MovieChat Forums > Impostor (2002) Discussion > did this mean anything?

did this mean anything?

posted 20 years ago by nickcoutros
9 replies | jump to latest

when replicant maya is shot, why did olham rush to her side as opposed to the body of his real wife in the wrecked craft? was this an intentional clue as to his(the replicant's) real identity, or just a natural response, as he'd just been interacting with her under the belief she was his real wife, or what? as he still believed himself to be 'himself' at that point, should'nt he have been repelled by the repliant and gone to his dead wife in the craft? am I missing something?
just because you're paranoid,it does'nt mean...etc.

[–] 20 years ago

[deleted]

[–] bperkins14 20 years ago

Good observation. His reaction was consistent with exploring an important theme of the movie about identity. There's no right answer. For me the best Sci-fi movies leave much to be discovered. Sci-fi gets corny when the script explains everything. Either Spencer would have loved both Mayas. Can you stop loving someone in an instant, even if you suddenly find out they are an unwitting impostor of someone you love? As for identity and the issue of attachment; as Cale said when asked whether he knew Spencer - "I'd like to think I did." Did we? When we find out that Spencer is an imposter do we suddendly care less about him or even dislike him?

[–] radicon-1 20 years ago

I believe there's a missing scene between Maya being gunned down and Spencer going to her. After the shooting I believe they discover that the body in the wreckage was indeed killed in the crash (ie. is the body of "replicant" Maya).

I'm not saying this was a filmed scene - just that it's the way the story was meant to flow - the final cut doesn't manage it very well.

An obvious question is how would they determine on the spot that the body died in the crash?? Well,... there's no good answer really. They would have to have you take it for granted - ie. one of the troopers has been foraging about at the wreck and stands up to announce "This woman hasn't been murdered - she actually died in the crash!" - and we would all have to just accept that.

Or perhaps alternatively they could have cut to a shot of someone noticing a blue glow under the wreckage Maya's sweater - and when they lift it up there is a half exposed U-bomb sticking out slightly (someone would of course have to say something like "Oh, the crash must have made it coalesce but because it wasn't in a trigger phase it didn't detonate")

There are all sorts of possibilities, but the fact is that the Maya they gunned down was the real one.

[–] coolaree 16 years ago

yeah,...At first I thought the body in the ship was the 'imposter' who died in the crash (gotta be a possiblity...). And she didn't blow herself up either.

[–] ohiocitysigns 11 years ago

From what I remember ( I literally just finished watching the film) both bodies in the craft had their throats slit and upon discovering the second body, one of the soldiers discovers a bloodied, discarded knife.

[–] Something_Awful 16 years ago

perhaps i am not remembering correctly, but i was under the impression his character had figured out his wife was alien by the time she was shot.

[–] walterfive 16 years ago

You are not remembering correctly. I just watched it. I wasn't even aware that this one had been made. Never saw a preview for it, never saw an ad, never heard a pre-production peep... (unlike, for example Radio Free Ablemuth, and just about every other PKD film other than "Barjo.") Suprising. Great cast. Minimal special effects.

There were no overt clues that his wife was any more an alien replicant than he was. Triple twist ending that both of them were, neither were aware that they were, and neither was aware that the other was until the very, VERY end.

[–] suicidea 16 years ago

Some 4 years after the original post, and plausible replies, I'd like to add this. I don't think the body in the wreck was supposed to be dead "in the crash." My natural thought was this: The real Spencer and maya went on a picnic, were caught and copied by the centauri, and their real bodies were hidden in the wreck.

I didn't think the replicant could have died in the accident, because that would mean that they copied Spencer & Maya before they came to earth, which wasn't plausible at all. They would at least need their dna or something like that.

Never be complete.

[–] AssetsonFire 16 years ago

Nice way of looking at it. The film doesn't seem sophisticated enough for that to make sense though. If it was the director's intention I'm sure he'd have made it much more obvious that that's why Oldham reacted that way.

I know you are, you said you are, but what am I?