I was completely fine with this movie until Cuba Gooding Jr. told Robin Williams his wife was going to hell because she committed suicide. I felt as if the director wanted to prove that we should all be Christians and devoted to God, or else we'll go to hell. To be honest, I was disappointed. I was expecting something more meaningful besides the whole "bag full of chemicals/soul" debate.
shareWow, some of the comments on this thread are so harsh. For a poster who has said they have contemplated suicide, some of the comments are disgustingly judgemental. I think a lot of people on here need to get their heads out their a**.
Pinenapple, I wouldn't get too worked up about it. It is just a movie. I can understand where you're coming from with the suicide thing though, because I thought that when watching this film. People who have not been suicidal have no idea what your emotional and mental state can really be like.
OP Pineapple - you said this "I felt as if the director wanted to prove that we should all be Christians and devoted to God, or else we'll go to hell."
I dont know too much about religions but I do know that suicide is frowned upon. Another poster said Buddhism and Taoism are lenient on this - what I know is that eastern religions have some kind of thought where an aged person decides to join god willingly, but definately suicide ( as was in this movie ) is frowned upon
Even modern parapsychology research ( for whatever its worth ) seems to say souls who die violently by suicide or murder etc, seem to stay around on earth longer in a limbo.
So this is all a grey area, but yes, there is a lot of agreement within enlightened and intelligent people of God that taking your own life is a very negative act. And i feel the movie was implying that, amongst other things.
I don't really like romantic movies, but I felt this was so beautifully done, especially the last scenes where the family ( and dog ) are reunited. I cannot understand how you did not see the emotional beauty in all this, but I guess, we all are different
Darkness lies an inch ahead
I think the OP was reacting the "punishment" suicides received in the film, and saw it as some sort of Christian-sponsored threat or warning that all suicides are damned for eternity.
But Gooding's character makes it clear on more than one occasion that there are no rules, there is no authoritarian hierarchy, and there is no punishment from outside (or above) in this afterlife. He makes it clear that suicides condemn themselves, that by nature of their final action, they trap themselves in a world of their own making, essentially punishing themselves. This is no different in mechanism from anyone else in this hereafter, they are all the sole creators of their personal reward or punishment.
Es gibt sauerkraut in meine lederhosen.
I enjoy this film, love the art and cinematography, and it's a really sad and pretty story, but yeah, I do agree with Op about the "suicidals goes to hell" thing.
It was the most expect thing to do for her, if you realize she's now all alone and feeling guilty for both accidents. Nobody gonna miss her, because all her loved ones already gone. She wasn't being selfish nor attentional. She was in deep pain.
I respect all point of views, but I'm pretty much ok with suicide. You gotta have guts.
Please excuse my terrible redaction, english is not my native language.
Why would you think of Christianity? There was no mention of Jesus in the film....and there are other religions which believe that suicide sends you to hell. With that being said, I liked the way the director (writer?) portrayed hell, that it wasn't fire and brimstone necessarily or a punishment but almost a self-created reality because of our inability to deal with the natural order of things (life, death, dying, disease, etc.).
-LeLu
When ALBERT tells CHRIS about it, the latter gets defensive inmediately because he knows the former is talking about what you wrote in your post. But ALBERT clarifies that suicidals go to this version of Hell but not for inmoral nor selfish, but for not accepting death.
share[deleted]
Is there really a kind of hell in Buddhism? Kind of goes against the idea of universal compassion. While many people in the west think of karma as a sort of terrible punisher, I think it's traditionally looked upon as something beneficial - a law that moves things to goodness and harmony.
shareApparently you missed the fact that an important point of the movie was that she did not deserve this punishment.
It was "known" to happen to suicides, which didn't stop the protagonist to reject the idea - both that she deserved it and that it wasn't possible to help her.
In a way - it's the opposite meaning of the one which you're defending here.