aj

this was a seemingly accurate and interesting representation of an incel, before that was really a “thing”. isolation taking this disillusioned route leading to alienation and violent destruction. the unsettling nature of his effects on betsy really stuck. viewing her not even as a human but an artificial ideal that he curated for himself out of entitlement. then there’s iris, who essentially falls into his only other view for women, the “tainted”. it leads to a savior complex around her which again supports the concept of him viewing women as concepts and not humans with complexities. the movie importantly calls out that mindset for its internal destructive nature and external harmful effects that a reductionist idea of women as symbols can have.  i’m not really sure if this is the consensus as i haven’t looked around, but from my point of view, the ending didn’t seem like reality. it seems like a fantasy. the perfect world that it leads on, with travis being viewed as this hero that survives, winning over the woman that he always felt entitled to, and iris being saved by the savior he wanted to be. the streets are calm, he almost seems unscathed so soon after the incident. it screams hallucination. especially with the pan over the building from his body to the wreckage he left behind. i think this is a rewarding ending that reflects the true danger of what he was and what that mindset will do to society on a large scale.  also, i really loved the score. it became more eerie over time, and i specifically loved the haunting rendition of the film’s main instrumental that’s played post-climax.