MovieChat Forums > Quemar las naves (2008) Discussion > maybe a disappointing ending?

maybe a disappointing ending?


Having seen Y Tu Mama Tambien some many years ago and El Cielo Dividido some weeks ago, I suddenly had thirst for one more good Mexican movie... one with a beautiful cinematography.

Quemar Las Naves almost sufficed. But, the disappointing ending between Juan and Sebastian upset me so... Still, despite having seen this WITHOUT English subtitles, I appreciate the story because of the brilliant actors and actresses' emotions pulsing from the screen. I like Sebastian's character development throughout the movie, from naivete to boy-lost.

I also loved the comedy, and again I saw this without subtitles so I didn't understand what they were saying... but the comedic aspects were displayed without 'language barrier'... such as Helena's obsession with her mother's songs and with taking care of the ants crawling all over the house (lol).

Also about Ismael, I loved the subtle hints of his homosexuality only to have him end up with the chatty/gossipy girl in the end... lol.

SPOILER: Still, I would have liked it if Sebastian went looking for Juan in the end... I'm a sucker for happy endings... even though I appreciate the 'abstract' ending... with the more subtle and more focused conclusion on the almost 'incestuous' relationship between Sebastian and Helena, I really would have liked the movie more if Juan came back or if Sebastian went looking for him. I don't know, really... I didn't really understand 98 percent of what was said. lol.

reply

But that is what Helena (the sister) said to Seabstian (the brother) - now that she is selling the house, they will have half of the money each (and quite a lot of meny at that), and Sebastian is now "free to do whatever you want... or to... go... wherever you want", ie. she was letting him go to Juan. After their kiss, I believe she realised that even though she loved him, an incestuous relationship just wasn't going to work between them.

And in terms of why Sebastian couldn't get on the bus with Juan, even though he wanted to, that was because he couldn't leave his sister... Not on a moral level (she'd be left at home to look after their mother), but on a basic, we are tied together and can't be separated level. If you notice, when he left Helena became very upset, but also dtated abjectly "he won't leave me" - which he couldn't.


Violet

*´¨)
¸.·´¸.·*´¨) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´

Jackie: We're not going to bed until one of three things happens: the hurricane ends, or we run out of rum.

Marty: That's only two.

Jackie: Hmmm...

reply

The ending is kinda ambiguous, I'm agree with you there.
BTW Since you enjoyed this movie besides Y tu mamá también, then I would recommend you to watch more mexican movies. There are wonderful mexican films (crappy ones as well, of course) from the 30's to the present day.
I'll start recommending you 3 mexican movies, one from the "golden age" of mexican cinema (40's & 50's), one from the 70's, and one from last year.

Los olvidados dir. by Luis Buñuel
El lugar sin límites dir. by Arturo Ripstein
Arráncame la vida dir. by Roberto Sneider.

Enjoy.




reply

This rely is a year "late", but I think others would like a different opinion.

(SPOILERS AHEAD)

If you thought those scenes were "comedic" then there *was* a language barrier.

Sure, Helena sashays around singing her mother's song, but understanding the lyrics would tell you what you need to know about her state of mind ("I won't come back ever again..." "I have to carry on..." "My life is somewhere else..." "One day i'll leave, surely you'll miss me..." "...even though i'm happy here, I have to go to a world far from you..." "It looke like the end, but it's my beginning...")--hardly "comedic". If anything, set the lyrics to a different beat and it could be part of a liturgy. Unfortunately, It's the soundtrack of their mother's journey (to death) and theirs (to adulthood.)

Ismael's situation (marrying the girl he got pregnant because he was trying to wipe Sebastian's kiss/and it's implications from his head) is related to being trapped by his status and the expectations of this family. If anything, one of the few funny moments of the film comes when he's trying to run away from his bodyguards, and one says he's calling Ismael's mother. And, The way Ismael handles his friends/lackies brings the funny--but in a pathetic way.

As far as the ants are concerned, I think it's an outward expression of Helena's inner desire for *Control*. Helena's feeling overrun by the circumstances of the situation. When she finally gives up on controlling the ants, she's *Given up*---because everything's collapsed.

Perhaps another viewing *with* subtitles will leave you---and others---with a different understanding of these scenes--and the film entirely.

It's a very good film, Recommended.

reply

Happy endings.... you won't find many of them in Latin American films. Too many of them have sad endings. I don't mind it if the story seems to demand such an ending, to be true to the characters, or to follow historical reality.... but I've seen so many films in which the ending could go either way and yet it still ends up with a gratuitious bummer of an ending--betrayal by a friend or family member is common, and even a character killing his own brother or father.

I won't mention specific titles because I don't want to give away spoilers, but if you watch enough Latin American movies, you'll see what I mean.


OK, I'll mention just one, and only because it's a bad movie...



****SPOILER AHEAD!!!******

















The Guatemalan film GASOLINA ends with the group of teens accidentally hitting an indigenous mother and little girl with their car. They then burn them alive to cover up their crime. (One person in the audience actually laughed when one of the characters said "They're only Indians.")

I was actually enjoying the movie up until then, but this ending was just plain evil and inhuman. I couldn't forgive it.


reply

[deleted]