MovieChat Forums > Holy Smoke (1999) Discussion > I must confess ..This was awsome movie e...

I must confess ..This was awsome movie except the ending ?

posted 16 years ago by k_28
9 replies | jump to latest

well... let me confess ..i started watching the movie with little expectation and like a documentary of how western philosphers look at indian mysticism ..but my god this movie is trrifc..

This is not for "ordinary" fellows but for those who ever got on the path spiritualism and seek some kind of truth in their life. they are often confused , self-filled , beyond religion and totally bewildered by their own sexual;lity. I simply can not imagine someone captured all that in such beautiful manner.
For those who find movie lacking and disappointing they are like family members of Kate who watches her from distance and never get into her or PJ character.

However the ending "one year later" part was total crap. It diminishes movie by a great deal. The ending should be slimier to mystique felling like those of Kubricks movies like Lotita which reminded me in PJ scenes. The one year later part totally rubbishes the whole premise of movie to seek eternal truth by spitting at characters by letting them return to their shell-life. Extremaly unreal to characters of the movie but also very crap/ I will still consider overall movie grt though ...

[–] Rachel090 16 years ago

However the ending "one year later" part was total crap. It diminishes movie by a great deal.

Agreed

[–] Connecticut_Bob 15 years ago

It probably was tacked on by the studio, concerned about the marketability of the flick with a somewhat "downer" ending. Typical.

See my IMDb listing here: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2482070

[–] jcravens42 15 years ago

I liked the ending. It confirmed that PJ and Ruth had stripped away each others fake spirituality and belief systems. It confirmed that only the two of them could have "saved" each other. At the end of the movie, they don't "return to their sell-life". Ruth has abandoned the morally-bankrupt life with her family and friends in her homeland, but has also not gotten back into the sheep lifestyle; she's her own person at last. And PJ looks likes he's not believing his former false life any more.

[–] detroit-velvet-smooth 15 years ago

The ending didn't make sense. I thought the movie was great until the point Harvey Keitel put a freaking dress on. Then I couldn't take it seriously. Why does Ruth love the man who just punched her and tried to kidnap her by putting her in the trunk?

It had some great value but I feel like I was robbed. If I'd seen this in the theatres I'd have stood up at the end and thrown my popcorn at the screen and yelled "*beep* YOU Jane Campion!"

It felt like two different movies after a certain moment near the end. During it I thought to myself "did someone fire the director?" like it was a different person ending the film.

Any value that might have come at the resolution of the arc was lost because the arc was broken right about when Harvey sees himself in the mirror as a woman.

This movie crossed from quirky to camp and then it lost me.

[–] k_28 15 years ago

I agree with you...It may be studio overwriting what director wanted to do with the movie...and so the end product is totally out of place and out of sense...

[–] Zando777 13 years ago

What do you expect from a female director? Seriously.

[–] activista 12 years ago

And your point is,what? I've seen even worse films by male directors---gender has nothing to do with it---either the film is good or it isn't---flat-out. Men do not have a claim on making good movies simply because they're men---get out of here with that mess.

[–] timlin-4 12 years ago

Men's failures are usually simply lazy and dumb, women bring a distinct emotional silliness. Yes, there are good female directors, just like there are a few good women writers, but they are a minority of a minority, and most people will be correct in saying women do stuff badly, since 100% of what they've seen is likely to have been the most unbearable trash

[–] ochri 15 years ago

je suis d'accord avec le fait que la fin du film tombe vraiment à plat et gâche un peu le film!
personnellement, je trouvais intéressant cette approche "psychanalytique de l'état" de soi-disant bonheur intérieur qui en fait ne repose que sur une avancée intellectuelle et non sur un remaniement en profondeur de la psychée.
Se dire qu'on a trouvé l'amour et être incapable de sortir de son cocon secte pour aller voir son père mourant.... comique mais assez réaliste et tout à fait bien vu! Comment se dire qu'on a avancé si on ne peut pas aimer les gens autour de soi, parents et autres???
Par contre, cet homme qui s'est engagé à lui ouvrir les yeux se DEVAIT de respecter une DISTANCE .
Il est certain qu'un huit clos de cette sorte aboutit forcément à untransfert et donc une envie de fusion sexuelle.
C'est dommage que cette distance en fin de compte ne soit pas tenue et désacralise l'image pourtant au départ convaincante de cet homme en lui enlevant sa force et sa crédibilité!
C'est un film sur l'INCESTE. Le père qui au départ est censé garder ses distances tout à coup bascule dans le sordide et devient une loque misérable parce que son pénis a été le plus fort.

Conclusion: une fille qui croit avoir trouvé le bonheur et un homme qui croit avoir résolu ses problèmes... deux êtres bien humains en somme!