It's easy if you realize what the film medium/camera really does-- which is to say it might be difficult, if you are used to the usual/general way the film medium/camera is used as the "omnipotent" narrator.
And this is what really sets The Clone Returns Home apart from most adventure sci-fi-- in that you are "forced" to think about what you are seeing, instead of simply letting the camera act as some "omnipotent" narrator/god (always showing you what "objectively/really" happened)... IOW, each shot you see in the film reflects a very SPECIFIC point-of-view or POV.
E.g. There is no camera or other person in space with the astronaut, so scenes of the astronaut in space (even though shot "externally" or in "wide angle")actually reflects his POV, aka what HE sees and feel... NOT some "omnipotent" narrator/god showing you what "objectively/really" happened.
*SPOILERS* will obviously follow as I give you my "POV analysis" of the scenes/elements you asked about.
I realize that this was intentionally left up to interpretation, but what did you think about the spacesuit
Was it physically real or a vision/hallucination/spiritual phenomenon? ?
The "spacesuit" may not really be a spacesuit-- it could just be a scarecrow or something in a similar shape that was washed down river in country-side.
The fact that other characters beside the clone can interact with it shows that it is a physical object-- but ONLY the clone sees and reacts to it AS a "spacesuit".
This is explained (as a sci-fi plot device) in the movie as "resonance"-- some clones, & even people like the old scientist, can/will have a PHYSICAL reaction to certain/important memories and see/hear things that are not there.
Why did the body/spirit of the "original" Kohei appear inside the spacesuit at times, whereas in other scenes the spacesuit was empty?
ONLY the very first clone sees and reacts to it as a "spacesuit WITH a body".
IOW, the "spacesuit" is shown to be empty whenever the other characters are observing or interacting with it.
What was the meaning of the scene where the first clone collapsed carrying the spacesuit, and then the spacesuit rose up and began carrying the clone?
The scene is still part of the first clone's POV, as there is no else to see what the clone is doing-- so it shows what HE alone is seeing and feeling.
And as far as the first clone was concerned, "Noboru in the spacesuit" got up and carried him when he was too tired to go on.
I feel like all of this ties in with the cloning scientist/doctor's idea of resonance, the spirit of the dead person appearing to or haunting the clone. In the final scene, where Kohei's 2nd clone is carrying the space suit and the ringing tone sounds in the background, there is a shot of the empty space helmet, and then Kohei's scar appears on his hand. IMO, this shows that the resonance of Kohei's spirit has been resolved and his soul is now inhabiting the body of the clone, not haunting the clone from the outside.
I agree with you in that the 2nd clone has fully "become in tune" with Kohei-- to the extent that he even see/feels the scar with which Kohei had (but was not reproduced in the clone)...
And I loved that the entire mystery is never "explained" (like in Inception with all the blah X 3 "rules"), but simply "resolved" at the end with a heart-warming pay-off.
If you care enough to go around telling people you don't care... you obviously care.
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walidb123
13 years ago
I'm in complete agreement with your interpretation.
The slow pace of the film gave me time to think about what was going on while watching it but your idea about the point of view of the camera makes alot of sense.
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