MovieChat Forums > Stay (2005) Discussion > Fellow 'Stay' fans - Questions

Fellow 'Stay' fans - Questions

posted 12 years ago by The-Revenant-of-IMDb
4 replies | jump to latest

It's great reading everyone's theories about what transpires in the film. It has raised my already high regard of this film. I have a question, though, should I watch it soon (as it is my favorite movie). Have you found a meaning for every little thing/scene in the film, and if you have the time, could you write a list of memorable scenes that stick out to you and supply your personal theories to explain them?

I ask this because I realize that everything in this movie might not make sense, that some things might be in the film to confuse the viewer or simply be of a nonsensical nature because it is all a dream. For example, is there any meaning to the biking scene with Sam when the aggressive rider cuts him off?

Secondly, do you think all of these meanings/symbolism/inferences were intentional by Benioff/Forster or do you think personal reflection, creativity and insight has given them meaning? Or is it possible that some pieces in this film are simply filler or rudimentary, i.e. Henry adding insignificant content to his dream, e.g. why Sam & Lila eat Chinese food? Do you think it was just a choice to use Chinese food because people eat it, or because at one time Henry & Athena ate Chinese food, generally enjoyed it, or that he enjoyed it, or possibly did not enjoy it, but after reckoning that Sam & Lila would have different interests and taste than he would due to individual uniqueness, chose to have them eat Chinese food in the dream?

How much control does Henry's subconscious mind truly have over what is playing in his head--remember when he is startled by the slideshow of family photos in the club--is he just as much of a witness/spectator as we are? Am I focusing too much on the nature of this film to introduce hidden meanings? Is there filler in this movie or is it all harkening back to Henry's life experiences or solely suiting metaphorical purpose?

"I know it's not hip to say it, but I just love acting."-Nicolas Cage

[–] geoffrey-jackson 11 years ago

No, I don't think you're focusing too much on this film's "nature".

This is a brilliant story. For reasons you have explained, it clearly falls into one definition of art in that each viewer interprets it from his or her own unique perspective.

[–] breaandmelsteele 11 years ago

Okay...heres my take on it. All of the main characters are dead, all in a secondary plan of exsistance before moving on....its implied so many times during the movie that I am shocked its not easier for people to see. Gosling didnt shoot hinself in the head, sam foster did.sam shot himself in the head on the bridge. Mrs. Letham was killed in the car accident, along with her hubby, henruy was the driver. Lila slit her wrists in a way that she would not survive. Bob hoskins was dead, but henry helped him pass over. The piano movers, mother and child, killed by a falling piano, and so on. The ghosts, intermingle with each other on this plane trying to pass over. Sam was able to help henry pass over, but the other characters are still stuck in the plane trying to move on. The best proof of this is....bob hosekins having his eyes opened and walking into the light. Henry choses sam to help him pass over. Athena is still alive, henry sadly watches her dance, his way of saying goodbye, he wanted to marry her but she hasnt gotten the news of his passing yet. People you see in doubles are near or have been near death. The rest is all the dream like states of the dead trying to move on. The world is an illusion...

[–] PrivateBozz 10 years ago

While your theory makes a lot of sense I don't think that all of it is true. If Lila was the suicidal art professor who killed herself, why would we later see her as a nurse? Imo Henry/Sam, being about to die, sees things like the piano because he's seeing death everywhere, not because this is what actually happened to the people. He just feels how near death is for everyone of us. I agree that there might be other characters who are also about to pass over, like the blind man for example, but I doubt that's true for all characters. The movie is focussed on Henry's dying.

I support the other theory, that what we see is not quite a dream or other plain of existence, but the attempt of Henry's traumatized brain to make sense of the things he sees and feels in the moments before his death. It's what the brain does, it invents stuff to make sense of things, connecting the fragments. Almost everything we see is related to him, like his life on the screen in the bar, just as it's said to flash before ones eyes in death.

Other things I noticed:

- When Henry/Sam visits Henry's mother his mother and the dog are both dead, waiting for Henry to join them.
- Henry says that Sam is the only one who can help him. That's because Sam is the one who has witnessed the accident (he says something like 'I have seen it all'), so he's the only one who can tell Henry that it's not been his fault.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If I upset you, don't stress
Never forget, that God isn't finished with me yet

[–] PrivateBozz 10 years ago

How much control does Henry's subconscious mind truly have over what is playing in his head--remember when he is startled by the slideshow of family photos in the club--is he just as much of a witness/spectator as we are?

It's his life flashing before his eyes in the moment of death.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If I upset you, don't stress
Never forget, that God isn't finished with me yet