I don’t understand this movie. I can’t tell what the vignettes of the janitor represent and I don’t fully grasp the symbolism of the following:
- The tyre chains
- The rapid aging of Jake’s parents
- The main character’s name changing
- the main character’s changing major
- the snow (it shouldn’t be snowing in Oklahoma)
- the father’s bandage
- the childhood photograph that is both the main character and Jake
- the ice cream shop Furthermore, I don’t quite grasp what is literal and what is symbolic in each segment.
To me this seems like a movie about decision paralysis and anxiety. I see the motif of change moreso than anything else in the story and am the differential outcomes. Of course, I might just be projecting my own fears unto something I don’t understand. On further thought, I think I just don’t know what’s happening and it unnerves me as a result. For some reason I found this movie scarier than most horror movies. It might just be because of the general unnerving atmosphere and confusion. Lastly, the ending makes no sense whatsoever. I have no idea what just happened. Not even a semblance of a clue.
I might just be bad at fiction.
I enjoyed it as a piece of experiential art. Not as rich in meaning or as coherent as his other films, but it did get a reaction out of me other than confusion or disappointment, so I enjoy it.
I don’t disagree with criticisms of it, but I do think it’s a compelling film. To me, at least