I agree with Mrs George Harrison in that we suddenly are not sure that Andreas committed suicide in the real world, whatever that means, as it could merely be a memory of him jumping onto the railway tracks when the weird, empty robot kissing between the second couple, really could have been a memory of the first couple. Waterwizard2005, you have a very valid point, because although purgatory is I suppose a valid explanation, I don't agree with it. Firstly, it's title suggests "Man" as a actual living, breathing entitity. I saw two different themes a) Societies exist and remain cohesive with a minimal level of discontent and a quashing of social unrest. They function best when the masses are sidetracked, satisfied, distracted from questioning the order of things; why in essence do something not make sense or are not seen unfair, or unsatisfying. Andreas was looking for something that this society could not provide or satisfy. The music, the smell, the food (cake), sunshine and children laughing, was definitly not part of the landscape he found himself in. And, he wondered why. In many ways, he is a prime example of a clincally depressed invididual (everything has no meaning, nothing tastes like anything, he sees death and suicide everywhere, he tries to hurt himself, to see if he can still feel anything). However, he is disrupting the order of this town (or clinic for the maladjusted, when you consider the obsessive compulsion of his first girlfriend, the qualities of his second "love" were also psychologically suspect)and he had to leave, as he had become bothersome in wanting something that could never be provided in this environment. Like many of the members we discard, or find bothersome in society, when they become unhappy and disruptive, or questioning, they get the boot, whether it be into a prison, into poverty, addiction, or mental health facilities... Andreas was cast out, like, to bring in another thought segueing into your original sin hypothesis, Lucifer.
The fact that there was an order to it all, and monitoring, could also link back to Lucifer questioning the order, the heirarchy of the entity that is ultimatly in charge, and Andreas at first a reluctant, then somewhat apt pupil, became another, rare disappointment for the group. And, I found it interesting his partner in crime was let go so easily. Was it because Andreas was the one who tried to tunnel out and was successful for one moment? Also, did the fellow he first saw who had jumped out of the window and ended up on the spikes of the metal fence, reheal? Since Andreas cut off his finger and was run over multiple times, but continued to heal/regenerate, mean it was real? Or, was it imagined?
I find now more puzzles as I write this. A very disquieting film, and it raises endless possibilties.
Thanks for generating another idea for me to consider.
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