MovieChat Forums > Jeux d'enfants (2004) Discussion > About the Ending, a logical approach

About the Ending, a logical approach

posted 17 years ago by nathananise
34 replies | jump to latest

just finished watching it, love it.

I saw lots of posts about this movie's ending, and now i am coming up with a new theory, by logic

1st, at the b egining of the moive, we heard the narration of young Julien: saying never play a game in which your friend asks you to bury yourself in the cement. So, this is a "game"/"dare"

Then, back to the whole movie, the reason why the two can't fall in love is that they are both burdened by the game. We can see it during their teen year, when Sophine accuses Julient all alone treats her as a lover merely because of the game. And this, is spread out throughout the movie.

So, back to the ending,
Close to the end, they finally recognize that they cannot live without each other and decided that they should let go of the stupid game, which indeed impinged on their love.

SO, if the whole cemment thing is a "game", why would they still do it after they have vowed to love each other? I mean, if the game is the culprit of separating them all these years, why would they still indulge in it at the end when they can finally get togefther after going such a long way?

To me, I think the cement scene is a manifesto that declares their banishment of their old selves and the game. And that's why the tin box seems so new at the end of the movie. It symbolizes the end of the game.

Regarding the old sceNE, I THINK IT IS ALSO MERELY SYMBOLIC. I dont mean that they really died in the cement though. The old scene is just a possibility, like every other era when they meet again after the long parting. When the old Julient kisses Sophine , many past images flesh by, and those are the possiblity if at the moment julient said I love you. And the old julient does. I think the scene wants to suggest that if Sophine did not return that time after the car crash, and they did not have the chance to make up, fate will still bring them together; when they get older and there is no more distracion, e.g. other people, money, etc, they will eventually come to the realisation that they, all along, are in love, and life is too short for them to deny their love.

[–] recalcitrant44 17 years ago

I tend to agree with the original poster. When they come to the realization that their love is more important than the game, and that the game was ultimately denying them their stronger feeling (game vs. true love), then they rid themselves of the tin, and went on as their lives should have been; together.

The concrete sequence (to me) is a multi-layered metaphor for the end of the game / beginning of their new life. Not only have they "buried playing the game", but they've also found a way to keep everyone else away from them being with each other forever.

[–] darkangel52279 17 years ago

First of all, I absolutely love this movie! "Cap au paq cap" is one of my favorite quotes, but I digress.

I have watched this movie several times, and my conclusion, (very sadly, I might add), is that they bury themselves in concrete and hence they both die. I really didn't want it to end this way but to me, this is the only ending that makes sense. As everyone has mentioned, the dares that Julien and Sophie engage in keep getting more violent and more dangerous. The way I see it is that, although these two are deeply in love with each other, they cannot express their love in a healthy and normal way. The only way can express their feelings are through a series of dares. The greater the dare, the greater the love. They are incapable of having a decent relationship, so the only way to be together is in death. This is the ultimate dare, the ultimate proof of their love for one another. I think the scene with them as old people is an alternate reality; what could have happened if they weren't locked into these game that neither one of them can let go of. They could have grown old together. I just wish there had been another way for them to prove their love to one another without having to die.

Just my two cents!
Cheers!

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] Cienna 17 years ago

The greater the dare, the greater the love.

You are definitely onto something here. I think that it's not the dare but *accepting* the dare that shows their love. Is that what you meant? As the game evolves the dares become more and more outrageous (it's more love/hate) thus putting the other's love to the test. That's why the last shared dare is the natural conclusion to their story.

[–] pazouzou 17 years ago

Hello to you all.

I think that this movie was not about love, but about the game.
It was the game that brought them together in the first place and that same game kept them going their whole lives.

They were madly in love Julien and Sophie, but that was not what this movie was about.
So, to make a long story short, i do believe that they ended up in that cement grave.

[–] paperstreetpress 17 years ago

I still think that the cement grave was only symbolic. It is where they buried the tin can carousel as well as their old selves--their "selves" who are too proud to admit that they love each other. About the part with Julien and Sophie growing old together--it's just a flashforward--a future that may or may not happen. It just goes against logic to kill themselves in cement. It doesn't go well with the entire film if they really did it.

[–] eleanazz 17 years ago

hello everybody! i just finished watching the movie for the third time and this is what i believe happened: when they first played the game it was fun for them, it was something different, but as the got older, they kind of lost themselves in the game.. it was all about taking it one step further, to the point that the only reasonable result would be to die.. i loved this ending! but if they did not lose focus on the point of the game from day 1, they would not have been controlled by it, they would have been able to say 'i love you'to each other and realise that they were meant for each other and actually accept it! as julien said at one point of the movie 'the game made my mom to fly, i lost the point' (something like that). the game can make you fly (to love) or it can destroy you, depending on how you play it, how much you let it control your life.

i believe that there arent two endings to the movie, but actually two different stories! if they played the game as they did, they die because its the biggest dare! the bigger the dare, the bigger the love! if they played it the way his mom did, and told each other how they felt from the begining(as the scenes in the end show), then they would have kissed when they were kids, next to the bus, get married, have kids and grow old together and still play the game! but they would know that there are limits, thats why they would last that long! basically its two stories, when the one ends (they die) the other is told by flashes and in reverse order, in order to finish with the first scene the movie begun - kids in front of the bus. from the moment they met, the decision on how they would play the game would result to either of these two scenarios.

Brilliant movie!!!

[–] interlude82 17 years ago

i had no idea what the ending of this beautiful movie meant, but i discovered on the movies offical website that the ending of this movie is purely up to the viewers desired interpretation

go to http://www.paramountvantage.com/loveme/index2.html

then click on 'story', and read for yourselves

cap ou paq cap?

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] randy_spann 16 years ago

Blowing kisses through the concrete sky. Hoping they'd reach him on heaven high. words by Amy Lavere "Killing Him"

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] ffordegroupie 10 years ago

I think you did a very very good job analyzing this and your analysis makes a lot of sense!

[–] anna_heart 10 years ago

how could they stopped the game if next it shows them old and still with the game?