Spoiler
alert
If
you haven't already seen these two films, don't read on if you don't
want to know how Volume II ends.
General
comment
I
had a huge problem with the ending, and came up with what I believe
to be a superior version. That being said, both volumes are well
worth seeing - if for no other reason than wonderful performances,
especially by Charlotte Gainsbourg and Stellan Skarsgard. And, oddly
enough, the humor von Trier shares with us.
A
Cat and the One who got away
My
proposed ending will make more sense in the context of this true,
brief story from my personal life:
On
Dec. 31, 2009, I was helping a female friend move from her basement
living space into a two-bedroom unit with me. I had offered to share
my newly-leased space with her, without asking for any help with the
rent or utility bills.
Disclaimer:
I know what some of you are thinking, so let's address that right
away. My friend and I never had a romantic relationship. She wasn't
even into friendly hugs, so that stopped pretty early on in our
four-plus years of sharing living space. And yet, I think of our time
together - she now lives out of state - as among the most richly
rewarding in my life. Imagine that! Without sex!
My
friend loves cats and had three living with her in her space. I heard
a scratching at the window, which she opened to reveal a fragile
kitten. The kitten didn't come in but merely waited until she put a
small bowl of food on the sill. This was one of the coldest days of
the year and the poor thing was shivering and walked with a limp. But
it didn't try to come in, even though she urged it to.
After
eating, the kitten limped away into the cold night and she closed the
window. As if anticipating my question, she said: "She won't
come in because she lives with her mom and littermates in a garage.
She wants to stay with her family and I respect that."
I
came to know my friend as someone who would rather see her cats eat
than feed herself. That's an unusual kind of love. So is it any
wonder that I came to love her for having such a selfless spirit.
What might be a wonder – to some – is how anyone can love without
sex. It's not only possible, but in some cases, far more rewarding.
I
call her “The one who got away.” I've had two other women in my
life, whom I've never seen again, and I worship the memories of the
times we had together.
The
Ending
Joe
ends up killing the man who had taken her in. She had been badly
beaten in an alley where he (Seligman) found her. He took her to his
place to recuperate and they spend the night talking. She shares her
life story with this very cerebral man who is a virgin living in a
depressing dump. She is very open in what she shares and tries to
answer his questions as directly as possible.
As
dawn breaks, she says she wants to go to sleep and then thanks him
for being the only friend she ever had. She also says she wants to
kick her sex addiction. He leaves and closes the door behind him. So
far, so good. But soon, we see her asleep and the door opening.
Seligman approaches Joe's bed wearing only a shirt. He shifts her
body with sex in mind. She awakens with a start and pulls a gun out
of her purse.
Then
the screen goes black and we hear him say, “But you've fucked
thousands of men.” She doesn't say a word but we hear a shot and
then the sound of her feet running hurriedly into the night.
My
objections
For
Seligman to approach Joe as he did was completely out of character.
The films – neither Vol I nor Vol II – didn't prepare us for
this. In fact, he seemed the epitome of the sympathetic, platonic
friend. And yet, Lars von Trier is telling us there is no such thing
in spite of all appearances to the contrary.
I
also had a problem with Joe trying to shoot the male lover of her
female lover in the alley. Joe didn't know how to fire this
particular type of gun, so her intended victim ended up beating the
crap out of her. [NOTE: Seligman tells her what she should have done
to get the gun to fire properly.] Her female lover (also present)
then pisses on her. Nothing in the film prepared us for Joe
attempting to kill a stranger. There wasn't any hint that Joe was in
love with her lover, so jealousy couldn't have been a motive. In
fact, Joe discounts love as a factor in adult human relationships.
So
we have two people acting grossly out of character, violating how
they were presented earlier in the film.
My
ending
As
soon as Joe told Seligman that she regarded him as the only friend
she ever had, he should have (as happened in the film) left her alone
to sleep, closing the door behind him. With the camera still focused
on the door, however, the screen should have gone to black showing
these words, “Two years later.”
Joe
and Seligman would be living together in a warm, inviting, brightly
lit place in the countryside. She'd be in the garden, tending to her
plants. And he would be at a gate with a friend looking at her.
Seligman would say, “Who is she? A friend.” When asked, “With
benefits?,” he responds with, “More than you can imagine, but no
sex. This is much better than you can imagine.”
Afterthought
As
for Seligman having thoughts of (er) abandoning his virginity, that's
the realm of the sex surrogate. He didn't have to “approach” Joe
in his unerected nudity. It can't be said he tried to rape Joe, just
that he didn't ask for her permission. If some woman told me that I
was the only friend she had in life – after being sexual with
thousands of men – I would have felt immensely honored and
supportive. And I don't think I'm being unique here. Certainly,
Seligman had been portrayed as being similarly sympathetic to the
female cause.
No
doubt about it – Lars von Trier blew the ending.
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Steven
Searle, Just another member of the
Virtual
Sangha of the Lotus and
former
candidate for President of the United States (in 2008 & 2012)
Contact
me at bpa_cinc@yahoo.com
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