That's a great question!
On first viewing one would probably feel for all the characters..
But if you watch closely how the character of Joe actually behaves during the story, you'll realize that he's actually completely selfish and uncapable of loving anyone, but himself. He hurts everybody that cares about him. There is almost nothing coming out of his mouth, but lies and manipulation.
I'd say that the idea behind that is that it's not sufficient to be unhappy to qualify for a happy ending. You actually have to be a good person. And he really isn't. We could say that everyone deserves to be happy, but the movie is about a deep message that doesn't go well with such a simpification.
In contrast - Louis succumbed to his weakness, but he always kept a loving heart and kept pursuing the truth. He always looked for the error in himself, while Joe's rationalization on this topic was that nothing is perfect and therefore he was free to do whatever he pleased. Louis was a seeker of truth and rejected such a notion and accepted his guilt troughout the movie. He might have been weak, but he was a loving person, who never betrayed truth and love in his heart and that tormented him troughout the movie.
Even the 'evil' Roy was more of a loving person than Joe - he was portrayed as a survivor, but one who always believed in his ideals - he never reveled in self-pity or justified his mistakes - he looked like a wounded kid and in a strange, peculiar way showed that he was still capable of love. So he was given more of a happy ending than Joe. He received forgiveness and hope for a better life in the world to come. The scene in which he begs for some love in the end is very moving - even the childish conclusion to the scene reinforces the idea that he was just a wounded child. All the way he behaved like a child and he was a very real person to everyone - he adviced, he jested, he explained why he believed in his ideals and why he did what he did. He was a real person. Joe wasn't a real person - he was a complete and uncaring hypocrite who stood for nothing, but his whim and pleasure. He rationalized everything and hurt everybody that loved him and didn't even want to change that, in fact - it seemed like he liked that about himself.
It's a thin line, which the movie portrayed in an incredible mannner. It was especially amazing how Roy's hate always somehow seemed like it was motivated out of love. He cared deeply about things and that is almost the same isn't it? Perhaps love towards an ideal, or maybe - towards an unknown memory (his mother perhaps?), but still - love. :)
On a side note, given the strong religious themes of the movie, one could say that it is the righteous that went to Heaven. It is symbolical of course, but almost literal as well - it seems like they've been washed away from all the dirt in this world and are now entering the world to come. A parable if you wish. Harper deserved to be there as well though. Perhaps she's on one of her vacations. :)
reply
share