MovieChat Forums > The Rocket (2013) Discussion > The fate of Uncle Purple? (Spoilers)

The fate of Uncle Purple? (Spoilers)


Uncle Purple takes Ahlo to the bat cave but collapses outside because it was the sight of fighting, may be even atrocities, in which Purple played a part. He seemed to be on his last legs as well. We see no more of him until the rocket festival where he waves goodbye to Ahlo whilst setting off in the van that ferries unexploded bombs. Was Purple alive at this point, or was it a ghost? If he was alive, why was he leaving?

Great character.

I give my respect to those who have earned it; to everyone else, I'm civil.

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I think he was a ghost. There was a picture of him as a child at the shrine. Seemed like the shrines in the movie were only for the dead.

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So if he was a ghost throughout, and I take your point about the shrine, then who was looking after Kia? I could accept he was a ghost when Ahlo sees him after the rocket festival but before ... not sure.

I give my respect to those who have earned it; to everyone else, I'm civil.

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Just because he was a ghost doesn't mean he couldn't take care of Kia. People interacting with ghosts but thinking they are real people until epiphany is a pretty common plot device.

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Thanks for your reply. The idea of his ghost as a plot device turns me off and I hope this wasn't the film makers' intention. I think that the photo of him as a child at the shrine could have been placed there by family who believed he'd been killed when in fact he 'disappeared' and was fighting with the Americans against his people. My view is that he was alive until the trek to the shrine. He died then and it's his spirit that Ahlo sees after the rocket competition.

I give my respect to those who have earned it; to everyone else, I'm civil.

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Hi Poppy.  I watched (and loved) this film last night.

The idea of his ghost as a plot device turns me off and I hope this wasn't the film makers' intention. I think that the photo of him as a child at the shrine could have been placed there by family who believed he'd been killed when in fact he 'disappeared' and was fighting with the Americans against his people. My view is that he was alive until the trek to the shrine. He died then and it's his spirit that Ahlo sees after the rocket competition.
This is a good interpretation, I agree.


That is a masterpiece of understatement.

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I agree that ghosts being perceived as living companions is not uncommon in local folklore. Check out the Thai (Siamese) tale of "Nang Nak" 180 years ago who dies in childbirth while her husband is away fighting Vietnamese forces. He returns from battle to find his wife alive and well although she is actually a ghost. They go on living together until he shockingly discovers the truth and requires a powerful monk to lay her soul to rest. It's been made into a movie a few times, but I like the 1999 version http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0217680. You'll never slice limes again without remembering that scene ;-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nang_Nak

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