Didn't exactly understand...the ending

Yeah that sounds about right to me. I interpreted the ending in pretty much an identical fashion. I believe that the ending symbolizes a sort of strange synthesis of hope and despair, a strange little twist on the beginning of the movie, where he is free, but exists within the prison of his own psychological difficulties... with essentially no reason to live. Then at the end the situation is inverted. He sees purpose in his existence, but is constrained within the confines of a prison... yet in this state he feels happier... purpose regardless of the location of existence is the fundamental building block towards a happy existence and this movie exemplifies this ideal.

Can't vouch for that pic, but my take on the ending is (as mentioned before) that it's an inverse of how the movie began.

*spoilers* (sort of)









The movie starts off with Kenji attempting to hang himself and (as with most of his attempts) he imagines on what the outcome would be like. In the end, he imagines what it would be like to get out, back to Osaka and see Noi again. So whereas he's looking forward to death before, he's now looking forward to life.

The layout of his bag on the table and Kenji in cuffs implies that the police got to him before the yakuza did, but, it is open, so that theory is up for grabs. Also, his tatted back may imply a hidden past as to why exactly he's anti-social and in Thailand now (sort of reminiscent of Seijun Suzuki's Tattooed Life I suppose).

There's my two cents.

I don't mean to dismiss your ideas, but it's pretty obvious. After the shooting early in the film, he goes into a dream sequence and the whole thing is a dream.

I like that it is open ended, and open to subjective interpretation. To say that you have it figured out is ok. but don't pass these opinions off as you're right and everyone else is wrong unless you wrote this movie. Some of your ideas are quite a departure, like, the author must have told this to you.

I don't mean to be rude either, if it was a language thing.

I think question marks were left in the movie intentionally. And should initiate discussions like these.

First of all I'm a native Thai so I can understand every words in Thai in the movie--without reading the subtitle. There seems to be quite a few opinions that the woman with Noi at the end is her daughter. From what I heard she said--in Thai the way she said it and her tone of voice I'd interpret that she's just Noi's roommate. She called Noi as 'Noi.' A daughter will never do that to a mother in Thai culture. Her tone of voice when saying someone coming to see Noi is like a friend/roommate talking.

To me at the end Kenji is really in jail part of the reason is there are at least 2 dead bodies in his apartment. The scene of Noi think he's coming to see her I thought was his dream.

That's my 2 satangs...

Its all open for debate (although the thematic issues have been well discussed regardless)

The only thing Id seriously correct from your post though is the comment about Kenji only seeing Nid while Noi is asleep
This is patently false

The most obvious scene where Nid is in frame instead of Noi is the dinner scene. Kenji even goes so far as to look at her drivers license and state "it doesnt look like you"

Watch the house scenes again as both sisters are flipped (deliberately) by director a couple times (they mentioned on commentary something along the lines that Noi is almost haunted by Nid... it isnt until she has made her final decision (car scene before airport) where she can finally say goodbye to Nid and exorcise her demons (guilt)

I have noticed some people honestly seem to have problems telling Laila and Sinitta (Nid and Noi) apart (the fact they also switch clothes doesnt help either)

I think the ending was he committed suicide out the window.

Of course all of this is open to interpretation, but in my opinion the "entire movie is a dream" theory is quite ridiculous. Kenji is dreaming of killing himself in the beginning of the movie, and by the end he is dreaming of being, once again, with Noi. Now, if everything is a dream, then how is it that Kenji grows to the point of no longer wishing to be dead? People don't have that kind of turnaround simply by daydreaming. Suggesting that the movie entire movie is a dream is to reduce it to a worthless tale like An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, which is nothing more than a cheap joke. If this movie is simply a dream, then like Owl Creek it says absolutely nothing about the human heart. Characters don't change, nothing moves forward, it is simply a trick on the audience, and I don't see the filmmaker wanting only that for this movie.

Certainly there are parts that could be dreaming, in particular the ending where Kenji is dreaming of being with Noi. I think the interchanges between Nid and Noi are simply moments when Nid "surfaces" in the minds of either character. As someone else suggested it could be Noi simply letting go of the guilt of Nid's death.

I think another possible interpretation of the interchanging of Nid and Noi is Noi finding out who she is for the first time in her life. It is obvious at the beginning of the film that Nid and Noi are so hopelessly enmeshed that neither is in touch with their true self. Nid having sex with Noi's man is a good example. Why does Nid do this, she certainly doesn't like the guy? I think they have been so close, for so long, in such a dysfunctional way that they have trouble with their own identity apart from the other. I think Nid showing up after her death is a mental thing with Noi, in that Nid is still inappropriately forcing herself into Noi's life. Noi is slowly finding herself *apart* from Nid, but Nid is still mentally horning in. If you watch the times that Nid shows up in the film (after her death) it is always a time when Noi is experiencing joy with Kenji. I think that is guilt, or possibly fear that — once again — Nid is going to show up and do what she has been doing for all of their lives, which is screwing her boyfriend or just generally messing things up for her.

The final intimate scene with Noi and Kenji occurs off-screen, and it is their mutual cleansing ritual. In essence they have been for each other a way to get clean, to finally cleanse themselves of their past and past sins. That theme, by the way, is prevalent throughout the film. Noi is Kenji's way to be clean, to be rid of the filth that is rotting in his apartment, and Kenji is Noi's way of getting clean, in that he cleans her entire apartment, and he also helps her rid her mind of the guilt of Nid and all their past baggage as dysfunctional siblings. This theme even runs through the ending, because Kenji gives Noi the portable ashtray, and Noi gives Kenji her car (a symbol of freedom), her license (a new identity) and a place to go that is free of the garbage in his apartment AND his past life (with her in Osaka).

I see the ending as Kenji doing what he must to truly be free of his past, and that path is through the police department. Remember when he escapes from the window we hear the police sirens, presumably coming to arrest the lot. Don't forget that the three hitmen assault a police officer (the one helping put the plants in the elevator). I think the ending is Kenji dreaming of finally being with Noi, as she is free in Osaka he will (hopefully) be free as well. In reality there is no reason why Kenji cannot be free. Surely he could blame the bodies on either the hitmen, or the wacko that came to his apartment. All he has to say is that he hasn't been there, and obviously his brother had access to his apartment and someone came in and killed him (and the other guy) and stuffed their bodies under the table. Why would Kenji do that (he could easily ask)? The police hang the whole thing on the hitmen, or the psycho that came to kill him at his apartment, and not long after he joins Noi. Whatever happens, Kenji MUST deal with the police BEFORE he can be free, and he knows that. Anyway, there are many different ways that one can interpret the movie, but I don't think it is necessary to go as far as to say that the whole movie is a dream, because then it has no meaning, its no different than a Dallas episode where Bobby realizes that it has all been a dream. That gimmick is simply that, a gimmick and I don't see this movie as a gimmick.

"...nothing is left of me, each time I see her..." - Catullus

all of these opinions are great to think about,one question i have is who sent Kenji the Teddy/Gun? and why? and why did the killng of the brother scene happen? what did it represent?

I think Kenji is topless in the interview / interrogation room because the film is trying to say that he'd been strip searched not so long ago. Also it dramatises the whole scene by emphasising Kenji's tattoos, which is a symbolic sign that he used to be a member of Yakuza.

That explains how and why all the material evidence are seen placed on the table - perhaps the cops were questioning Kenji for what had happened (3 dead bodies - Kenji's brother, Kenji's brother's 'friend' and Noi's ex-boyfriend, or possibly 4 if we assume that the security guard for the flat was killed by the hitmen).

I interpreted the ending to be a happy one. Kenji, who had been thinking up of ways to commit suicide (hanging, slitting his throat, putting a gun to his throat, etc.) throughout the movie, seems to be finally at peace with oneself and smokes a cigarette with a smile on his face. This implies that he is now a 'new' person.

Noi's work in Japan as a waitress also symbolises that she is a new person. She is seen with a short haircut - implying a big personal change.

Lastly, when Noi's housemate tells her that she has a visitor, we see Kenji's bag with the picture book sticking out and his teddy bear. There has not been anything in the film to suggest that anyone but Kenji would come find her with Kenji's things to Japan.

Of course one could argue that it was all a dream, and that Kenji fell to his death, which would have been a different way of killing himself. The sirens would mean that an ambulance was called. I think as someone above pointed out, that Kenji may well have saved himself from falling to death. The flat cannot be that high, Noi's boyfriend walked up the stairs and we saw a car being parked outside the flat's window. Although the hitmen come in via the elevator, I think that just means that they're either lazy or it shows their uncaring and deliberate way of carrying themselves. We also notice in the movie that Kenji is physically very capable, as he easily fends off Noi's ex-boyfriend attacking Noi and we see that he's in a pretty good physical shape.

I like the fact that it's an open ended ending, but I think evidence from the film itself makes it a stronger case that it was a happy ending.

Kenji suffers from severe Obsessive-compulsive disorder and the movie makes it very clear. From the tatoo on his back you can guess he was an yakusa (or similar), like his brother, in the past. But as they moved to Thailand his disease got worse and worse to the point he had to quit his "old job".

The scene where he kill his brother's killer confirms that. He shows no reaction when the killer points a gun to him, and gentle TURNS OF THE LIGHT to gain an advantage, and kill him. Thats what you expect from a cold blood killer, not from a "regular librarian".

Before he flushs the toilet you can see he looking around and thinking a way out. He did that to get their attention and surprise them. If he was going to suicide he whouldnt do that. The police station scene confirms that. He was arrested to explain the situation. When everything was explained, that he was just defending himself, he was released.

Finally being able to return to japan and meet Noi you can see his bag, the book and... a Teddy Bear. Rember where he found the gun? On his brother's box inside the teddy bear.

From the dvd i couldnt confirm thats the same bear (the first one doesnt show much) but they are very similar.

Possibly, but you have to remember the title of the movie isn't displayed until over 30 minutes into the film, so just because the end credits come up at that point doesn't necessarily mean anything. And Kenji could have just bought the book again to reflect on how he felt back then, it's not like a book is going to spin him back into his depression.

I stand by my theory four posts up, but like you said it's open to discussion...

When do you see the actual shop Noi buys the sushi from? I cannot recall this scene at all. I remember her just coming out and telling Kenji she bought him some sushi and him telling her he's allergic, that's about it. Jog my memory...

Either way though she clearly moved to Japan, it shows her working in the city and she even has a decoration in her apartment that says "I Love Osaka". I think the chapter on the DVD is even called 'Japan'