MovieChat Forums > Kansen (2004) Discussion > Think out loud with me...

Think out loud with me...

posted 19 years ago by AmongTheOrchids
43 replies | jump to latest

VIRUS: The "virus" was obviously symbolic of a guilty concience. When it escaped from its bed after infecting the first nurse was symbolic of the doctors and nurses really realizing what they'd done. It was them losing control of their guilt, and no longer being able to hide/contain it. They were forced to "study it". They were all clearly experiencing the hallucinations and the pain of losing their minds over it, but there was obviously something besides just guilt that made them all experience the same things, and all be able to observe the same things happening to one another.

AKAI: Who is Akai?? He can't have been the burn victim because although Akai sees his eyes through the bandages, and reads his name on the tag... that can only make sense figuratively. When Akiba is in the place of the burn victim, he sees Akai in the back of the room giving the wrong command (chlorate vs chloride) If Akai were really the burn victim, he wouldn't have been a ghost yet at that point, and he certainly wouldn't give a command to end his life. Plus, when Akiba flashes back to the malpractice incident, there is no nametag. So who is Akai? All of the other doctors and the nurses all recognized him as a doctor, even if he was a hallucination. He was obviously dead, because the old woman saw him in her mirror. If he had been a doctor at the hospital, the others should have been more shocked at his presence because they'd have known that he was dead. Maybe he was a personification of the guilt (virus) that consumed them, because he was constantly indirectly reminding them of their wrongdoing.

AKIBA: Akiba obviously was not consumed by his guilt until the very end when he realized that he'd killed all the nurses and the other doctor. But they all were consumed by their own guilt over the course of the night, so did Akiba just finish them off? Akiba was dead in the locker at the end... just OOZING with guilt. But why did he see himself as Akai in the mirror?

FEMALE DOCTOR: The doctor who discovers Akai talking to his reflection and the gruesome murders he'd commited was also consumed by guilt in the end too. There is no way she could have known what symptoms the "virus" from the previous night had, so she'd obviously done something worthy of infecting her with the same particular symptoms. What would be the source of her guilt? We never see her do anything worth regreting... BUT... I think she killed Akiba. I don't know what reason she'd have for it, but he was dead in a locker in the end. He obviously suffered from the virus, but someone had to finish him off and put him there.

SWINGS: I've read interpretations of the swings being moved by the ghost of Akai and Akiba at the very end. I suppose that's valid, but there needs to be more to it. Why would Akai haunt the hospital in the first place? Why would Akiba join him??

FOX BOY AND MIRROR LADY: I think everyone is trying to fit them too deeply into the plot. The boy was just seeing everything happen through his mask which symbolizes something (fear? pain? honesty?) The woman was just there to be creepy and give us an excuse to believe that there were ghosts. She gave us a way to see Akai at the end. She also witnessed everything, but was unaware due to her condition.

Any thoughts, comments, or help would be lovely... I'd love to discuss this movie with people!! I only know one other person who's seen it, and we're in agreement with everything we've figured out, but both ended up with the same questions. Think with me people!!! Message boards are beautiful things!

[–] guitar_grrl 19 years ago

I was also wondering about the doctor practicing the suturing... and wasn't he having conversations with Akai at the beginning? What was his deal?

The old lady... she was an interesting character as it was said near the beginning that her ability to perceive was different, and that she can look, but shouldn't be allowed to touch the mirrow. The way it was delivered made me think that it was important. Perhaps it was a "perception" of the ghost world? Perhaps the mirror could be seen as a symbol of having to face yourself and the things you've done? Perhaps it isn't something that fits deeply into the plot, but I think there might be more to it then just "mood setting", as the themes were repeated several times.

The boy had a fox mask, didn't he? Animals have huuuge meaning in Asian literature and mythology... I'm sure that the "fox" could also represent what role the boy was playing in the supernatural elements. Mischief? Innocence?

Akiba: I wonder if he did ACTUALLY kill the doctors and nurses? If we look at the "guilt infection" as an actual disease, each of the staff "catch it" and are eventually consumed by it, resulting in their death. Each of the staff hallucinate, usually about the source of their guilt. Isn't it possibly that Akiba felt responsible for his entire staff, and felt guilty for getting them into the situation in the first place? It was HIS understaffed hospital, overworked employees, bad decisions that lead to their downfall... or at least that may have been how he saw it. The visions of his colleagues, dead by his own hand could have been a hallucination caused by the infection, a representation of what he felt he had done to them...do you get my drift? There are so many possibly interpretations of it all that I get confused ;)

I definately think that the "ghost of guilt" was definately around and hovering before the malpractice incident... each of the doctors and nurses had other things they felt guilty about (save the psychiatric nurse and the head nurse, that I could see.)

I also think that the underfunding of the hospital, the high emotions... the fact that everyone was exhausted had something to do with the guilt being able to set in...

[–] AmongTheOrchids 19 years ago

The doctor who sutured the other doctor was a meaninglesws subplot. It was not Akai whom he talked to in the beginning, but rather the doctor whom he ended up suturing. That doctor had told him that he couldn't do it, and he was bitter and enraged, and in a somewhat trance state(judging by his lack of memory on the event), he supposedly taught that doctor just how good his sutures were!

The dead employees could not have been a hallucination because the other Woman saw them all in order to report them to the police, who confirmed the murders. If they were hallucinations, Akiba would have seen greed blood rather than red. But that was a good and interresting theory!

About the fox... I figured the animal its self had some symbol to it, but I wasn't sure enough of the mythology to post anything about it.

Thanks for the input ^_^

[–] guitar_grrl 19 years ago

OHHHHHH!!!!!!! THANK YOU for the info about the suturing guy!!! Like you say, it's rather meaningless, but I definately think it lends to the idea that something sort of..supernatural is going on in the hospital, causing weirdness, even before the gooey-body arrives.

Just for our sake, I looked up a little bit about the "kitsune" or fox, from the Japanese mythological view. Kitsune are seen as kami, or spirits, rather than deities or gods. Some VERY interesting points:

-Kitsune are also a victim of their own feelings. A kitsune's emotions can cause them harm, or distract them. The Sin of Regret can even kill a kitsune outright

-Kitsune are notorious for seeing a weakness in someone, and aggravating the weakness, until others see it.

Kitsune also frequently appear in both fox and human form.

I seem to recall it being a white fox mask...this would indicate an "Inari Kitsune" or a guardian/messenger of the rice god Inari. These were the only Kitsune spirits who were worshipped, coincidentally, and were considered good omens and guardians. However, these white foxes were not allowed to get involved in mortal affairs... unless they were asked. (might explain why this spirit could only watch the staff sink deeper and deeper. He was always there, waiting to be asked for help, though! The staff couldn't see through their own guilt to ask for help, perhaps...

Anyways, I'd appreciate your thoughts :)

This movie has sort of stuck with me, since I've seen it.

[–] AmongTheOrchids 19 years ago

Wow! Excellent research! That's so interresting!! The symbol makes so much sense now! Thank you so much!! The movie has stuck with me too. Not a day has gone by since I've seen it that I haven't thought about it or tried to further analyze it in some way. It's so good to find someone who loved it as much as I did and who's as dedicated to understanding it as I am! Thanks again!!!!

[–] glittergirley 19 years ago

love everyone's interpretation, especially bc i knew that the ending was one of those "need to be discussed" type of endings...

i have another question though... why was the boy with the headphones (the one with the yinyang tattoo) in the story? why was he "infected"?? whats up with the "rash" and stuff?

[–] AmongTheOrchids 19 years ago

The boy at the beginning was just there to give us an initial discomfort. He has no infection. Judging by his attire and demeanor, he had obtained his concussion in some crazy teenage way.
The guy with the rash was the real patient in the ambulance. The man in the news story at the end says he never left a patient at Akiba's hospital. The rash just happened to be what the real guy had, but I think the writers wanted to keep his symptoms similar enough to what happened throughout the rest of the movie so that no one would figure out any of the twists until the end.

I love this movie!

[–] Warrior_Kalia 19 years ago

Let me see if I can clear all this up... Or at least part of it...

The boy just served at the starting point for the story. He seems to have incurred a SERIOUS concussion, as he was bleeding from the ears. Now, if cranial fluid had been coming out as well, he'd have been pretty much doomed. I have no idea how that would have happened, unless he got his eardrums mutilated, or got beat up [he didn't look ravaged...] or someone put his head in a vice, maybe. I have no idea, really. I think the boy was simply put there to serve as a visual aid to the desperate situation of the hospital.

I love kitsune so much... I have one right now in an RP who's living with his adoptive family of were-tigers. His name is Vincent, and he's an Inari kitsune. Or maybe he's just albino.

I think Akai is just the hallucinatory manifestation of Akiba's own feelings about the events taking place. It's... essentially, it's who Akiba is, only he feels it's a different part of himself doing these things, so he creates another in his mind to assign the blame and personality to. When people interact with Akai, they're just interacting with Akiba.
And quite honestly, I think the entire movie played out in this guy's mind, so events should be taken with a couple grains of salt. I'm sure they felt guilty, all of them, but it was Akiba who killed them. The creepy chick 'practicing' on herself and so forth was just to scare Akiba [you know, the non-Akai one] and to give him a rational explanation for their deaths.
But, you know, I have a lot of characters who have sort of 'split personalities' like this. Millian's got two... him as a kid, who just likes scaring the hell out of everyone, and him as an adult, who is... shall we say, a little too much like his father. He killed them... *cry*

Sorry. I'd explain, but you probably don't care.

Oh, and by the way, 'Akai' means crimson in Japanese.

[–] AmongTheOrchids 19 years ago

Thanks... I like that.

Any thoughts on anything else? ^_^

[–] cloves 19 years ago

I found it interesting that once a person was "infected" lol that everything turned green... well if you noticed everything except the exit sign... that was always red throughout the entire movie... symbolic that they patients see the only alternative is to run away from their guilt?

I married Bob, I had sex with Bob four times for you! So how can you call me a bad mother?

[–] AmongTheOrchids 19 years ago

The sign had been green the whole time, and turned red... but indeed... you have detected a fine metaphor :)

[–] jrod1111 19 years ago

Here are some of my thoughts:

I think that Akai was the man with the rash. Although the cop (was he a cop?) didn't say the patient lived or died, I think he died. The combination of him dying from not being accepted into the hospital coupled with the malpractice of not reporting the situation with the burn victim caused the ghost of Akai to, in essence, curse the staff. He infected their minds, and this so-called infection, once reaching their subconscious, induced a manic-depressant suicidal state.

Here's 2 subtle things I noticed. Whether they have the signficance I am guessing, who knows. First, Akiba Sinsai (sp?) was just about to look at the rash patient's face when the problem with the burn victim was reported to him, preventing him from identifying this anonymous person. Secondly, the cop said that when Akiba refused to take the patient that he didn't even "glance at the patient [from subtitles]." These are just a couple neat observations I saw.

I think the woman at the end was also infected due to her involvement with the head contusion patient. If I am recalling correctly, she originally told him to wait since other people were waiting. On this, however, I may be incorrect.

All in all, I thought this was a great movie. Lots of different things are going on at the end. The end was a bit equivocal, but it is fun to conjecture the reasons that everything happened. I still think the situation with the "surgeon" Kissida (I don't remember his name) claims to be inept is a bit superfluous. What does it have to do with anything?

"Aber, ich will nicht... ich will nicht weg"

[–] Taiichi 19 years ago

Akiba's given name is Kiyokazu. "Akiba-sensei" just means "Dr. Akiba"

It's been mentioned elsewhere, but Akai is the word for red, the name Akai means "Red Well".

Also, according to the credits, Drs. Akiba, Uozumi, and one of the nurses have (kind of) the kanji for "Aoi" (="Green") incorporated into their names.

I'm not sure what the "Kishida and the Suturer" subplot was for. just for shock value, I guess.

-T1-

[–] AmongTheOrchids 19 years ago

I don't know how I feel about Akai being the neglected rash patient... but it's an interresting idea, and you've obviously thought it through very thouroughly. Thanks for the translation too! I want this board to live forever! Thanks so much everyone ^_^

[–] charbuwood 19 years ago

I must also add that Akiba knew that the rash patient existed event before he came by ambulance, you can see him lowering the volume of the radio so not to ear the message telling that a patient needs help, is covered with rash and could be contagious. So the body of this patient could still be there in hallucination so to "blame" them for not taking care of it.... just my 2 cents ;)

[–] kaether 18 years ago

Aoi means blue
midori means green

[–] velcroturtle 19 years ago

I was pretty sure the exit signs were red throughout the movie too. This makes sense if everything else turned green because normal exit signs from Japan are green in the first place. I have one on my wall ;)

We did see the sign turn green, that was when the female doctor came in when Akiba-sensei was talking to Akai (rather, his own reflection thinking it was Akai). She made Akiba aware of what he was doing and he saw everything as normal again.

The sign turned red again at the end of the movie because the female nurse started going bonkers.

[–] gurlsruleboysdrool 19 years ago

The only thing that nags at me was that the waiting room was FULL of people including the headphones guy. Where did they all go?

I'm sorry if this seems like a stupid question, but it doesn't seem to fit since there seemed to be no "virus" at that time and all the colors were fine. They also aren't mentioned by the police or reporter.

[–] dreamxofxwaking 19 years ago

First of all, this movie creeped me out. I hope I never have to go to a hospital in the near future. Yet not only did it creep me out, it confused the hell out of me. I obviously need to watch it a few times over to figure it out, but I won't be doing that any time soon...

I noticed something though. In the beginning the psychiatrist was telling one of the nurses about color... about how the color red is the same in any light or something... at first I thought that piece of information was interesting, but hardly necessary. Then it started to come together for me after I was through watching the movie. Blood is supposed to be red, but the "infection" caused it to turn green. Akai was telling Akiba how the infection spreads... through the mind, through dreams... The infection was never real. The people just thought there was an infection that made their flesh decompose and turn their blood green and so forth. But it was never real. For example, in the end when the psychiatrist is walking out of the hospital, she sees green lights instead of red, the apple is now green when it was red five minutes ago, and when she cuts her hand, her blood is red to us, but to her in the mirror, the blood is green. I have an idea what this color switch-a-roo means... and I tried my best to explain it, but usually when I try to explain something I don't quite fully understand, I start to ramble and it starts to lose sense and it starts to sound stupid. Please let me know if anyone can understand what I'm desperately trying to say!! And give me some insight. When I've watched this movie again (and maybe again) then I'll come back and sort through this with you all!!

--M

[–] hist8066 19 years ago

This movie is simply excellent. People, this is the kind of movie that I would like to discuss and explore if I want to earn a PhD for God's sake! This movie is excellent for university class discussions. Everything, and I underline, EVERYTHING is out there for a purpose. Nothing is included to fill up. Everything has a meaning.

This movie is about forces within the human being, the forces of right and wrong, of do and do nots, of good and evil. From the beginning, we are taken into this battle, with the boy having the ying/yang tattoo! Consider that the boy could have had any type of tattoo, but he had the ying/yang tattoo. Colors are very important too. Red means conciousness, green refers to the subconciousness. The swings most probably refer to these same forces.

In the scene where one of the nurses was removing the bandage of the burn patient (in the red room, once again, red means consciousness), one of the locker doors opened behind her. When I saw it the first time, I thought that it was a blooper, but really, nothing in this movie is a mistake or is added for no reason.

A single scene from this movie can inspire a hundred pages!!!!!!

[–] himani-1 19 years ago

Maybe it was not guilt that made the virus, but the lack of compassion. I was thinking about this, and I realized each person had not shown compassion for someone.

- Dr. Akiba kept crowding patients together and running the hospital on little resources. He also rejects the rash patient.

- Dr. Uzumoi (sp?) would not help the patient in pain and he killed the other patient because his family seemed "worn out" by visiting him.

- The head nurse told the boy to wait (I thought it was the head nurse), she wants to close down the hospital when the supplies are low despite all the patients that depended on her, and she didn't show a compassionate manner to her co-workers.

- The young nurse (the one who claimed to have asthma) kept sticking the burn patient over and over again to practice on him. She also didn't think and put the chlorate in him.

- The other nurse was mean to the younger nurse and seemed unfeeling to others (she was the one who pointed out that the burn victim had no friends or family).

- And, of course, all of the above also hide the truth about the burn victim.

- The nurse/doctor at the end snaps, uncaring about what happens to the young man who was brain dead. If she was the one the young man went to, asking if it was his turn yet, then she also was uncaring towards him then.

- You could even argue that the doctor that gets his stomach sutured wasn't compassionate to the young doctor.

Did anyone also notice that everyone's death also has some tie-in to those they were unfair to, or had something to do with their own hypocrisy?

- The doctor who wouldn't let the other guy suture died with his belly sutured.

- Dr. Akiba dies in the locker that he originally closed in the room where he placed the burn victim which he also had a hand in killing because he said "chlorate" AND the reason everyone was tired and made mistakes was because he wouldn't close the hospital despite not hearing from the director.

- The head nurse died with the syringes she said were low in the beginning.

- The young nurse died jabbing herself over and over and then talking about how she contaminated the burn victim's blood.

- The mean nurse died at the hands of the young nurse (who burst green blood all over her) who she had been cruel towards.

- The nurse/doctor in the end dies (or goes insane) seeing everything green, instead of red, just as she had explained to the nurse in the beginning.

[–] AmongTheOrchids 19 years ago

A very interrestig and well researched theory. I think the virus can symoblize both gulit and lack of sympathy, because in such a plot, they go hand in hand. Your theory, however, has a hole (as any theory about this movie seems to) in Akiba's spot. How did he remain unnaffected until the end, and why did it land him in a locker begging for help? The female doctor in the end is also left out of your theory. What happened to her and why? How does sympathy/concience affect her? Also, how can you explain everyone dying seemingly of murder in the end? I've always thought Akiba killed them, thus was consumed only in the end when he realized what he'd done. This movie is so complex... it will never get old to talk about. My boyfriend, with whom I've discussed this movie i depth, thinks that all the deaths were suicides. I dissargree simply on the basis that there is virtually no way they could have done to theselves what was done to them. Thank you so much for your input!! May your search for the truth bring you happiness> ^_^

[–] rockyhorror27 18 years ago

at the end, he's begging for help, and no one comes, I think throughout the film you hear someone asking for help, and no one comes...the old man in the beginning who tried to walk and broke his foot? and then was scolded for getting up, after he yelled for help and no one came...

it's only right that he should be asking for help, because he did not help anyone. I don't get the locker though hahah. Although, it seems that he starts out with no real malintent. It's all circumstancial, which probably points more toward the infection being a personal thing, rather than something that's spreading. but if he was the only one who saw it (as it looks like in the end), then why did the others react that way when he wasn't in the room. so that makes more sense that they killed themselves. Maybe since he has no memory of it, when he sees everyone who is dead, and the lady dr's reaction, he just assumes he's responsible. It's unlikely that everyone on the staff there, when depressed, becomes suicidal though.

There's no telling what he actually did while he was infected, since the outcome was so different from what we actually saw happening- and he has no memory of it.

I'm just rambling now, though.

[–] mqattack 18 years ago

the answers to all your questions is simple: there is no real answer or ending. The movie was just poorly made. It tries too hard to be a psychological thriller and a ghost thriller. The result is a jumbled mess that leaves unexplained questions for the audience, because not much thought was put in the first place.

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] AmongTheOrchids 18 years ago

Thanks for your maturity and insight.

[–] MosGza 18 years ago

the answers to all your questions is simple: there is no real answer or ending. The movie was just poorly made. It tries too hard to be a psychological thriller and a ghost thriller. The result is a jumbled mess that leaves unexplained questions for the audience, because not much thought was put in the first place.

I have to say, there's something to this point. As much as I enjoyed this movie, and enjoyed reading many of the wonderful translations posted above - we could all be looking way too deep into something created with half a thought. If that's the case, then the joke's on us!

Still... I prefer to think that there was intentional meaning placed within all of the imagery in the movie. I liked "himani's" lack-of-compassion interpretation. That seems to work pretty well with me and that's kind of how I took it as I watched this movie the first time.

[–] Mystyglass 18 years ago

"the answers to all your questions is simple: there is no real answer or ending. The movie was just poorly made. It tries too hard to be a psychological thriller and a ghost thriller. The result is a jumbled mess that leaves unexplained questions for the audience, because not much thought was put in the first place."

People also say the same thing about David Lynch films, but I disagree. I don't think everything can be dismissed as random...my feeling is that like most things in Lynch films, the symbolism is well thought out and put there for a purpose. That's what a pychological thriller is supposed to be about, I thought. It doesn't mean it's going to be easy to figure out, just like dream or in this case, nightmare interpretation. I guess then it depends on whether or not you think dreams mean anything. Some people don't. I think they usually do.

I was blown away by this film. Such a pleasant surprise! I was really expecting a straight-forward killer virus movie and therefore I kept avoiding picking it up from the video store and I'm glad I finally did. Great imagery and symbolism and enjoyable enough to earn repeat viewings from me. Keep going with this thread - I'm still trying to figure it out and I love the flow of ideas!

Cyn

[–] mqattack 18 years ago

dude, then explain the movie . . . you cant! it sucks, end of story!

[–] hello_tyler 18 years ago

I think it all stems from the unsatisfactory treatment these people give their patients and their guilt about dealing with them imporperly. Notice the 'infection' starts after all these gross mis-steps in medical conduct such as ignoring the kid in the beginning, nobody was there for the old man when he needed to use the restroom and so he broke his ankle, the nurse hadn't been properly trained for injections and so she hurt the patients, they inject the wrong chemical into a patient (a doctor from the hospital no less) that ends up killing him and then try to cover it up.

At one part of the movie they say "LOVE YOUR PATIENTS!" and the docters hand is grabbed by a hallucination. I think these people working at the hospital are no longer there for the patients, they just treat it like a bad job - hence why the hospital is so broken down looking. As each docter realizes they are not putting in %100, they don't treat the patients right, they no longer have compassion, they speak about booking as many surgeries as they can as quick as they can to make money, and they outright lie on medical charts. After all that happens then the 'infection' of guilt and carelessness consumes them to first go insane and then die a horrible death. I think the fox boy may be a representation of how they handle themselfs, they start out innocent (a normal child) but as things start to go wrong the fox mask is put on which to me was like a message saying that they could no longer deal with the situation as guilt consumed them.

Honestly, i'm still confused, but this movie was pretty amazing.

[–] darkpast2000 18 years ago

OK look, stop looking for meaning in this disjointed, badly made dreck.

Did suture boy kill the old doc? Well if he did, why did everyone else see him walking around?

"Guilt" spreads the virus. Really? Then why did the young woman doctor fall prey to it in the end? She wasn't even there when the others conspired to cover up an honest mistake.

The green goo stuff is a metaphor - OK, then why did everyone hallucinate it the same way?

A virus spread by guilt? I thought these guys were Shinto or Buddhist, not... sorry, sorry, no religious jokes.

How can a virus stuff a guy into a locker, especially if it's a psychological contagion? How can a murderer suddenly "infect" people who weren't there and not infect people who were?

If it was the voodoo and ghosts or whatever....

OK enough already. This didn't make sense, it wasn't supposed to.

[–] Mystyglass 18 years ago

OK look, stop looking for meaning in this disjointed, badly made dreck.

Then stop reading a thread dedicated to discussing the possibilities if it bothers you so much.

Jeez, I mean, if you hate the show, then change the channel. Simple as that!

On the theory that it wasn't supposed to make sense, well that would really suck if that was the case. Regardless, I did enjoy the deliciously creepy imagery coupled with the very obvious metaphor for guilt. Those elements on their own made it a worthwhile horror film to me.

[–] pyekatta 18 years ago

I was thinking, along the lines of Dr. Akibi and Dr. Akai, that Akai was in fact the burn victim that dies in the begining and that Akibi and the rest of the staff create this kind of sub-conciouss alter-ego. It's a stretch, I know, but it's not impossible being as how the entire staff is never in the same room together, so Akai could be jumping from host to host, like an infection, without anyone noticing. This also gives an explination to Akibi seeing himself as Akai in the mirror, and Akibi becoming the burn victim and watching Akai give the wrong order he gave to kill him. Akibi feels guilt for the death of the victim and it kills him is the essential point, so his switching places with Akai there makes sense.

This is all based on shaky evidence, though, because I personally just caught the movie on DISH and didn't start watching until they decide to put the burn victim in the room with the heaters. I have seen both points made, some that Akibi did make the fatally wrong order in the begining and some that he didn't. It's just a guess, anyway.

[–] hello_tyler 18 years ago

Ok, child, go focus on your disney movies now and stop bothering the adults. To say this movie has no meaning is simply blind. BLIND.

As for the young docter, she felt guilty about not knowing enough to do surgical procedures correctly, hence poking that guy and hurting him. The infection is all a METAPHORE, do you even understand what that means ? It means none of it really happened, therefor anything is possible including green (or purple, or blue) slime and ghosts. It was an ALLUSION to the story and message they were trying to get across about gross medical misconduct and how it is covered up, just spend a couple months working in a hospital and you will understand.

Come back when your balls drop.

[–] conflictofinterest-1 18 years ago

Lots of insight in this thread, and I certainly have ran much of what has been said over and over in my mind. Still, there are two things I still don't understand. The first, having already been mentioned, is how Akiba ended up in the locker at the end? The second, which I don't recall being talked about is, at the end of the movie, when they show the old lady, she is smoking a cigarette and looks very mischeivious. The first thing I thought of was that was a connection to the chief nurse seeing as how she had the pack of cigarettes. She is the first to get infected and she always seems to be showing up in later scenes. When one of the young nurses goes into the room where they put the chief nurse wrapped in plastic, we see the head nurse standing on the bed, then the scene cuts away. That same young nurse we see smoking and then goes on to stick herself with the syringes. My first impression was that the chief nurse was possessing the younger nurse. Then towards the end, we see the chief nurse again in Room 1 where Akiba walks in on the nurse who administered the wrong drugs giving the burn victim her blood. The chief nurse seems to be leading all of the infected people or possessing them in some way. So at the end, when they show the old lady smoking, I got this uneasy feeling that the infection was still alive. Maybe the old lady played a hand in driving the woman doctor crazy because she was not happy with the treatment she was getting from her. Or maybe, because she might be possessed by the chief nurse, she kills the woman doctor because she found her cigarettes in a patients room. And the chief nurse did not seem happy about it. I know that doesn't seem to fit with the whole premise that everything happened in their minds but I am just rambling on about things running through my head right now.

[–] Murderer_15 18 years ago

To the Author of this thread Can you say spoilers??? i knew you could how about next time you write spoilers and then ur question for the DAMN THREAD *beep*