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Some Questions About Ewa and Bruno (Small Spoilers)

posted 10 years ago by akg16
4 replies | jump to latest

1) The part where Ewa steals the money and Bruno gets mad at her after trying to come on to her, was that part of his plan to get her to prostitute?

Based on how manipulative he was I think it was planned, like he put the money purposely right in front of her knowing she couldn't resist, but I'm not entirely sure. That or he seized the opportunity to guilt her into prostitution. At first he said she could sew so maybe he was going to ease her into it OR it just a lie to make her feel comfortable.

2) When do you think Bruno started to fall in love with Ewa?

I think it when she waited outside the jail for him. Before that I think he admired Ewa and was also infatuated with her (the infatuation intensified when Emil showed interest). Despite his manipulations, in a twisted way he saw that Ewa loved Magda so much that she would sacrifice her convictions to save her. I think he saw something very honorable/admirable in that. I think he was also intrigued with how gutsy and savvy she was to play hardball asking for more money in contrast to how docile she initially seemed. But it wasn't until he saw her loyalty by waiting for him that he began to fall in love.

3) Do you think Ewa and Bruno were ever intimate with each other?

Ewa stays in his apartment unlike the other girls and later on Bruno asks her to the movies and Ewa is seen preparing a meal for the both of them. So it seems like they're basically together. Obviously she doesn't truly love him but she needs him and Bruno doesn't seem like the type of guy that would tolerate not being intimate with someone for so long so that just makes me wonder. OR his feelings for her could be more like a teacher's pet kind of thing (for lack of a better term)?

4) What do you think happens after the end of the movie?

I think Ewa has a happy ending. She probably struggles a little initially in California but ends up living a nice, simple life with her sister as a seamstress or maybe even a nurse. She probably writes to Bruno in prison every now and then. Bruno is obviously in prison but is able to manipulate other prisoners into some new kind of scheme that may or may not be successful.

[–] andraniki 10 years ago

BUMP!

All of these are great points, and I'd like to know, too! Lol

[–] Felixthecat34213 9 years ago

Ewa stays in his apartment unlike the other girls and later on Bruno asks her to the movies and Ewa is seen preparing a meal for the both of them. So it seems like they're basically together. Obviously she doesn't truly love him but she needs him and Bruno doesn't seem like the type of guy that would tolerate not being intimate with someone for so long so that just makes me wonder. OR his feelings for her could be more like a teacher's pet kind of thing (for lack of a better term)?

They never really say outright actually, in the confession scene she says something along the lines of "I let him use me" right after her confession of "men using her. I wasn't sure if she was implying the Bruno had been with her.

My personal thoughts are that he hadn't even touched her, hence why his infatuation for her was so intense. Part of it may have been a desire to possess her. ...Of course that's just Joaquin Phoenix's acting for you, but I definitely don't think he ever had the chance to be with her.

I think she stays there because she doesn't feel like she belongs around the other girls. They don't seem to like her much and blame her for their misfortunes. Perhaps she also does it to keep an eye on him and to make sure that she gets her money.

Living there might also be a sense of security for her, he could hardly kick her out. The little girl's mother also seemed to live in the same apartment.

I think Ewa has a happy ending. She probably struggles a little initially in California but ends up living a nice, simple life with her sister as a seamstress or maybe even a nurse. She probably writes to Bruno in prison every now and then. Bruno is obviously in prison but is able to manipulate other prisoners into some new kind of scheme that may or may not be successful.

Interesting, I wondered that too. His life could go a myriad of ways.

1. He could argue on the grounds of self defense and technically you could argue that it was. The witness did not seem interested in getting Bruno prosecuted, otherwise she would have said something. She knows that he is her meal ticket. Therefore he could end up with either a short sentence or no sentence at all. Hiding the body and lying might bring him some type of sentence.

2. He could end up with a shorter sentence due to his connections with the police. They're easily bought off...although Bruno admitted that he was out of money. He would have to promise them favors. At the end, they kind of imply that Bruno is slowly losing his connections. The police are upset with him, he was holding money from the them. The officer at Ellis Island tells him that they need to "keep their distance," implying that favors from them are becoming far and few. He lost the theater and because of that lost a lot of connections.

The film also implies that at the end, Bruno does not wish to avoid punishment anymore. That he doesn't wish to avoid the consequences for Emil's death. If Bruno's sentence is reduced, this could also mean that Bruno may have a chance at earning an honest living finally. I find this to be both possible and slightly impossible. Bruno seems to have accepted that he's a wretched person, but at the end seems to feel such self loathing that he seeks consequences for his actions. Will he seek redemption? Or will he simply wallow in the fact that he is "Nothing." Either is possible.

3. He will earn a life sentence.

4. He will hang. Hanging for another man's murder was fairly common back in the 1920s. However, given the circumstances and the fact that there was a witness (who may be in his favor), I think it's probable that he won't actually get the death penalty. The point is that Bruno wants to confess and pay the consequences for everything he's done, not just to Ewa, but throughout his life. It's a way of washing away the sins. Whether or not he simply wants to be punished or wants to wipe the slate clean, is up in the air. During the confession scene, the priest says something along the lines of how we can all be saved. In a way I feel that even Bruno is capable of redemption and choose to interpret the end on a more positive note.

[–] MysticGoddess327 8 years ago

I don't think he wanted her to prostitute in the first place. Did you see his reaction when the first gentleman wanted her to sleep with his son? He was horrified and tried to refuse. But greed won out, and then when she wouldn't do it, though he was obviously still torn over the situation, he reminded her about her sister. He might have initially wanted her as a dancer, but we heard him insist that she wouldn't when Rose questioned him. Perhaps he changed his mind.

[–] Jes' Sayin' (5998) 2 years ago

I thought she should have gone to a Polish consultate or embassy or to the UN to get work as a translator/interpreter.