MovieChat Forums > Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2016) Discussion > Faison and "I wish we could run off toge...

Faison and "I wish we could run off together"

posted 8 years ago by deltajvliet
2 replies | jump to latest

Maybe I'm reading too much into their final conversation, but the way she immediately dismissed his comment because of his impending redeployment seemed to disappoint Billy.

"We can't run off, you have to go back."

Would she not respect him if he had gotten an honorable discharge? Was she only enamored by the idea of a heroic soldier? There were a few interesting red flags with her; during their first conversation, when she asks if he's Christian, Ang Lee breaks the 180 degree rule, supplementing a slightly jarring tonal shift in the conversation. Then seconds after bringing up God, she's all over him like they're in Sodom or Gomorrah.

And then that last conversation... He was certainly enamored with her, but ultimately he realized she was into an unquestioning and unequivocally patriotic caricature of a soldier, not the true Billy Lynn. He has an expression of subtle sadness as she walks away; she's just another person who doesn't "get" soldiers.

Did anyone else feel that scene had a sad poignance, or did you read into it differently?

I can promise you a day of reckoning that you will not live long enough to never forget.

[–] GlukeMore 8 years ago

I noticed that too, I think it's something that's supposed to keep us wondering if they really had a connection, or if she just liked the uniform. It definitely hit me hard.

At times, it really seemed like she got Billy as a person, and not a soldier. She was a lot more sympathetic and caring when talking with him about the war, when most of the other people were asking things like "What's it like to kill someone?"

I gotta say, this movie really did impact me. (Even though it's fiction) I can't stop wondering what happened to Billy, I hope he and the rest of Bravo made it home, and that he got the girl.

[–] DesiBaba 8 years ago

I went to the see the movie with a friend and both of us saw that last interaction the same way. It felt like she liked the idea of Billy the hero/soldier and not the "real" Billy.