MovieChat Forums > Garage (2007) Discussion > Metaphor at end of film?

Metaphor at end of film?

posted 16 years ago by duritz_33
16 replies | jump to latest

Saw Garafe on sunday evening. It is a wonderfully effecting and beautifully shot film. After watching i searched it on Empires Website, the review seemed fair upto a point. See what you think?

Review
Parallels with 2003’s The Station Agent are obvious in this touching Irish drama, but unlike Peter Dinklage’s surly outcast, Pat Shortt’s limited Josie would like nothing better than to venture away from his isolated garage to have some kind of intimacy.

Having found popularity among the teen drinkers of the village for buying them booze, he comes a cropper when he makes a silly mistake with his only real friend (Ryan), an emo teen who comes to work at the garage at weekends and clumsily makes a pass at the pretty shopkeeper (Duff).

The awkward metaphor that ends the film undermines much of the good work done by the cast’s subtlety and poise.

Verdict
A good film with fine performances from its cast is undermined by an awkward metaphor at the end of the film.

What is this metaphor that she is talking about. My idea was, 'you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink ???

In other words, you can show Josie how to behave, give him a job and act amiably towards him, but ultimately his odd personality (caused by his lonliness) will lead him to do things that other deem strange.

Any Ideas.

Damien

[–] garvneil 16 years ago

Hi Damien,
the Empire review was unfair I thought. What I got from the metaphor at the end was the following. Throughout the film the horse seemed to mirror Josie's existence. Both were trapped in their own different ways. The horse was possibly the only character apart from the teenager he could relate to in any substantial way. The beautiful image of the horse at the end for me symbolised Josie's ultimate release through his death. Josie was finally 'free' just as the lightly galloping horse was at the end. Perfect. Great movie. Empire can suck a lemon. Hope this gave you another view point. I also like your interpretation. Later.

[–] duritz_33 16 years ago

Amen to that, The quality of writing sure has diminished amidst the empire scribes.

Yours actually makes more sense. Josie let him go before walking down to the lake. Thanks for the input.

If you fancy reading any independent reviews check out a site that i write for on occasions www.aflightandacrash.co.uk. I'll be writing a Garage review in the next week.

It truly is a perfect little movie.

Seeya

[–] El_Guapo2 16 years ago

I agree with garvneil's take that the horse mirrored Josie's own existence throughout the film. Both were hemmed in by certain constraints, and the scene where the horse had been fettered even further by it being tethered to the tire seemed to reflect Josie's own (more) restricted position at that stage in the film. The metaphor at the end (while arguably relatively basic) was beautifully appropriate in my view, and was certainly not ham-handed or overly obvious as Empire seems to be suggesting. Perhaps the (evidently 16-year-old) reviewer had become bored by that stage...?

[–] reduct101 15 years ago

That's pretty much what I took it to mean too.
It seemed quite obvious at the time - not veiled in any way - although still open to interpretation and some embellishment, of course.
First the horse is (sort of) free, so much as it can come to the gate to be fed by Josie, who himself leads a constrained but bearable existence. Later, as Josie himself starts to feel the walls of his world falling in around him we see that the horse is tethered. He reaches the horse by climbing the gate, but unfortunately no-one reaches him - rather they withdraw from him. Then, when Josie steps into the lake, we see the horse free and unfettered, which can only mean to me that Josie has found his freedom.

When the final scene of the movie unfurled, I thought it was a bit awkward, for about 30 seconds as my mind processed the images and caught up with the metaphor. But, clearly it was effective, if not quite consistent with the pace and tone of the movie up to that point. It didn't take anything away from what was, for me, a great film - and one of the most moving portraits of loneliness and alienation I've ever seen.

[–] Woe-to-the-Crown 15 years ago

You guys are reading way to much into the film...which, uh, you have every right to do...but sometimes a horse is just a horse. Someone else has stated that Josie killed himself - When? I didn't see it. The ending is ambiguous and ultimately tells us nothing.

And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo...

[–] augustdupin 15 years ago

besides the metaphor at the end I think there's a relation of Josie destiny and the little pups he witnessed their death. they were a burden, same way Josie probably felt about himself at the end. it was for the better, "a kindness" he said about the dogs at the time and might be thought at the end.

[–] jamesmolloy 15 years ago

The end of the film was a little clunky I'll give Empire that. I like the idea now I read the interpretation but it wasn't very smoothly done on film. I found the black screen pauses a little jarring.

Still, great movie. Depressing stuff and they nailed the lonliness of the setting very well. Anybody who enjoyed that should check out another Irish tragicomedy called Adam & Paul, which I've seen a few times and never fails to strike a nerve. I was in the pub a few months ago and 5 or 6 people who hadn't seen it before started watching it and got drawn into it, which was unusual because nobody ever pays attention to the television in my local.

[–] voided-1 15 years ago

I think it's pretty clear that Josie lost his job and then committed suicide. The lake was deep enough and It's unlikely he would be able to swim, having lived in a secluded village all his life.
I agree that the horse symbolised Josie's predicament. When we see the horse free, it is making it's way down a train track and leaving the village,(something Josie never did when he had the chance). It's a convincing metaphor for Josie's only chance to escape his impaired social status,(through death).
Great film!

"I was born last night, when you met me in that alley. That way i'm no past and all future, see."

[–] jtr10014 15 years ago

I liked the movie too. I definitely agree he committed suicide. I think all the horse metaphors are plausible -- to me I thought the horse was looking for him, because Josie had been kind to him. And the last time he feeds the horse the horse is tied up and can't walk over to the fence; possibly he's being mistreated? Maybe the horse is just symbolic of Josie being free of his body?

[–] shurbanm 10 years ago

It's fiction. It didn't happen in real life so nobody drowned themselves. If you chose to believe he didn't kill himself that is your option however, anybody can read whatever they want in it. I for one think that it's very obvious that he did drown himself. He saw the pups being drowned and his simple mind saw a way out of his existence.

[–] laminur 9 years ago

Yes he did kill himself. No doubt about it...
I don't understand what people use the word "metaphor"?? Better to say -- may be -- symbol... or somethinh like that.

[–] Thomas-785 14 years ago

There is no comparison to The Station Agent.

The Station Agent is by far a better film. I rented Garage because of this comparison and now I'm annoyed at Garage. If you liked Garage I seriously recommend you do yourself a favour and watch The Station Agent. Or hundreds of other films for that matter.

("what shall we call this film" - "how about Garage?" - "Fantastic idea! Thats just like, far out isn't it! I'm just loving the idea of no "The"! Your marvellous" - "Oh, So are you")

The metaphors in this film were clunky and clumsy.

Best thing about it was Pat Short. (I wish the film had felt more short!) Though, its the sort of role I'm sure many an actor would relish and do well.

IMHO. Could do better.

[–] Brennan-8 14 years ago

I'm sorry, but it was. The reviews for SA make you think it's a powerful film about loneliness and isolation - and it tries to be - but it isn't realistic that Dinklage's character meets all these kooky, loving people who just want to envelope him with friendship. Nice idea, but not how life is for most people.

"Garage" was more tragic and more true.

And also I just want to say Ireland is so, so beautiful. Makes you want to move there, even in a lonely place such as depicted in the film.

[–] benjamin-twist 12 years ago

Josie is given free apples by Carmel and uses them to befriend the horse. When he tries to do the same with the free porn video by showing it to Dave he fails.

I take the horse at the end to simply mean that Josie's spirit was now free. it is a simple metaphor but then the whole film is uncomplicated.

[–] voided-1 12 years ago

I completely agree. The Station Agent lost it's nerve early on and simply didn't convince, whereas Garage is Beckettian in it's realism and it's desperate isolation.

"Just forget you ever saw it. It's better that way."

[–] shurbanm 10 years ago

To me seems like a really depressing place. Always overcast and gloomy.