MovieChat Forums > The Girl in the Park (2008) Discussion > The ending is confusing *spoilers*

The ending is confusing spoilers

posted 16 years ago by Daft_Munks
10 replies | jump to latest

Was Louise Julies daughter or not?

[–] karen-166 16 years ago

Louise is not Julia's daughter. There was no birthmark on her leg. However, the movie implies that they will continue to have a friendly / mother-daughter like relationship.

[–] BizarrePurplePrincess 16 years ago

Birth marks can always be lasered off or removed though so......

"I'm going to dance, I'm going to sing so who gives a *beep* about anything"

[–] benittarafel 15 years ago

Wrong. She never really saw if there was the mark or not...that mark was in the upper part (or however you said it) of the leg

[–] agent9869 15 years ago

No, Karen is right. You're wrong. She didn't see a birth mark nor does the audience. She's not Sigourney's daughter. It is implied as Karen stated, that the two will carry on a friendship or a mother/daughter like relationship.

[–] Pitseleh77 15 years ago

I agree the birthmark was not there, and the film seemed to lean towards the conclusion that she was not her daughter (the woman in the picture at the end resembled Sigourney Weaver but I took that to mean that Louise was drawn to her because she looked like her real mother - the foster care thing seemed to be a story she made up to me from that picture.) All of this said, birthmarks can fade/disappear with age - this is very common, and I thought this still left an element of doubt. I felt like by the end of the film it was more about the fact that she had accepted this girl, needed her in her life regardless. It still would have been better with a clearer answer in my opinion though.

[–] chopper0116 15 years ago

So what was with the photo she put in the book? She said her "adoptive mother" was fat and the woman in the photo looked thin. What was that all about? Thanks. I am confused but glad she found a "friend" in this girl..

you have now officially lost your mind!

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] CathyE 15 years ago

I agree with Tony, and would add that this photo not only confirmed Louise wasn't Julia's daughter, but showed us that, just as Julia was a mother missing her daughter, Louise was a daughter that was missing her mother.

Maybe she died when Louise was young, who knows, but she's been carrying this much loved picture around, that she adds to the much loved photo album, because she wants to be part of the story, but truthfully this time.

Louise needs Julia just as much as Julia needs Louise, and now that Julia accepts she isn't Maggie, they can have a healthy relationship that is beneficial for both of them. A very nice ending.

“I always tell the truth…even when I lie” - Scarface

[–] tony-clifton 15 years ago

Sigh! It's very simple people!

The story about adoption was fake. That's why Louise says she wants to tell the truth in the end. She lied about Stuart being his adoptive brother because she knew Julia was so upset about it, so she made up a story about adoption.

You can see the picture in the end is the real mother which obviously does not fit the description of the "adoptive" mother confirming the falsehood of the adoption story, plus you can see a kid that looks like Stuart standing next to the real mother in the picture.

Also, Louise being called Maggie is a plot device. There's no real explanation for why Stuart calls her Maggie. However she did pick up the CD with the "To Maggie" on the back before we are introduced to Stuart so it's possible that Stuart may have had a part to play in that.

Finally, Maggie's birthmark is behind the knee, not on the thigh and Louise does not have it.

The ending is simple: Julia had by the end healed, such that it didn't matter any more that Louise was not Maggie. This was symbolized by Julia confidently calling Louise "Louise" as she had finally closed that chapter of her life. In other words, Louise had healed Julia.

[–] CathyE 15 years ago

I disagree about the birth mark. I think the point was, Julia no longer felt the need to look for it, because she now accepts this isn't Maggie. We think she's going to ask Louise to lift her skirt so she can see if the mark is there, but instead she tells her to come eat her food. She doesn't need to look. She's no longer deluded.

It's part and parcel with her confidently calling her Louise, as you said.

“I always tell the truth…even when I lie” - Scarface