MovieChat Forums > Hawaii (2013) Discussion > My thoughts after the ending

My thoughts after the ending


It feels a bit weird how it ended, Martin disappears for a long while, then he appears finally, and then they simply "make up".
The final scene felt a bit short and didn't end the story well enough.
There was build up of their attraction towards one another but it felt mostly as physical attraction which was one of the problems.
Perhaps we seeing them being able to easily get along, how easily they were able to become friendly, as the personal attraction bit.

I felt the first kiss more.
I might be more satisfied if there was a longer deeper kiss in the final scene.
Perhaps Marco Berger wanted as little drama as possible, that there wasn't a need for someone to apologize or to explain them-self.

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Don't forget that Eugenio tried to find Martin and left the small fake camera (whatever this is called) where Martin used to sleep when he was homeless. There is a very long shot on this object which is grabbed by an unknown hand but it seems obvious that Martin came back and understood that Eugenio was looking for him. Hence his return to the house. The last scene came after 15 minutes showing Eugenio remembering his strong childhood links with Martin and wondering how to find him again; he also felt bad about teasing him (scenes at the river, making him try on underwear, etc...)

I don't think the attraction was only physical: they spent a lot of time together when they were friends and a lot of time together alone in the house. Eugenio's friend raises some interesting issues: is Martin just a fantasy or is there something here for a long relationship. After Eugenio rejected Martin, fearing that their relationship would only be a one night stad, he realizes that there is more than sexual attraction, and the camera represents all the memories they have in common. Despite the years, they still have a strong feeling, although it has turned into a physical attraction, addidng a new layer to their relationship.

I thought that the film would end badly and there were so many scenes in the last 10 minutes between the rejection and Martin's come back that could have been the last, showing Eugenio alone with his regrets. I was happy to see that the writer/director decied to end on a more positive image, even if I'm not a fan of standard happy endings. But for that film, I thought is was appropriate because everything is so soft, slow and mellow.
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The higher you fly, the faster you fall.

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Thank you Zhow. Your post is very insightful and gives me a much better understanding/appreciation of what was happening in this film. I really liked Hawaii but, for me at least, there are a number of things that were not that easy to figure out.

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The small fake camera is a "View-master". I had one when I was a child (a gift from my aunt who lives in South America, apparently it is a well known toy there, not so much in Europe where I live). I was thrilled when I saw it in the movie, it gave me a deep nostalgic feeling.

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Thanks! I had one too and forgot its name... It looks so dated now but for people of our generation, it really means a lot!

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The higher you fly, the faster you fall.

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I agree. I don't think the attraction was only physical; they spent time together when they were young and there is still a compatibility, in which Eugenio has the space to work at his novel, Martin to work on the house and land.

I think the ending (and my projection of what goes on after the film has finished) is influenced by what Martin has experienced in the distant past, the recent past and his motive for coming back to the village.

He has desired an ongoing familial connection but they all appear to have been severed (through death, moving away, etc). He has no roots to the past, in the village, except to Eugenio. I wonder if he visits the house, secretly hoping to meet Eugenio again.

I think Martin's awareness of his toilet needs and bashfully washing at the tap (at the film's opening) is a powerful symbol of this impoverished young person, wanting to maintain his dignity and be accepted by society. (Particularly relevant nowadays, when so many young people are homeless).

Very gently Eugenio gets Martin to dismantle the fantasies, that his aunt still lives in the area, that he has a home elsewhere, that a job and place to live awaits him in Buenos Aires.

My fantasy is that they develop a positive symbiotic relationship, with Eugenio perhaps enhancing his writing by living vicariously through Martin. And, rather than be tempted by the superficial materialism of the Levi Store and art galleries, Martin - through his strength and simplicity - encourages Eugenio to enjoy the more basic beauty of life.

This film struck me like no other, in a very long time. I was pleasantly "haunted" by it when I awoke - the morning after I'd first watched it. I've urged other friends to watch it and been pleasantly surprised that they have reacted similarly and positively.

I've warned them it is one of the slowest films I've seen in a long time, "It's like watching paint dry" I've said.

But Oh! what beautiful colours that paint has! With the ability to maintain one's attention until the very last drop.

I love it!


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Nice comment and analysis. I think you're onto something when you say that Martín may have hoped (maybe even subconsciously) to see Eugenio again. I think the inevitableness, the destiny if you will, of their reunion is a major theme of the film. Because of that I think we can safely assume -- or fantisize, to use your term -- that this is a relationship that is not at all superficial but extraordinarily deep and (to use some poetic license, as this film is after all, a poem to love) eternal.

I respectfully disagree however that it is like watching paint dry. And I have shown it to others who normally prefer faster -paced films (though admittedly, people who I enjoy "cinema") who loved the film. Anyway, I enjoyed your comment and it's always nice to see some activity on this board. This film deserves so much more discussion.

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I'd also like a longer kiss at the ending but overall I'm happy with the film. Marco definitely has a niche and signature.

About the attraction being physical, I think that was what the director wanted to portray, and it was mostly physical from Eugenio's side. That fact was reinforced when his bother busted his balls about hiring just because he found him attractive and how Martín would be a boy toy if he took him to Buenos Aires with him.

I hope Marco continues making movies like these.

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Eugenio owed Martin some kind of explanation/apology for the rejection. I think with how everything was dragged out forever in the first 95% of the film, no one could say there wasn't time for it.

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