When we die, most matters in our lives have yet to be resolved. We’re dead, we had a good/bad/semi-interesting life, and that’s about all that’s concrete. There are so many other bits of information that have yet to be determined: What will happen to our families? Who will come to our funerals? Will we be buried or cremated? Will the people we wronged ever be able to forgive us for what we’ve done? It’d be nice for our lives to be tied up with a pretty bow like movie characters’ are, but it’s never going to work that way. If you watch Barton Fink, the ending will probably shock you upon first viewing. The main character, Barton, has just discovered that his best friend in Hollywood, Charlie, is a mass serial killer and was responsible for killing the woman he loved. Charlie gave him a box filled with his “personal items” and left the state. Barton takes his new posession to a beach and sits down. A woman walks up to him and asks him what’s in the box. He doesn’t know, and he says so. Cue the credits.
Moving on to a more recent piece of movie magic from the Coens, No Country for Old Men, we find yet another version of an ambiguous ending. This movie takes the aspect of the open ending further than Barton Fink did in 1991. No Country focuses around the story of an insane serial killer named Anton Chigurh who is chasing a Southern sharpshooter named Llewelyn Moss, who found a suitcase filled with two million dollars on the scene of a drug bust gone bad. The movie comes equipped with a killer of an ending, involving the sheriff, Ed Tom Bell, talking about a dream he had the night after Anton showed just how much destruction he can cause in one night to one town. The dream is a bit dull, and Tommy Lee Jones’s voice is boring to say the least, so viewers tended to zone out after the first minute or two. The last bit of dialogue in the film is “And then I woke up.” The viewers are left with no clear answers. Is Anton still alive? How many people did he kill in total? Was Llewelyn, the main character “hero” who usually survives everything, a victim? Who’s got the two million bucks now? Everything is left up to the viewer; the ending is left undeniably open.
I’ll probably write more later, but Jeff really wants to read this, so I’ll send it out now. 
Yeah, I’m pretty sure that closed endings and reality should become official antonyms. I am however bummed that I haven’t seen either of the films you referenced.
Comment by jv06 — February 1, 2008 @ 5:24 pm
Hey Allison, I know I’m not in your class or anything, but obviously you saw me talking about the blogs with Ms. Baz today, so here i am commenting on yours! I just thought I’d let you know that you picked the topic I would be most interested in, mostly because I saw No Country recently (and a bunch of other flicks from last year with similar ambiguous endings). So… awesome choice! haha. I’ll talk to you soon.
-molly
ps. Barton Fink is actually one of my least favorite Coens– what’s your favorite? I love Raising Arizona.
Comment by Molly O — February 1, 2008 @ 6:43 pm
wow, ali cat, wow, this is amazing. you really hit the spot on this one. and that barton fink movie sounds really good, i think i might just have to rent it sometime…lol
Comment by bgemme — February 1, 2008 @ 11:51 pm
Well done, Alli! You’ve created a nice bridge to start your discussion by grounding the very notion of ambiguous endings in everyday life. I’ve not seen No Country For Old Men yet, but I’m a huge fan of the Coens (as I said earlier) and plan on seeing it soon.
Nice, too, to see the esteemed Ms. O’Connor arrive on the scene.
Comment by Ms. Baz — February 6, 2008 @ 7:32 pm
That was a good blog Ali I liked the beginning of it when you talked about death and what happens after we die. I probably would have understood what you were talking a little bit more if I had seen either of the two movies you talked about but I got the drift. But I have seen Raising Arizona, thats a good movie.
Comment by chalupka — February 10, 2008 @ 10:29 am