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Part buddy movie, part crime thriller, part farce, part ethical drama – In Bruges doesn’t fit neatly in any single category, nor does it offer any answers about the questions it raises. That leaves the audience to try to make sense of the mess, and the movie does present a good bit of messiness – literally and philosophically. So, take shot (but not with a silencer) at ONE of these:
1. Ray’s final words, as he is placed in the ambulance, are interesting. He says, “I really, really hoped I wouldn’t die.” What does Ray have to live for at the end of the film? How did he reach this perspective?
2. In the first conversation we hear with Harry, as he tells Ken about the hit Ken is to perform, he says, “I’d like to see Bruges again before I die.” Thinking about what Bruges comes to mean by the end of the film, what significance does this comment have in retrospect?
3. What does the film suggest about forgiveness? Is it a force of good? Is it irrelevant? Is it a position of weakness? In other words, does the film seem to promote the concept and action or not?
Question 1:
ReplyDeleteWhile the obvious answer would be that Ray now has his newfound love, Chloe, to live for, a much more precise and perhaps more accurate perception of the film's ending would be Ray's life resolution. He comes to the realization that if he is to get over the murder of an innocent child he must 'save the next one', as his friend Ken put it. He has a conversation with Ken about how he will do something good with his life and help other children. If he were to die in Bruges he would be unable to realize the good that he could offer to the world should he live. Furthermore, this plays easily into the theme of judgement and attonement. Ray is not yet ready to face his final judgement as he has yet to perform the acts of benevolence he plans. Bruges acts as a kind of purgatory for those who are awaiting their inevitable death. All those who enter are unable to leave by the end of the film.
Ray at the end says he wants to live because of the girl i think. At the beginning of the movie it seemed like he was living for nobody but himself, and that all that mattered was his job and making money. It didn't seem like he had interest in anything else, for example when they where touring the city he didn't care about any of the sites like his partner it seemed like he didn't care about anything. But when he met that girl his perspective on life really changed. He i guess found love and that gave him something to live for. Also he wanted to live because he owed it to his partner Ken who gave up his life for him. His look on life changed after he hit rock bottom and was about to kill himself his friend who was about to kill him actually saved his life and gave him a second chance. He owed his life to Ken and i think he realized that Ken wanted him to do something with that second chance, that's why he wanted to live.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 3:
ReplyDeleteI think that In Bruges shows that even some of the most morally abject men, hitmen, who kill others for a living, are humans and can forgive. The audience is presented with a whole host of reasons why Ray, Harry and Ken are all not nice men, the curse, they are racist, they injure and kill people because that is their job. The actions of Ken, who decides to spare Ray's life because he believes that Ray can improve and do good in the world, show that these hitmen are not the cold-blooded killers that we expect them to be. Ken's capacity for forgiveness is astounding; he sees that there is some good in Ray's heart, and that Ray, despite his past actions wants to make up for what he has done. This whole theme of forgiveness also fits into the religious imagery of Bruges. The paintings, murals and sculptures that adorn the town all serve as reminders to Ray of the spiritual consequences of his actions. The imagery of judgement, Hell and Purgatory all paint a damning picture for Ray's soul. In Christianity, where all of these images originate, forgiveness plays a large part in the absolution of sin; when we sin, we beg forgiveness from God. I think Ray's transformation as a character in In Bruges shows that forgiveness, especially of one's self, is more important than making hitmen look better, it is the first step on Ray's path to making a better life for himself. Throughout the film, Ray tries to come to grips with his past actions, killing the little boy, and it takes a (close?) encounter with death to realize that his life is more valuable to him than he thinks, and if he wants to continue living his life as a better person, he must come to grips with his past actions. Ultimately, this is a very strong message regarding forgiveness, that it is essential for any sinner to keep living his or her life without being consumed by regret, and doubt.
1. Ray’s final words, as he is placed in the ambulance, are interesting. He says, “I really, really hoped I wouldn’t die.” What does Ray have to live for at the end of the film? How did he reach this perspective?
ReplyDeleteRay's perspective changes dramatically from the beginning of the film. The first few times we see Ray, we see a passionless asshole who doesn't really have a whole lot to live for. He does not love his job, nor does he love his partner, or Bruge, or art, etc... Meeting Chloe definitely helps him change his perspective. However, I feel that his last words, "I really, really hoped I wouldn't die" refers more to him wanting to redeem himself after killing that boy. After Ken tells him you can go anywhere, you can be whatever you want to, for the first time in the movie Ray legitimately felt like he had options outside of being a hit man. The reason I do not think that Chloe was the main driving force behind Ray's change in perspective is because Ray got on the train without even thinking about Chloe. Sure, they have great times together and she may be his first real lover that he has had feelings for, but she was not keeping him in Bruge. So, I think Ray's last words have to do with saving children. Ken talked about saving children with kind of a 'you win some and you lose some' mentality. And after that, I do believe that Ray genuinely wants to redeem himself before his time is up.