MovieChat Forums > Bunny Lake Is Missing (1966) Discussion > Questions about the ending....Spoilers.....

Questions about the ending....Spoilers... .

posted 15 years ago by sun78
10 replies | jump to latest

During the movie, Steve seemed normal. He did not seem like he had something wrong with him. Though, like what the lady who lived above the school said, he did seem a little off. I would not have guessed that he appeared to have multiple personalities or some other mental illness. At the end, Ann was playing along with him in order to protect her daughter, since Steve was bent on killing Bunny for coming between him and his sister. She seemed to know that he was mentally ill, but did not mention this to the cops. Although she did seem shocked when she saw him burn the doll. So, does anyone else think that Ann knew of her brother's illness or did she not know and she had to do some quick thinking by playing along with her brother in order to protect her daughter?? I'd think that if she did know that her brother was mentally ill, she would have mentioned that to the cops, right?? But maybe she thought his illness was under control and wouldn't think in her mind that Steve would have killed his own niece, so therefore didn't see a point in mentioning Steve mental problems to the cops.

[–] bill3-1 15 years ago

I know, that's what makes this movie so strange, there's no explanation because it's the movies gimmick, its intentional so I don't want to call it a flaw, one of those weird suspense things like Rod Serling would do.

[–] mizhu 14 years ago

Ann did not know Steven had a mental illness. When she realized it at the end, she had to--in your own words--do some quick thinking.

[–] fentress 14 years ago

I enjoyed the movie very much, but I must agree this was something of a plot hole. I don't quite buy the explanation some have offered that Ann sized up the situation and was thinking fast on her feet when she finally saw what Steve was doing. After all, Steve turned out to be one deranged puppy. How could he be that twisted and Ann not have at least seen some previous indicators of it? They were supposed to be close!

But then, if she did know he was mentally ill in some way, how could she have not told the police?

On the other hand, if she had no idea of his mental state, then why didn't she seemed shocked or at least surprised?

Therefore, I can find no scenario that makes complete sense.

This is less important, but the ending sequence where Ann is trying to rescue Bunny seemed choreographed poorly. I wasn't sure why Ann didn't run out of the house immediately when she had Bunny in her arms. Why did she go upstairs? Also, the child didn't seem to be at all freaked out at what was going on. She stood around pretty calmly. And Steven scarcely put up a struggle when the cops came.

Still, all in all, I enjoyed the movie very much for its suspense and mind-bending atmosphere. I can forgive a couple of small flaws.

[–] WarpedRecord 13 years ago

Excellent summary of the contradictions about the plot and the weaknesses of the ending. This was a very tight thriller up until right after the dollhouse sequence, when logic seems to take a backseat to childhood games. It's still a very good thriller, though. 8/10 stars from me.

[–] sbroda-1 13 years ago

It's amazing more people in England don't die in house fires, since it appears to be a rule that every single door is locked at all times. She couldn't simply leave because every time she tried a door she needed it was locked -- even when she was on the inside, where you'd assume safety concerns would let you unlock the door yourself.

Her attempt to leave the hospital was similarly frustrating. Who wouldn't creep into a ladies room located far from the nurse's station and get dressed asap rather than wander about wild-eyed with a big paper bag that might as well have been marked "I am a patient who shouldn't be wandering around."

[–] rc-108 13 years ago

I agree with Fentress.

slow eerie movie...

was the sister crazy? was the daughter real? what was the weird relationship between brother and sister? not the greatest story.... but it was well done.

[–] modestyblaise65 12 years ago

I think the answer is: Ann must have known that Steven is mentally ill, but she was afraid to tell it to the police. She was afraid of him and worrying about Bunny. She suspected that Steven took Bunny, so she played along until she found her daughter and then she started thinking about the rescue. If she had informed the police earlier, Steven might have hurt Bunny.

[–] screen14 12 years ago

If Ann had told the police of Steven's illness and they confronted him, he may have shut down and not been able to tell where he hid Bunny. My other thought is that Ann believed Steven had fully recovered from his personality disorder because he had gone so long without any episodes, so it never occurred to her that Steven could be responsible for Bunny's disappearance.

Like others, it struck me as odd that Ann didn't run out the front door with Bunny, but maybe she didn't think she could get very far with Steven close behind her. Her goal appeared to be that she wanted to hide Bunny and, in effect, erase her from Steven's mind until Ann could go get help.

[–] astromuse24 12 years ago

I believe that open door was the back door to the walled garden, not the front door. That is why she ran upstairs.

[–] astromuse24 12 years ago

I realized that Anne had prior knowledge of Steve's personality disorder when he mentioned to her that she had killed off imaginary bunny back when they were kids because she was coming between the two siblings. So she had known he was sick. Why she never mentioned this to the cops is not satisfactorily answerable.. Because then we would have a short movie?