I loved "The Orphanage"'s ending (which I feel largely made worth the rest of the film, which was, at times, only OK for me), but really didn't care for Carlos's bit at the very end. Did anyone else find the scene to be out of place, or at least tacked on?
shareIt's hard to say. I did expect a quick jump to a scene where we either see the reality of Laura lying dead with Simon, or some kind of gravestone scene. I think it took us from one tone to another, but it seems necessary to the ending. For one, we see the gravestone, which clarifies or confirms that Laura did die. Then, Carlos finds the necklace he loaned to Laura, that he told her to give back when she found Simon. When he picks it up and the doors crack open, this not only tells him that Laura is now with Simon, but it also allows for the spiritual element to touch him a bit, whereas he had been skeptical earlier in the film. For anyone who might wonder about or be concerned about how Carlos's character turns out, this wraps things up nicely.
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I was concerned that somehow Laura would be blamed for hiding Simon to attract attention or some other Munchhausen type scenario. I too thought he would find her with the body and assume that when she said she had to say goodbye that it had all been planned somehow.
shareYup, in the version I rented we definitely see a gravestone. I screencapped it for you:
http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr300/UnderNineThousand/Laura.jpg
I guess it's also a bit due to the harsh switch in style. This movie really sucks you into its atmosphere: the old house, the old furniture, clothes... the dark but warm colors of wood and stone, that kind of stuff...
And then, seemingly all of a sudden, you're warped back onto a bright green pitch with a shiny gravestone, a very modern image. A scene that, allthough it's part of the film, throws you out of the film. Not because of its substance, but its style. At least that's the way I see it :)
I agree with you.
I loved the movie, the themes, the symbolism... but I hated the ending. I felt upset and that it was unnecessary; all the clues were given, and even when she pulls off the necklace you could have understood that she was "giving it back"... not taking it with her. I felt, for me, that the director didn't want to let go of his movie... and the obviousness of that short bit was truly one of the most dissapointing "shortbits" I have ever seen... it could have been a perfect movie.
The ending makes sense. What did the woman say at the support group. That she saw her daughter smiling letting her know that she was safe and for her not to suffer over her. Then the head of the support group said that this is a normal occurance for those who've lost loved ones to feel them around them. Then everyone raised their hands that had this experience. It could be a trick of the mind (they are grieving) or it could be a real experience.
shareI think it was given to show that the husband was at peace with his losses because he knew they were in a safe place. It doesn't end with the gravestone, it ends with him in the children's room with the windows open showing the sky, and the inner door opening as if someone is watching over him, while he discovers the necklace of the saint. The wife had said he didn't believe in its power, but now with this ending it's obvious he now has faith in the afterlife.
Don't forget Spain is Catholic country with many old superstitions still present in modern society. This ending is a nod toward those old beliefs, which many still have.
I actually do not think it is all that obvious that he now has faith in anything, to be honest. That scene simply showed that he, like so many, felt his family's presence despite their being dead. As for his going to the children's room, that too is not at all strange and is something many would do in order to remember their loved ones.
As for Spain, I am Portuguese and can attest that while the country is traditonally Catholic, in reality it is hardly do. You will hard pressed to find young(ish) people who have any belief in Christianity and Catholicism has been on the wane.
It's possible, of course, that Carlos did become a believer in some kind of afterlife but it is also entirely possible that he did not.
I didn't think it was tacked on. It seemed to fit perfectly for me.
I thought it was lovely how Carlos acknowledged all the orphans with his wife and child, as he knew they meant so much to Laura and Simon.
And how he sensed Laura in the house when he picked up the locket and the doors opened, especially because he was such a cynic earlier.
"I have pills for everything. Some make you taller... some make you forget... "share
The whole 'sensing Laura' bit was the part that felt out of place for me. I too am a stern sceptic and when tragedy befalls me I don't suddenly stop believing in rationality. It just wasn't befitting of his character.
shareI can understand that. Sometimes how we respond to a film can depend on our own thoughts and personality traits. Since you may have identified with Laura's husband as a skeptic, you felt that his shift at the end didn't fit how you know a true skeptic would respond. After viewing the film with a friend, I was all prepared to have a discussion about it at the end. But he just took the film as a ghost story, whereas I was assuming that he would ponder over the spiritual vs. psychosis theme as I (and many others) did. So I guess his own leanings affected how easily he accepted certain aspects and changes in the film.
Of course, things can happen that challenge our logic, and it can take only one significant event to change someone from not believing in something to believing in it. Who are we to say that people who lean toward belief rather than proof are being irrational, anyhow? Laura's openness to accepting that she was experiencing something abnormal (whether is was paranormal or psychotic) is what helped her work out the mystery and find her son. Her husband's resistance to listen and accept that she was truly experiencing "something" that needed to be paid attention to is what prevented him from being able to support her. I think in the end, he had some time to reflect on his viewpoint and his part in the whole situation. Perhaps he softened a little to the idea that she was on to something (whatever it was).
Or not :]
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... either just after he finds the necklase that either Simon or Laura standing there or both and is left to us to make it up or he's just looking up as the door opens because he knows that it's a message from Laura saying that she's found Simon and the other children and she is safe. The reason he smiled could be because of the latter and because Laura said that she would give the necklase back to him when she found Simon
Bourne + Bond = Best Action Film Award
I thought it fitted the movie perfectly,it wrapped up everything that was mentioned before, like in that therapy scene and it also gave an insight to how Carlos changed as a person.
It was a nice ending, at least it didnt end the way most horror movies end, with a twist or something.
I think it was a perfect ending. Carlos needed closure and this was a very nice way to do it. Even though he wasn't the most important character in the movie, he was important to Laura, and it would have been stupid to skip to end credits after Laura joins the orphans. I for one wanted to know what happens to Carlos. And it was a sad story after all, so it was good to see it end on a positive note even for the living.
sharepeople keep saying that, him finding his necklace is to tell him that she found Simon.
But this would be obvious when Simons corpse would have been found in the arms of Lauras corpse.
Yeah, but it's still a nice reminder. And as someone else said, the door opening opens the door -- oh man, sorry -- for Carlos to feel more spiritual and know that Laura and Simon are together. And possibly watching over him.
I liked the ending. It did wrapped things and left just enough room for interpretation without it being wide open. I remember the first time I watched it, in the brief second between Laura telling the story to the kids and the shot of her grave, I was thinking, "That means they all came back to life, right??? RIGHT????" So the next shot knocked that possibility right out, and made me sad. But this way it's more realistic (well, for this movie), and the look on Carlos' face is enough to make me feel better. It makes more sense than if it had been left off.
For me, the epilogue is what sets this movie apart.
You see, closure is a very important state of mind. Laura was devastated after Simon disappears. I find it very calming that Carlos is at peace too. Brought a smile on lips, while there was a small tear welling up.
You see, closure is a very important state of mind. Laura was devastated after Simon disappears. I find it very calming that Carlos is at peace too. Brought a smile on lips, while there was a small tear welling up.
As we could see at the end, Carlos had came back and found Laura dead - which explains the memorial outside. This also means the necklace wasn't in that room when he found Laura dead or he would have seen it. He finds it later and gets convinced Laura was right about the ghosts.
"It's better to be hated for who you are than be loved for who you aren't."