MovieChat Forums > All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2013) Discussion > Ending explained *spoilers*

Ending explained spoilers

posted 16 years ago by energis
68 replies | jump to latest

I thought this was a brilliant movie, one of my few problems with it was the complexity of the ending which did not cohere to rest of the film which had a reasonably simplistic plot. Here is my interpretation of the ending:

Mandy and Emmet had come to despise the group of friends at the ranch due to their attitudes and behavior in general and the male character's approaches towards Mandy. They encompassed the struggles Mandy had against the male advances towards her in high school (the first part of the film) and the female characters were simply enforcing this with their behavior. Emmet was in love with Mandy and so felt the same. Behind the scenes, they formed a suicide pact involving killing the group and then each other. His book showing his obsession with Mandy would be his legacy "for the cops and copycat killers" and Mandy would die with her reputation intact. The drugs they were to take would allow them to experience euphoria in death.

Mandy however, did not want to die in this manner and she may have hated Emmet in the same way she hated the other characters. Emmet was simply part of her larger plan. So she made it appear that Emmet had killed the group in a frenzy of jealousy. This is why she could not kill Emmet in the way they planned - the police would expect a struggle. This is the same reason she did not kill Garth - she needed someone to corroborate her story with the police.

The only questions I have over this interpretation are:
- Did Emmet believe Mandy would just die with the rest of the world believing she died just as part of his killing spree legacy?
- Was Emmet planning to kill Mandy while mortally wounded and then bleed to death?
- Was there another reason to them taking the pills before death?

I saw this at the cinema last night so that is based on one viewing - I may have made a few errors.

Comments, questions or answers to my questions?

[–] capacat 14 years ago

The song "our lips are sealed" was played during the track scene at the start, if that happens to provide any information about the story haha.

Welcome to prime time, bitch!

[–] Quiet-Living 14 years ago

Wow. I'm loving all the responses to this movie. I know the thread might be old, but I can't resist putting down some of my thoughts.

Mandy Lane is the epitome of the femme fatale, the black widow. I personally think she has no real emotional ties to the men in the movie. She knows how to properly maneuver the men, essentially manipulate them. She knows their every weakness, not only for the men, but also for the women. I think she had this planned out even before she met Emmett. I don't believe she ever truly intended to follow through with the suicide (hence, the never reading of Emmett's journal, as someone else already pointed out).

She knew Emmett wants to be 'special, different.' Emmett even tells her in the mass cow graveyard, the words: "you told me we were different." This statement displays the skill with which Mandy Lane manipulated Emmett. And at that moment, he understood exactly how treacherous she is.

She used Emmett and Garth as an alibi of sorts. She literally 'used' everyone in the film. Perhaps that is the reason why she tells Emmett, "you should never do anything for me" because she herself knows her own influence and what they lead to. I also believe that when she was changing, she already knew that Emmett (this is who I am assuming) was outside watching her. She's known Emmett's true intentions and motives, but she played along, intent on using him. Thus, to me, she couldn't have possibly planned on fulfilling the suicide pact.

My only question is her real motive. I do think the whole "I was unpopular and mistreated" revenge motive may exist, but I also feel that it has to be much deeper than that. After she receives her Aunt Jo's permission, she goes to her room and looks in her mirror and pictures of her family rather darkly. I feel that somehow (although I am probably wrong or over-analyzing hahaha) the whole scheme has to be connected to her parents' death.

Perhaps all these children, their parents, or their families all have to do somehow with her parents' death. Even when Garth and Mandy first meet, there seems to be something of a spark or mutual interest, and I don't feel it's mere attraction.

Also, when Emmett screams "Die with me!" near his death, and after Mandy kills him, she walks away saying "After you finish high school." Although this could just be another example of corny, after-kill statements, I couldn't help but wonder if this indicated that she was someone who had already graduated from high school.

My last question is how far her treachery leads. It's clear to me that she is quite the actress feigning concern for Garth (out of necessity), but I wonder if she fakes her persona in front of Aunt Jo and the rest of her family also.

Once again, this echoes my curiosity over her true motive and goals.

I do agree with everyone else on one thing however: this movie has truly succeeded (in my case anyways) of invoking questions which remain long after the movie is over (as you can see by my own post ahahaha).

All in all, quite fun to speculate on. :) And excellent posts to quench, yet cause my curiosity.

[–] firstwinsgop 14 years ago

First, a simple correction:

Also, when Emmett screams "Die with me!" near his death, and after Mandy kills him, she walks away saying "After you finish high school." Although this could just be another example of corny, after-kill statements, I couldn't help but wonder if this indicated that she was someone who had already graduated from high school.

She says, "I think I'll finish High School first."

But moving on to the larger picture, I disagree with your assessment entirely. Mandy was not a femme fatal in the typical sense. She was a highly individualistic sociopath. She finds humanity, and men in particular, pathetic. When she tells Emmitt, "you should never do anything for me", it's not a warning- she's imparting a philosophical truth. Live life for yourself, not others. Mandy had no particularly adept skills in terms of manipulating men. To the contrary in fact. The men wanted her because she was hot, and because she had never given it up to anybody else before (as far as they knew). They wanted her despite her distant, almost non-existent personality, not because of it.

The only real connection Mandy makes with anyone during the film is Garth. She's fascinated by him because when she goes out on the dare to invite him in he refuses out of a sense of responsibility. For the first time in her life, Mandy has met a man who is able to exhibit the same kind of control over his emotions that she, as a sociopath, does naturally. When she later learns Garth was in the war and has killed people she's even more turned on. Mandy forcefully disputes Red's assertion that all that killing traumatized Gath. This is the first time in the film Mandy ever really injects herself in to the conversation, so it's significant. Chloe thinks it's sweet Garth may be traumatized. But to Mandy such a suggestion is offensive beyond belief. Red is insulting her man, and she speaks up to defend him. When Garth tells Red the truth about what really happened to the heard, Mandy is practically creaming in her pants. The next morning in the kitchen Garth tells Mandy she's different, and he's not just saying that as a lame pick up line, but rather an actual observation, and Mandy is flattered that he recognizes her uniqueness and shares with him the story about her parents dying. His stock goes up even further when instead of hitting on her, he asks if she has a more age appropriate older sister. She's in love with Garth, or at least she's in love with the idea of Garth she's constructed in her head based on the way he treated her on a single night and a few odd facts she's perhaps twisted to make Garth compatible with her own worldview.

[–] smirkingdevil 13 years ago

Um, I think you might be over analyzing the movie a bit. I took the ending to mean that Mandy was a psycho who used her influence to get Emmet to wipe out all her "friends". Simple.

[–] C.S.Wood 13 years ago

Um, I think you might be over analyzing the movie a bit. I took the ending to mean that Mandy was a psycho who used her influence to get Emmet to wipe out all her "friends". Simple.

But why? I've seen this movie twice and I still don't get it. There doesn't seem to be a reasonable explanation as to why she'd go through all this trouble to kill these people.

Don't try to cash in love, that check will always bounce.

[–] RKO401 13 years ago

Maybe that's the point? Real psychopaths really have no motives or feelings. They are usually very vein, manipulative and uncaring, which Mandy was. Sometimes the answer is, there is no logic or reason behind what she did, she's just evil- which is truly scary.

[–] C.S.Wood 13 years ago

In real life, okay, sure, there aren't always answers. But usually not in movies. It's almost mandatory that motives be explained or at least hinted at.

I don't know. I just get the feeling like they started with doing it the normal way, then halfway through they decided it would be cool if she were in on it but decided to turn on the killer at the last minute.

I would buy the "she's a psychopath" defense if she'd killed that other older guy too, but she didn't so I don't know what the hell the movie was trying to do.

Don't try to cash in love, that check will always bounce.

[–] lgpkjk 12 years ago

She needed Garth as an alibi, otherwise they could have connected Mandy and Emmett and realised what they had done. She is also in on it from the start because on the track when it looks like she's ignoring Emmett, she actually tells him to hurry up. She pushes him to be fitter. Then he goes to show her the notebook/journal/psycho souvenir and she says "Not now Emmett". I believe it was always their intention. The more you watch the movie the more that fact becomes clear.

[–] helgar30 10 years ago

I really enjoyed reading all the different interpretations of the films ending. Mandy clearly was a sociopath and I really do believe that she was going to go ahead with the suicide pact with Emmett but decided not to for two reasons. I really wish we knew what she had whispered in his ear before she kissed him. We realize her decision NOT to swallow the pills when after the kiss she says something like, "That is what you wanted?" and "You should never do anything for me." Emmett turns out to be no better than all the other guys that wanted Mandy. So she decides not to go along with the suicide pact and uses Garth as a way out.

I do believe she genuinely like Garth because he interacted with her differently and that made her realize that not all guys are the same. Garth was the second reason for her not going through with the suicide. She find out through her conversations with Garth that he is almost like a kindred spirit in the way that he distances himself from death.

During the part when her and Emmett are fighting in the pit with the dead cattle she is smiling, almost taunting Emmett. Emmett is telling her that he loves her and wants to be with her but Mandy says, "Lets just be friends." Emmett is beyond that. He wants Mandy to go through with the suicide because that is the only way that he can ever really "have her."

After Mandy kills Emmett she tells him that she's going to "finish high school." Mandy realizes that she has gotten away with the "perfect murder." We don't know if Mandy and Emmett were ever truly bullied by the cool kids and it wasn't until Mandy "blossomed" during the summer that they began planning for revenge.

It would seem that after the incident at the pool party and the look that Mandy gives Emmett, that she REALIZES that perhaps, a scheme to get revenge might just work.

I think in the end Mandy gets rid of all the loose ends and finds solace in that not all men are the same and that there is truly a whole new world awaiting her after graduating from high school. Although I did enjoy the film I thought the writing could have been tighter. I think if a little more back story on Mandy and Emmett and their relationship with the cool kids would have given more insight into their motives. Also, what was the significance with the blood on the road that Mandy finds when she is out jogging?

All in all it was a good entry into the slasher genre with a nice twist to the end. What really made it work was Amber Heards ability to embody the innocence of Mandy and her almost naive outlook on how others saw her. That's what made this film work. In the end she really isn't as innocent as she looks and is really the embodiment of femme fatale.

[–] RussianDoll 10 years ago

I believe she could genuinely relate to Garth and developed an interest in him as he was the only male who was not instantly obsessed with her. Mandy seemed mature beyond her years so it was only natural for her to be attracted to an older, more experienced man.
False prophets and deceivers shall swing from the trees.

[–] jonathanglenpyle 10 years ago

Bravo, IMDb!

This is the best message board thread I've ever seen among people with different opinions. Since everyone has said a lot of really smart things, I'll try not to rehash.

Something I noticed: Emmet is wearing a shirt that says "Natural Selection" during the track scene, at least in the flashback as everyone walked past him. Perhaps a clue? Seems like the teens die in order of the most stupid actions. First the roof jump, then going on from there. Like Garth weeding out the sick cattle, perhaps that was his metaphorical purpose to weed out the "unsuitable".

[–] trajeal 10 years ago

Emmitt did believe Mandy would die with him. He believed she was one with him in his ideas to kill the slutty jock kids. He was doing it for the legacy he would leave behind - he thought doing this would give him the eternal notoriety that kids like Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris. His life would mean something. Mandy probably knew about his fantasy and promised to make to real for him. She, OTOH, figured she could kill two birds with one stone - get rid of these *beep* from her school and not get any blame sent her way. She had probably promised him right along that she would go down in flames with him, but knew she would renege as soon as he was far enough gone to not be able to turn back. When he wanted her to take the pills first, she knew the jig was up and let her true feelings for him be known. He was just a pawn in her plan. When she met Garth, I think she actually liked him (he didn't act like a horny teenager and was pretty good looking). At the end, she's about to kill him (that guy took a beating and kept ticking, though, huh?) and rethinks her plan. She could keep him alive and turn him into her newest follower by being his savior. He could even be the beginning of her Mandy Lane Part II.

I've got two good posts in me and I just wrote my third...

[–] Princess_Ashmi 10 years ago

and she may have hated Emmet in the same way she hated the other characters.

Yeah, how could she not. Emmet was no different, he clearly 'loved her' for the same reason all the others did, mainly cos of the way she looked. The only difference being he didn't want to deflower her, but only because she wouldn't let him. It was obviously something he fantasized about time and time again and probably convinced himself they had a closer bond because he wasn't trying to screw her all the time.

Ashmi any question

[–] ImdbGhost (38) 2 years ago

Emmet was supposed to die because his tshirt was a nod to Colombine.