i don't understand the ending - My Summer of Love (2005) Discussion

[–] adelicious 18 years ago

I just watched the film an hour ago.
My theory is that she felt exhilirated (almost having killed somone and all) and also set free...She was used once by that guy steve or whatever (back seat shaggin scene at start of movie remember?) and now she find's out she's been used again, so she snaps, and by trying to drown tamsin, it kinda puts her back in control, of her life, of her love and of herself, really.

im glad she didnt kill tamsin:)

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[–] sweetdeception 18 years ago

i'm glad she didn't kill tamsin too, lol.
i watched this movie like 3 weeks ago...
but earlier in the movie, the two of them make a kind of pact.
They each promise the other that if they leave them, they'll kill them (ie. mona saying to tamsin - "if you leave me, i'll kill you. and then i'll kill myself").
I don't know if that had anything to do with it...
but i thought it was neat that they tied that in with mona attempting to drown tamsin at the end.

i totally agree with your theory though *nods*.

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[–] tradle 18 years ago

Oh great, now I know the ending I may as well not bother watching it.

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[–] pamelopez 18 years ago

ok.. first of all why would you read a topic that says "i don't understand the ending". If you really want to watch it, i suggest that you ignore topics with the word 'ending' in it. So...watch it and tell me how you feel because the ending is much more dramatic than what we are stating.

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[–] ptkolar 18 years ago

This is not a movie that will be ruined by knowing the ending. As I read the ending, she just gets on with her life after her "summer of love".

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[–] jackcarrivick-1 18 years ago

the film is saying " they are teens, they got caught up in it all" tamsin knew she would go back to boarding school and they had a fun summer holiday. that is what the film is about. summer of love not love of my life. its a well made quick film which needs to be scene by alot of people, because there is alot of *beep* in this world.

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[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] junk4jp 17 years ago

Wow, plenty of good answers!

I think Mona was emotionally wrecked and justified killing her in a fit of passionate hatred for Tamsin's using her. Tamsin survived long enough for Mona to think it out and realize that it wasn't worth killing Tamsin for. The thought of killing her occupied her mind long enough to become thoughts of what will it be like for Tamsin to be dead. She let up Tamsin on the brink of killing her and felt exhilarated when Mona called her crazy and was close enough to dying to understand what effect she had on Mona.
Mona walks off happy that she finished that relationship off by nearly killing Tamsin.

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[–] nantia9 18 years ago

tasmin had lied to mona and made her feel sorry for her and stuff.basicly she used mona.played with her feelings.maby mona whanted to get back at her.so she pretended she was goin to drown her to scare her.she had some fun with mona.she thought she was in love with her.if im right, in the end when tasmin admitted she was a fantasist they also agreed that they had some fun.so mona didnt want to kill tasmin, just get her back.scare her.maby....

everyone: if u agree or disagree please let me know!

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[–] vinirex 18 years ago

I saw the movie a couple of months ago, but the scene is still fresh in my memory.I think Mona really tried to kill Tamsin, but just didn't have enough cold-blood to do so.I wasn't a planned action; she was completely blind by anger and dissapointment, for have being manipulated and etc.

But the fact she was smiling...Well, my theory is that she is actually conformed with her fate.There is a scene, just after she met with Tamsin, when she asks Mona "What career do you wish to follow?" and she aswers something more or less like "I'll marry a butcher, have a dozen children, became fat and ugly, loose my teeth and I'll die unhappy"

Her relationship with Tamsin was like a fantastic dream, and her smile was a sign she has just returned to life.

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[–] Readergirl380 18 years ago

When I saw the ending it reminded me of an earlier scene when Tasmin was talking about the psycologist or w/e that said some people get screwed over just so someone else has their fifteen minutes of fame. I think Mona was smiling because she realized how nieve she was for not picking up all the hints Tasmin had dropped about their relationship not being real. SHe was mentaly kicking herself. I know there have been times when I've gotten into something so seriously that after I've been snapped back into reality I find myself looking a bit foolish and I just have to laugh at myself.

Agree or Disagree?

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[–] Sensationalpoet 18 years ago

I actually agree with Rex partially. My idea is this: Tying back to the pact they made about killing one another if the other left--- I think that Mona wanted to show Tasmin that her love wasn't that serious -- she halfs drowns her as if to say haahahah you're pathetic. Then she walks away much like Tasmin did when mona's bro came to her house and she was that close to seducing him and she cracked up at his 'spiritual fakeness'. So in other words to show that there is much more to her than the how she portrays her self to be she is much stronger than Tasmin thought before as she 1st impression after seeing her borningly lying in the grass while she was regal on her white horse.

Sorry if this is mumble jumbles--I'm tired its like 1am but had to say something I thought on it.

Agree or Disagree? Let me know please--peace out and B blessed!

Alexis B.
"We must try being assertive and less agressive to get our point across"

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[–] ninachevon 18 years ago

I'm not sure why she is smiling in the movie, but in the book I think she actually kills her. The book is alot more graphic, I heard. I tried to read it but its a little difficult, written in British slang, so there is little hope of understanding it if your American.

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[–] csuncheerchloe 18 years ago

When i first saw the ending, i was so confused but then when i thought about it i remember the pact mona and tasmin made: "If you leave me I'll kill you" said Tasmin. Then Mona said, If you leave me I'll kill you....and then I'll kill myself" Well Tasmin was going to leave Mona, she was going back to school. And i don't think Mona would have killed Tasmin because she was in love, maybe not with the real Tasmin, but with a part of Tasmin, even if it was a fake part.

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[–] skaterb18 18 years ago

i agree with everyone's post to a certain degree, but i think csuncheerchloe has got the right idea but has it backwards. the pact that mona and tasmin made about killing one another if either of them left each other, this came along with proclaiming their love for each other. therefore mona was about to keep her promise of killing tasmin but her not going through with it symbolizes that she didnt truly love tasmin because mona didnt really know who tasmin was after all. tasmin mentioned crimes of passion were forgivable in france, i guess tasmin wasnt worth killing?? and also tasmin say's, ' u crazy bitch' after her attempt at drowning her. tasmin always mentioned crimes of passion, making herself seem so dramatic and intense, yet she obviously was completely fake after her response to the attempted drowning. soooooo my final and most important point here is that mona was testing tasmin to see if she was for real based on her reaction to the attempted drowning and also that mona will not be *beep* with anymore, shes too strong-minded now and no longer ignorant. feel me?

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[–] JaneJaneJane 17 years ago

Spot on.

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[–] CosyCatNap 18 years ago

No no no, the girls don't kill each other in the book... It's totally different.

Did you find it so difficult to read? I'm Italian and managed to understand it alright. Maybe the "detachment" of speaking English as a foreign language is an advantage :-)

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[–] jaybo_12 17 years ago

very intuitive.

the parallels you point out are astounding.

are you some type of critic?

oh no, i just read your screen name. I guess every artist is a type of critic though.

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[–] mintylicious 18 years ago

she tried to drown tamsin due to her emotions. Having realised the betrayal of Tamsin and the object of entertainment she had used her for.

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[–] DinGODzilla 18 years ago

90% agree

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[–] twoste 18 years ago

It's a good question to ask...it's kind of a weird thing to say but the "style" of the ending really reminded me of the ending of "The French Connection" in which it seems, inevitably, that the lives of all the characters are going to go on no matter how flawed they are in so many ways or how intense the story they just enacted was.
It was a very English ending in my opinion in the sense that it carried with it this very British sentiment that all life is somewhat comical or that we can all look back on difficult personal times and laugh at the situation rather than dwell on the problems it unearthed. I think Mona will continue to be upset and confused by what happened with Tamsin and what love means to her in general, and Tamsin will continue to be manipulative and self righteously complex. But the choice of music at the end (and the movie was noticably sparse on use of music) suggests that they will both continue on in their lives as they are at the end, wiser for what happened to them that summer, but more set in their ways than ever and they will both, eventually, go on to be happy, well adjusted people.
That's just my general impression.
Cracking film! Really loved it, best thing I've seen in ages.

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[–] deanwmartino 18 years ago

Anyone else think it's ironic how Tamsin said earlier in the movie that "crimes of passions are forgiven in France" ?? :)

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[–] Zaphekiel 18 years ago

I think she did it partly because she was angry but I also think that Mona was fed up with Tamsin's bull****, her romanticism and wanting to live this passionate, tragic fantasy life, but Tamsin didn't really have the guts to live like her literary heroes, she just pretended because in reality her literary idols had to deal with a lot of tragedy and danger in their lives. So Mona was going to indulge Tamsin's fantasy bull**** side by thinking she was going to drown her, like something that happens in a book. She was going to give Tamsin a look at what death was like, the panic and the terror of dying, and then let her up at the last minute and show her it wasn't romantic.

Then I think as she's walking away she smiles because she feels like even though the tables were turned on her, she came out on top and was done being used by other people.

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[–] ddyfad 18 years ago

That explanation for what she did hadn't occurred to me, but I think it's totally convincing. Tamsin was a pathetic flake - she didn't deserve to die for what she had done, but maybe she did deserve to have the fear of death put into her for a few moments and then to have Mona just casually walk away after letting her up, ignoring Tamsin's cries and accusations, letting her know that she isn't the centre of the universe after all.

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[–] Screen_Queen 10 years ago

I think she did it partly because she was angry but I also think that Mona was fed up with Tamsin's bull****, her romanticism and wanting to live this passionate, tragic fantasy life, but Tamsin didn't really have the guts to live like her literary heroes, she just pretended because in reality her literary idols had to deal with a lot of tragedy and danger in their lives. So Mona was going to indulge Tamsin's fantasy bull**** side by thinking she was going to drown her, like something that happens in a book. She was going to give Tamsin a look at what death was like, the panic and the terror of dying, and then let her up at the last minute and show her it wasn't romantic.

Oh my god, I didn't think about this at all, but this is absolutely fascinating. Tamsin liked to act like she was unaffected by everything that was risky and dangerous, and when Mona tried to drown her I think she really did unseat something in Tamsin. The way Tamsin yelled "crazy bitch", after all the mind games she just put Mona through, tells me that she really has no idea what she does to people because she herself can't even handle a dose of her own medicine.

You heart me? What is that? Is that like I love you for pussies?

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[–] Dan_Garten 9 years ago

Yeah.

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[–] chwesp 18 years ago

it was fairly obviously a tie in to the "crime of passion" tamsin spoke of earlier, having been commited by Piaff, and within the context of the fantasy that Tamsin had created, understandable.. crimes of passion are easily romanticed by postadolescent girls. Mona was elated because she had finally freed herself from all responsibility to anyone regarding her identity- her brother, tamsin.
if you don't win it doesn't matter, as long as you lose like a winner!
-stallone, over the top

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[–] volkstuintje 18 years ago

This movie is about two things to me:
-3 characters are looking for something to believe in.
-Also I think the Nietzsche reference is really important. There is said that some people are just destined to succeed in life and the rest aren't. Tamsin seems to be someone that is destined to succeed with her rich parants and her amazing talent in music. Mona, living in a pub, doesn't seem to have a bright future.

My interpretation is:

Towards the end Tamsin appears to be a fantastist. Mona tries to drown her, to me without the intention to really kill her. She walks away with Edith Piafs music. Earlier in the movie that said that three husbands of Edith Piaf died a mysterious dead. That fits exactly in the world of the fantasist Tamsin (it's a passional ending of their relationship) and Mona walks away in a way that makes me think that she accepted that she might never achieve something big, but after all this she does believe in herself.

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[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] ddyfad 18 years ago

LOL

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[–] Stampsfightclub 18 years ago

she's clearly releasing her stress? no?

she seemed happy becuase she had done something she had been afraid of

to her, maybe it seemed a way of getting rid of Tasmin

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[–] volkstuintje 18 years ago

I don't really think so. I think there relationship had benefits for both of them. Tasmin clearly stated that they had a great time and that she learned much of their time together. Mona learned that although she might not have a lot of talent in something, she needs to believe in herself (after that she learned that believing in God and believing in her relationship with Tamsin wasn't enough).

The drowning part is a perfect ending of their passionate/fantasist-relationship (just like Edith Piaf).

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[–] ddyfad 18 years ago

When Tamsin reminded her they'd had "a great time", it struck me as extremely tactless. Whether or not she meant it this way, the implication seemed to be that that's all Mona had meant to her - a fun way to spend the holidays before she got back to working towards her rosy future.

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[–] freakozoid_35 18 years ago

Yeah I agree. But then again after the climax was revealed and showed how manipulative Tamsin really was, was it of any surprise that she was tactless towards Mona in the final scene? She probably only saw herself and her own fantasies.

On a side note, I just wanted to ask if the novel is worth a read and if the film was a good adaptation of it. Thanks.

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[–] volkstuintje 18 years ago

I think Mona agrees with Tamsin. At the end you can see that they both had benefit from their relationship. Mona stopped drinking and a lot of bad habits and she walks away believing in herself.

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[–] kingronnie 18 years ago

I watched the film last night.

I'm not sure about the baptism theory, but I do think she was symbolically cleansing Tamsin. After all, the passionate kissing beforehand is not part of a baptism ritual, but it is a way of showing love.

I think Mona was trying to say that she still loved Tamsin up until she started choking her. She then walked away smiling because she was happy to be free, as she wasn't in love with the real Tamsin, just a fantacy version of her. I also think she felt a sense of justice being carried out.

Had she killed Tamsin she would have been seen as the 'baddy', even though it was Tamsin that had been the dishonest one. This way Mona comes out as the happy winner, and Tamsin as a sad looser, even though she's poor with few prospects.

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[–] max_byng 18 years ago

I think Mona enjoyed the way that she was in ultimate control in the relationship finally. Previously, Tamsin had held the reins, literally and metaphorically, in wealth and stature. An example of this was when Mona was fellating Tamsin, not the other way round. When she attempted to drown Tamsin, she was suddenly in control when Tamsin rises from the water at her most unnatractive and must resort to vulgar insults in a failing attempt to regain her power.

On a separate note, it frustrated me slightly how Mona, a much smaller and weedier looking girl managed to hold Tamsin under the water.....

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] PunchB 17 years ago

You need to look up the word "fellating".

And to a couple of other posters, the baptism "theory" wasn't "partly" humorous, it was obviously a joke.

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[–] anarx3 17 years ago

Well said!!!
Finally some1 with some common sense!

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