tried to walk away from Boad, he realized he couldn't; someone had to avenge his little brother, who had done nothing to deserve such a horrible end, and his brother's own ghost and blood cried out to him in his visions.

In this moment, he became whole. The two parts of him were reconciled.

One part, the "old Will", wanted to take care of business in whatever ruthless fashion was necessary, to his own benefit.

The other part, the "new Will", wanted to give up his own desires and never hurt anyone again.

He had thought he could scare the guy, take his wife, and continue living as the "new Will," but with his wife this time, in order not to continue to hurt her.

When he couldn't leave Boad unpunished, and possibly to do it again to someone else's little brother, he realized that there is "a time to kill, and a time to heal," that brutal action must sometimes be done, as long as it is for a just reason and isn't for selfish gain. He also realized that just because he'd done something brutal didn't mean he had to return to a brutal former life, nor to a life of self-deprivation. He could take action when necessary, but otherwise live a peaceful life.

He knew there was no point in taking his wife with him, as she could neither understand, nor approve, nor accept her own responsibility. Unknown to him, she was left to her own fate, a fate that was the fruit of having enjoyed the life he had formerly provided her, while accepting no responsibility for where she knew it came from, namely criminal enterprise, and also for not looking after Davey, whom she supposedly loved as much as Will did.

For his old friends, including Mickser, he had no use, and knew that they would have no use for him if he did not return to take down Turner and run the town again.

He stopped looking like a "pikey" (whatever that is), took his nice car and all the money and left them all behind, driving off into the sunrise, free to be himself, not having to meet any of their expectations, and free to live a life that might be worth something. His one grief is for his brother, but he accepts death and lets him go, as he was living a wasted life.

To tie up a few loose ends:

It doesn't matter whether his wife lives or dies; as others have pointed out, she's already dead in that she's living a wasted life. He's clearly not going to pick her up, as her house is in the city and he's driving out into the country.

I don't think Will sent his three former compatriots to rough up Al, to scare Turner. I could be wrong, but I think they did that on their own, sort of a Judas Iscariot move to force Will's hand, so they can be back on top. Since Turner knows they did it, and Will is no longer around to protect them, they will pay the price for living wasted lives.

Mickser will go on as Mickser always has. It doesn't matter; he's living a wasted life.

Turner will live on in paranoia, trying to eliminate what he imagines as Will and his gang. He may or may not survive the war. It doesn't matter; he's living a wasted life.

My only question is the blond kid who phoned Boad. I imagine he was killed, per Mickser's statement that he's already dead, but I can't rectify that with Will attempting to remain the "new Will," as he still was at that point. Oh, and he's living a wasted life.

Of course I could be full of crap on all of this. Thoughts?

[–] katiest 19 years ago

This sounds like an interesting theory. I never thought about Will becoming a "new" Will at the end but it makes sense. I myself was wondering what the connection was between Will's statements at the beginning and end of the film presumably about Davey (when he's talking about memories) to everything else. After reading your post it makes a bit more sense to me. Will had to kill Boad not only because of what he did to Davey but also because of what he said. Boad hated the same things about Davey that Will "remembers" about him (the way he smoked a cigarette, etc). Boad says that Davey was just like Will so we can take what he says to be a stab at Will as well. So, Will needs to get rid of that side of himself (the side he left behind 3 years before) by killing Boad. It's almost as if he hadn't really gotten over anything the 3 years he was in the woods. Will needed this to really move on. The things he says at the beginning and end are not just about Davey but also about himself. I guess you could even say he "dies" at the end.

I don't know if that makes any sense. shrug.

[–] the_driver 19 years ago

I also saw the ending as the melding of his two personas. The death of Boad is the death of his old self and what he was trying to get away from. I was a little confused about whether or not his wife was dead at the end, but I guess it doesn't really matter. The point of the movie is about wasted lives and that covers just about every character.

[–] raykeith30 19 years ago

This sounds pretty plausible to me.

Have you read the screenplay for 'Get Carter'? I ask because the phrase 'wasted life' pops up a lot in your reasoning.

In the original screenplay, the notes at the point where Jack Carter is watching the porno film in that flat and he realises Doreen is in it are as follows: "A tear runs down his face. He looks old and defeated. His is a wasted life."

Bit of a parallel, given it's the same director returning to the genre where he made his first film. If it's coincidence, it's almost freaky.