I did watch this movie when I was a little tired and I did have some expectations... like I kept expecting him to ultimately get it on with Mathieu but that did not happen. Then he goes and does you know what at the end. So frustrating. I picked this film up in the independant gay & lesbian section and I don't see the connection.
Maybe I need to watch it again when I am wide awake... but it might put me back to sleep.
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I'm exactly like you - I don't see any homosexuality whatsoever (besides the obvious sexual past with Mathieu and that tension). All I understood was that he discovered he was in love with his sister. Why exactly did he do "you know what" at the end? was it the frustration of the discover that Louise was his sister? and I don't get the importance of him calling back at the hotel at the very end to find out in exactly which room his father had been staying. I don't know, there was just a lot I didn't understand about this movie, even after seeing it twice. It's labelled a gay film and I really don't see that at all.
shareI didn't understand this movie at all. It made no sense. The main guy didn't seem like he would do "you know what" at the end. And I didn't understand the relationships. Can someone help me out here?
shareI'm still fairly confused as well, and I've seen it multiple times now trying to understand. I'm pretty sure that I understand the little plot points throughout the movie but I don't understand how they all connect at the end.
SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!:
I've come to just believe that he was fed up with everything, and that's why he killed himself. I think he had a past relationship with Mathieu and seeing Mathieu with Louise was almost too much for him to handle. On top of that, he found out that his "father" wasn't really his father. And on top of THAT, he found out that he had been in love with his sister. I think all of that put together was just too much for him to handle, so he killed himself.
First, Simon is a very private and sensitive person. He always wonders why his family doesn't love him despise all his efforts (painting the bike for his sister). Only his mom shows him affection. And then Louise came to him willingly. He doesn't love Louise, but love the fact that she came to him and being affectionous to him. Simon is thirsty for love as for his family deprived him of it. His soul is a lonely, tormented, broken thing that seems to reverse into itself.
His relationship to Mathieu is just very close friendship. There is so sexual heat like people tend to analyze. There used to be just the two of them- desolute and alone. Now there comes Louise, sharing their closeness, and all the while creating competition. You can see this tension and bitterness between ther conversation at the pub. Simon feels rejected since Louise "prefers" Mathieu. And their friendship is torn over competition and jealousy and bitterness (as you can see through their conversation at the pub).
Then the truth shooks him to core. He can no longer have Mathieu as friend because their friendship now has a crack. He can no longer try to win his family's affection because he is not their blood and they hate him. He can no longer pursue Louise because she is his sister. All the while, he probably feels like he IS a disappointment (as a person and as a replacement to his dead brother) and disgusting because he actually j*cked off on the thought of having sex with Louise. He asked for his real dad' room # because Simon is an observer. He likes to know the view from others's eyes and look at it himself and see what they are thinking, what they are seeing.
American rating and summery mess all up. They reduce a very artsy, meaningful film into a common movie production. I really like this movie, and Gaspard Ulliel really shines. He is really a brilliant actor. Too bad the other actors don't own up to it. Lucky for them Gaspard is the one to watch. I don't like any other actors in there. Such a shame that those actors could not measure up to Gaspard, or we will have an even finer film. Any way, that's just what I think.
"he actually j*cked off on the thought of having sex with Louise"
I don't find that to be true. I believe he was thinking about Mathieu. If he had wanted to smell Louise, he would have just done it at home in the bed that they sleep in every night.
But thank you for the interpretation. I definitely agree. And the visual symbolism in this movie just makes everything even more beautiful (for example, when Simon's mother and real father were becoming intimate in the hotel room, it kept flashing to Simon swimming. Since water is symbolism for life, it showed that these two adults had something to do with the creation of Simon's life. great foreshadowing)
I have one more question: what did Simon mean when he made that snide comment to Mathieu, saying that Mathieu usually prefers a younger mate (excuse me, I forget the actual wording)
He smelled her there because that's where she slept with Mathieu. Like I said, Simon is an observer. He likes to be where you are and see what you see and try to feel how you feel. That's why after he's done um himself, he looks through the window and see the branch tree, that's what she would see. Or Mathieu.
There is definitely no sexual thing between them now. But yes, they might have been best buds and might have had a night together or something.(even though I don't think so) Simon makes the comment: "You know she's underage? But that doesn't bother you. On the contrary, no?" can be explained in two ways:
1. He might say that out of bitterness.
2. He might refer to Mathieu's sexual history. How he had no problem with underages. This might explain how later Simon calls Louise naive for thinking Mathieu is in love with her. Or Simon was just bitter.
That's why it's hard to tell if Simon and Mathieu actually had something together. Their tension might just come from very intimate friendship, but doesn't mean they were lovers. If the actor played Mathieu was more expressive then we might have been able to figure it out!
Regarding your last question, Simon was probably referring to the fact that he is younger than Mathieu (and he was even more younger by the time they had something together)
sharehmm when did he discover Mathieu was his sister? I don't think I was paying attention during that part :(
shareI am SO confused by all this talk about homosexuality. I was halfway through the movie when I first read this page and it threw me so much it nearly ruined the film (as I then spent the remainder trying to figure out what I'd missed). I saw absolutely nothing that was even in reference to gays with the exception of the kissing scene - but considering they were all a bit drunk, that seemed like perfectly normal behavior. I spent the rest of the film trying to figure out what people were talking about. If this story is about unrequited love between two boys the director failed indeed!
Regardless of any confusion, I really enjoyed it. I must have watched close to 15 movies in the last week and this is the only one that didn't disappoint me.
"If this story is about unrequited love between two boys the director failed indeed!"
Indeed, my friend.
And that is why there are so many people disappinted at it.
In my opinion, if this is a "gay interest" film, then Free Willy is hardcore pornography! One half drunk kiss aside, there is precious little to suggest anything more.
The DVD itself is nothing but pure marketing hype.. stick in one male on male kiss, label it "gay interest", and tout a few Gay/Lesbian film festivals on the back of your dvd, and there's your marketing done. And as usual, people are left shortchanged. Poor picture, poor sound, no gay interest whatsoever, and subtitles so small you'd have a job reading them on anything smaller than 32" TV.
You only have to look at "proper" Gay Interest films like "Sugar", "Beautiful Thing", "Edge of Seventeen", "Endgame" to see their target audience is being short changed. Edge of Seventeen has a picture with more grain than a box of Cornflakes, Endgame is barely understandable due to poor audio.
Not one of them has a 5.1 or god forbid, a DTS soundtrack in sight. They all look somewhere between crappy and mediocre. As for extra's, you might find a trailer if you're lucky. "The Last Day" is no exception to any of this, which given it's target audience is hardly surprised. Labelling it "Gay Interest" in the first place is pointless, but then to ensure we know that is what it's supposed to be, it looks like it was filmed on sellotape.
The only GI film that has had a halfway decent DVD release I can think of is Brokeback Mountain, and you either love that or loathe it. I fall into the latter category, and found it tedious, pretentious, and ultimately downright boring. Much like this film.....
I usually enjoy most foreign cinema, regardless of country. This one, sadly, is a bit of a dud. Even Gaspard Ulliel couldn't save it, though fair play, he did a pretty good job with the drivel he was given. The film tried to be too intelligent, too artistic for it's own good, and that's pretty much where is falls flat on it's face.
If you want a decent French film, there are hundreds better than this. If it's just a good Gay Interest romance film you're after, then Beautiful Thing is just about the best there is. Good luck find it though.. the Region 2 dvd with it's poor picture, crap sound, and total lack of subtitles (because people aren't permitted to be both deaf AND gay..!), has been deleted. That's how much the target audience is cared about.
If you dislike the IMDB's new look, please consider signing the following petition..share
http://www.petitiononline.com/IMDBKEEP/petition.html. Hopefully, with sufficient signatures, the IMDB staff will, at the very least give us the option of retaining the old look, on a permanent basis.
Thanks, and please help draw attention to the poll, if you believe it to be worthwhile. The more signatures, the more chance we have of keeping our IMDB as it is!" :)
If you want a decent French film, there are hundreds better than this. If it's just a good Gay Interest romance film you're after, then Beautiful Thing is just about the best there is.
Hello Ollie -
I agree about Beautiful Thing - one of the best gay romances there is. If you want to try a very good French Gay Interest romance movie, check out Juste Une Question d'Amour. It's not high art, but has a good story and is well-acted.
I just watched Le Dernier Jour and found it intriguing/confusing/depressing and ultimately unsatisfying. But it got me thinking; so I posted a rambling commentary in the imdb comments for the film, in case you might be interested. It is meant to complement the other comments, most of which were quite perceptive.
Cheers ! (strange closing to use with this particular film?)
Yes, well I kinda guessed those two were gay from the moment in the light house scene. There is no concrete evidence that proves they were gay, because the director leaves it up to your interpretation. IMO, they TOTALLY are.
That's why the movie frustrated me, too. I wanted them to do each other! But of course, that never happened.
And yes, I think he was masturbating to Mathieu, not Louise.
The movie is in the gay interest section b/c of the gay LOVE undertones, not sex.
All of you who are disappointed with this film got what you deserved for believing that films have sexual orientation.
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