Anyone else just really not like the Girl?
Honestly, he buys her shoes, she wants high heels, he gets her a new coat, she wants a new dress. She was nothing but a spoiled brat!
shareI watched this with my friend and she hated the girl too. THAT, was until I told her my interpretation of the story. I think people who don't quite understand the story will dislike the girl easily.
I'm also surprised by how many people here commenting about the "negativity" of the film. This film has nothing but a VERY positive message, I was surprised because I thought the message was clear, but obviously after years of Pixar/Disney animated movies being put out out there for the masses, many people can't seem to get the message from films like The Illusionist. Sad.
I completely understood the film and I still did not like the girl. Regardless of how she thought he was providing all the things that she wanted, her actions were a clear indicator of her ungratefulness.
shareThat's where you don't quite understand the film. If you understand it, both of them get something out of each other, or in other words, it's a two-way street where they BOTH selfishly benefit from each other (and in an unhealthy way). They both use one another to cling to what they want so much to believe in.
The girl, having had a rough life, no family or anyone to rely on, probably worked her entire life up to that point where she met the man, she wanted something "to happen" so much that when she met him, she truly saw him as her new hope, her chance to something better. I think one of the reasons they use a young girl for this character, is to symbolize how when we are young, we believe things unconditionally, like we believed Santa is real, we believe we'd "easily" be millionaire by the time we're 30, we believe something big is going to happen to us one day.
The old man, he already knows (the harsh) reality. He knows magics aren't real. He was about to give up on it, until he met the young girl, who made him feel like he used to. Someone who believes in his magics unconditionally. He loves the look on her face every time he performs "magic" in front of her. She was HIS new hope, his own indulgence in a way. That's why he was very disappointed when the girl discovered the white shoes in the drawer before he "presents" it to her. Why does he need to sneak out to work another job just so he can give her things? He's not obliged to take care of her (*SPOILER STARTS* he left her in the end, remember? *SPOILER ENDS*). He wants to see that look in her face, to believe himself that his magics are "real", to believe in his own magics in the harsh reality of the world. Her being "grateful" for what he gives her is the least of his concern.
The trailer says, "When life loses its wonder, all it takes is one person who still believes in magic". That should say it all.
(I congratulate you if you're still reading lol)
*SPOILER STARTS* The ending isn't about him "giving up". It's about him coming to terms with reality. It's about him accepting that he's only been fooling himself (and her) and it brings no one any good.
He wrote a little note for her, "Magicians don't exist". After knowing this the girl, too, had to come to terms that reality is still like what she used to know back in that little island where she used to work, it is harsh. *SPOILER ENDS* You need to bust your ass off to get what you want, to achieve that dream you have. It's not easy, there's no magic in those. There is no shortcuts to success.
I think the movie is very well done and very deep.
Don't tell me that I don't understand the film. I just told you that I did. Could you be any more condescending??
I understood the film, and did not like the character. The end.
No, you did not the first time. And were you about to turn green and change into a Hulk or something? Oooh...I am so afraid of you when you get mad. This is the internet, pal, I'm not your kid. THE END.
shareExcept she's not a young girl. She's a woman old enough to move in with her boyfriend and old enough to be working to meet her needs at the beginning of the movie. And yet she's still depicted as an imbecile ("naive").
What does he gain from her? Someone who believes in his magic, but he knows himself that his magic is an illusion. Thus, him holding multiple demeaning jobs just to make ends meet. She doesn't give him an uplifting new ideal/hope/reality. She makes his reality worse. Every time she asks for something else, we see his face drop a little. The white shoes (when he realized she took them) is a huge example of that. When he thought she cooked his rabbit. She's a burden.
Also, how does she really face reality in the end? I'd love to see the movie as you do--a testament to staying grounded and not letting the illusion get in the way of putting in real effort.
But she negates that message. She just moves on from one provider to the next. She doesn't get a swift kick of reality--the necklace was just a minor, brushed over scene that I don't believe it is sufficient. We need to see her struggle or actually witness the falsehood of his 'magic'. But we don't. She sees a girl who was in her former position (on the street), and she happily passes by. She sees the old ventriloquist and says hello but her face doesn't show any dawning realization of how sh-itty life really is.