SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
Did Alicia's cousin kill Mirichris on the lake and then take the carved male figure (possibly 'Adam' since he refers to the female as 'Eva(Eve)? It seemed that Alicia found the wooden figure in his room and then leaves the inn for parts unknown.
The film was remarkable in that the location, sets, and cinematography were absolutely beautiful, and works like a poem more than a film.
"Free to those that can afford it, very expensive to those that can't."
I just finished watching it, and I do have to say that Mirichis himself was involved in something more than just making simple errands and in fact, tracking in weapons. The little village was in fact the next target for fighting and Alicia's cousin knew it, that's why he gave Alicia the warning to leave the village along with her father.
shareSPOILER ALERT!! SPOILER ALERT!!
I think that the male doll was taken during the killing of Marichris by Fredy's associates, and that he kept it either in his room, or showed it to her and left it with her in that last scene where he implores her to take his father and leave immediately. I also think that the impaled figure that we see is Mirichris himself, and that Fredy was the one who spied on him, and then turned him in.
His father asked him what he did for a living and he was too vague for my taste. I think he made his living spying on possible resistance elements up and down the river, and that once he turned Mirichris in, he knew that his employers would also take out vengeance on his father and whoever else was with him, just to be totally thorough, since his father was known to do business with Mirichris.
On another note though, My first thought was that the father Knew what his son did, since he was so adamant that Alicia not go into his room, and who knows, maybe this was indeed true, maybe he was just in denial, not wanting to admit that his son could be that cold. And he never told his son of his fears, which was why his son tried so hard to save him at the end, thinking him to still be wide-eyed and innocent.
In reality, he was just stubborn, and hoping against hope that it would all just go away, the tourists would come, and all would be as he wished it to be, with no impending evil just over the horizon. This was emphasized by the fact that he Saw the impaled figure in the weeds, shuddered, and then just shrugged it off, retaining only a vaguely worried look as he rode home...
Thank you for this post. I just saw the film and was mesmerised by it... until I reached the murky ending.
If one has to ask "what happened?", I would say it's more unclear than purposely ambiguous (open options). Anyway, after watching the final scene for third time (DVD), I agree with your description of the story. Poor people at the cinema should have been left quite puzzled.
I absolutely recommend the film, in any case. Excellent acting, setting and photography (however stiff it is sometimes).