cabaretic

I just saw the movie Closer with Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts...and that other British guy.

The ending is rather perplexing to me. I mean, naturally, I have my own theories as to why "Alice" never revealed her real name to Dan, but I wonder if someone who's more well read on the subject would help me out. Obviously, the fact that Alice was a name picked from a wall of people who had given their lives to help other people probably says a lot. My personal take on it, is that Jane/Alice is the antithesis of that sort of altruism. All of the characters are selfish and don't sacrifice anything for the benefit of anyone else. They're only in it for their own gratitude.

And futhermore, the movie centers on trust, or the lack thereof. Jane/Alice obviously doesn't trust Dan enough to tell him her real name, but does trust the doctor guy to tell him her real name.

What I pull out of this is that essentially the movie is saying that we are attracted to the very things that are worst for us. The ultimately depressing conclusion is that none of the characters end up with anyone they truly love or who truly loves them in return, they just end up with whomever pleases them the most for their own selfish whims.

Anybody else who has seen the movie care to comment?