MovieChat Forums > Trois couleurs: Bleu (1993) Discussion > Antoine's scene in the closing minutes

Antoine's scene in the closing minutes


In the final minutes of the film there is a scene of the young man, Antoine, who witnessed the crash. I would like to know what other people think of this scene. He awakes to his alarm and instinctively reaches for the necklace with the cross that he is wearing - the one he found at the scene of the crash. He looks concerned in some way; kind of guilty.

What's the point of this scene? To me the whole thing makes no sense: he found the necklace and maybe he was disturbed by what he saw at the crash. I can understand why he would want to return the necklace but I don't understand why he would be wearing it after Julie told him he could keep it. Perhaps he would keep it in case she changed her mind about taking it back (that's what I would do), but why would he wear it? Maybe he thinks of it as lucky: maybe he thought it protected Julie during the crash and perhaps he wants to keep it for its religious connotations.

Someone else said that the ending was similar to that of Donnie Darko and the character of Antoine's ending is discussed in that thread, but my question isn't answered. One poster suggested that we're viewing the other characters from the point of view of Julie's opinion of them but I don't prescribe to that theory. Another poster says that the characters are given a conclusion in reference to their contribution to Julie's readjustment into society. That's fairly self-explanatory. I understand about the other characters, but not the young man.

We learn that Julie is a kind and generous person: she derives pleasure from the happiness of others and is distressed by the suffering of others. This is something that I can relate to. In the final scenes of the film we see pieces of each character's life. We see that Olivier has succeeded in regaining a physical relationship with the protagonist, which could perhaps develop into the love he desires. We watch as Julie’s mother dies peacefully, gazing at “the whole world”. We learn that Julie’s neighbour wants to rethink her life. We see the enjoyment on the lawyer’s face as she stares in wonder at her baby, secure in the knowledge that they will be safe and comfortable.

All of these characters seem to offer Julie some form of reward in events occurring in their life. It’s human nature to take contentment from other people’s happiness. But why doesn’t the young man fit into the pattern? I appreciate any comments that anyone has to make. Thank you :)

Also, does anyone else agree that in the scene I am talking about there is a poster of Rutger Hauer? You only see half of it – one half of the face – but I am sure it’s a photo of a young Hauer.

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It's just my opinion, but my feeling is that you may have misread Antoine's expression. To me he didn't look guilty or concerned, but rather relieved and grateful. (Isn't it amazing how two people can read the same scene so differently ;) My understanding was what you or somebody else already mentioned, that Antoine feels protected by the cross necklace. He did a good thing by bringing it back to Julie, but perhaps she felt that it was his turn to be protected and told him to keep it. In the last scene perhaps he wakes up from a nightmare, and touches the cross to reassure himself and to feel safe. That's how I read the scene. Remember that the director and the writer were both Catholic, and religion plays a significant (although not primary) role in their movies. So if you look at Antoine's last scene this way, then it does fit the pattern of the other characters' conclusory scenes.

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Thank you Leopold. Perhaps you are correct about Antoine's emotion at that time. It seems obvious now you suggest it that he may have awoken from a nightmare and taken solace in the crucifix. And, yes, since Julie gave him the necklace it does fit in with the other characters in the montage.

As you said, Leopold, it is amazing how much one's interpretation of a scene can influence our understanding of the whole film as well as our appreciation for it. And it is refreshing to watch a film that offers that kind of scope for afterthought whilst most movies drag us by the nose and tell us what to think.

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I think the poster of Rutger Hauer is from this movie:
http://imdb.com/title/tt0103239/

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Well spotted :) Thank you!

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