I don't think that the director was trying to leave it open whether Gon actually died or not. It seemed clear that he died in the elevator. The final scene showing him crying in the bathhouse is a tie in to an earlier scene, directly after the scene where the Lady tries to commit suicide and he reveals the story about his mother committing suicide. Directly from that scene Gon visits the bathhouse and creates a shrine for the girl that he killed on accident and he starts humming 'Danny Boy' while smoking a cigarette. In that scene the director plays with the lighting a little bit and Gon's Face is somewhat cloaked at times. Clearly he's having a moment of introspection and maybe even regret, but you don't see any signs on his face of visible conflict every time he takes a puff of the cigarette (bringing light to his face). I took it as being symbolic for the director trying to illustrate that he is emotionally disconnected. After all, they never show him upset even once, despite his clearly experiencing guilt on some level over the death of the girl. Anyway, that final scene takes place directly after the scene that I just described, in fact you can still see the cigarette smoke in the scene (presumably the same cigarette). I think it was the directors way of showing that he was still capable of being emotionally vulnerable. I also don't think that he was just crying for the girl, I think he was also coming to terms with what his mother did. It was a scene of emotional redemption. I felt like the scene was necessary, and I'm glad they ended the movie on it. Anyway, that's my opinion.
reply
share