With the exception of dramatic cliffhangers and harrowing documentaries, it's hard to find a film today that doesn't include some sort of idealist ending. Whether these be true "happy endings" or simply endings that provide some sense of closure, they tend to wrap up story arcs in an unrealistic way. Even The Stranger closes with a moment of profound acceptance and self-awareness on Meursault's part that makes the novel feel complete, despite his impending death. While a protagonist coming to terms with his/her own death can certainly be emotionally raw for the viewer, so many films have done it well (Leon: The Professional in particular) that the concept is now cliche.
What I found intriguing about Trust is that despite Matthew's comically predictable suicide plot, the movie lacks the sense of closure I've come to expect. Sure we see Maria staring longingly at the police car as Matthew is taken away, but there's no cheesy subtext that they'll someday reunite once he's freed. The baby is gone, their marriage has been seemingly acknowledged as a sham, and Matthew's gone to prison over nothing. His dramatic grenade stunt didn't give him the dramatic exit he was looking for, and yet Maria's saving him didn't magically fix everything either. Real life doesn't neatly wrap itself up when a particular story has been told through, just as the characters in Trust don't end the film with any sense of content or finality.
The only thing implied by the films ending is that perhaps Maria has matured finally, symbolized by her glasses and plain dress in lieu of her old, superficial style. That being said her father is still dead, her mother is still hugely manipulative, and her relationship is over. It's silly to think everything will be perfect for Maria now, but it gives the film's events purpose in the context of her development. I like to view Trust not as an individual story but instead as only a piece of Maria's turbulent life. By ending the movie as he did, Hal Hartley was able to give it a sense of something bigger that one would never expect from a low budget indie drama.
I agree. There wasn't really any closure on the film. My problem with the film was that all the characters stayed stagnant throughout the film. So it was not very hard to be engaged in the film because the characters acted the same pretty much through the whole film.
ReplyDeleteI think you made a good point that this ending did not have a clear closing and left a lot to imagination. However, I think it did have a profound meaning at the end. Matthew, in my opinion, realizes that he does care about something in his world, Maria. Although they were not all over each other in a romantic way, the subtle signs of feelings were definitely there. Had Matthew not jumped next to her, none of this would have happened. Therefore, I think that this event did create a significant ending to the story, but I agree with you that the movie didn't necessarily have a sense of closure.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the film had almost no closure and was very open ended. While it did not have a cheesy ending like most films, it did end with Matthew realizing he cares for something and Maria as well. It was not exactly a love story, but it was a story partially about love.
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