MovieChat Forums > Enter the Void (2010) Discussion > Not sure why people view this movie as d...

Not sure why people view this movie as depressing

posted 10 years ago by Tommyboy610
4 replies | jump to latest

The movie throughout is pretty depressing obviously but as a whole it is pretty optimistic. He ends up being reincarnated in a new life. That's damn optimistic if you ask me. If the screen just went black and said the void at the end suggesting that after death there is eternal darkness; that would make the movie as a whole completely depressing. As a viewer watching this and seeing his POV the whole time, getting the chance to live a new life and be a new person is a very happy ending compared to the rest of the movie.

[–] musicbymartin 10 years ago

It has a familiar story arc, with things at their lowest ebb before they improve. When his friend is digging around bins and his sister at an emotional low, Oscar drifts upwards, away from the world. But then his friend and sister find some happiness with each other and he is brought back down by a vision of happy future, bright lights, laughing children. Like Alex tells him early on, it's your love of the world that will bring you back.

I agree, the film has a life affirming optimism at its conclusion that many viewers miss. Like the philosophers say, you can't have true optimism without first experiencing pessimism.

I think the ending has some beautiful moments,conception and birth, first sight of a mother, warmth, fuzzy light. The very end (in which we see the umbilical cord cut, followed by the distressed cries of the newly reborn baby) are either indicators of Noe's inherent pessimism, or a little in-joke - here goes Oscar on the great search for happiness once again. The cycle repeats.

[–] GreyHunter 10 years ago

The tricky part is separating the immediate narrative of the -- for the lack of a better word -- protagonist from the ancillary narratives of the people he's watching. Yes, there's affirmation of a sort (assuming, of course, the entire thing isn't simply an extended hallucination that actually ends in his death) but the part that I would call "depressing" is the effect on others, primarily his sister. Her life is already a rather miserable affair, and now she's lost the one person she found that she could truly cling to. His friend may provide some comfort, but it's important to remember that word: "comfort." She's been badly hurt, in more ways than one, and "comfort" is a treatment, not a cure. Whether or not he is reborn, she never experiences his perspective, so she doesn't even get the nominal comfort of being able to say goodbye that he (unspokenly) is allowed.

To me, this isn't the story of a man dying and being reborn. It's the story of the ones who survive. And there is precious little positive affirmation in that particular narrative.

[–] jianso 10 years ago

Exactly - I feel that it's about the effect of his death on his family and friends. Sure, he is reborn but only after seeing the pain that both preceded and created him. The early pain led to his death. Watching his sister's pain, that he added to immensely, take her down a path as destructive as his is the most depressing part.

He may have the possibility of redemption through rebirth, but at what cost?

[–] Archstanton216 9 years ago

Keep in mind, he's going to be raised by his (former) sister who must be completely emotionally broken at this point. How will that affect his relationship with his mother? His future life trajectory? His poor choices, (or perhaps removing judgement) the summation of his choices (also consider his promise to never leave his sister) is what has led him to his new lot in life. Seems like the Buddhist principle of Karma, that the actions in one life affects what happens in the next. At least, that's what I think they were getting at - I admit this aspect of the film wasn't as well developed as it could have been.