MovieChat Forums > Pâfekuto burû (1999) Discussion > Why did Mima risk her own life to save h...

Why did Mima risk her own life to save her ??? SPOILERS

posted 13 years ago by snake_eyes989
8 replies | jump to latest

*SPOILERS DOWN BELOW*

Just finished watching it - a very nice and mature piece of animation :)
I was wondering, at the very end, why did Mima choose to save her tormentor (and former mentor lol) Rumi from getting splattered like a pancake by that truck?

I mean, she threatened her, seriously messed with her head, killed several people in cold blood, tried to kill her in the end - and she risks her own life by jumping after her in front of a 2 ton truck.

Mima was a really good person, I guess (and as shown in the movie, more than little naive I'd say).

This may sound cold, but personally, I wouldn't mind seeing that fat psycho get squashed, it would be kind of fitting.

Was Mima simply acting on instincts in a split second, or did she really want to save Rumi? I'd say the latter, but what do other people think? :)

"The Right Man in the Wrong Place can make all the difference in the World..."

[–] jal_90 13 years ago

Don't try to explain it. I think it's a common mistake from many viewers trying to adjust what they see in the movie to a logic. You know the story is told from the point of view of Mima, whose view of reality is strongly affected by her illness. Trying to associate some sort of logic to the pieces of a story connected by the mind of somebody who suffers an identity disorder will be useless, and in that sense is where the ambiguity of the script lies. You can believe everything happened or you can just explain the whole of it as a dream/hallucination. There is not a certain, 100% verifiable reality in it.

[–] snake_eyes989 13 years ago

"You can believe everything happened or you can just explain the whole of it as a dream/hallucination. There is not a certain, 100% verifiable reality in it."

That certainly stands true for some scenes in the movie, especially the ones where Mima falls asleep/wakes up like 10 times xD :D. As you said, her view of reality is becoming seriously distorted.

However, the final scenes are "confirmed" by the filming techniques and the setting to be taking place outside of Mima's mind - in the real world. Rumi tries to kill her and chases her, and it's a fact that Mima risks her own life to save her. Not all of the plot is a fabrication of Mima's mind.

But, now that you mention it - maybe it can be viewed that Mima saved Rumi because she wasn't completley aware of herself, and maybe felt connected to Rumi (who is still very much of a psycho) through the singer persona?

Just throwing out some ideas.

What do other people think?
:)

"The Right Man in the Wrong Place can make all the difference in the World..."

[–] onegilliamfan 13 years ago

Rumi and Mima had a strong relationship, and it would have made Mima feel guilty to let Rumi buy it.

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] jal_90 12 years ago

Well, one way or the other, I think it is a perfectly normal reaction to try to save somebody when is going to be killed. Even if she was a crazy psychopath Rumi was a person Mima was fond of.

Actually the movie doesn't explain if Mima is still hallucinating or not. But even if she didn't I can understand that her first instinctive reaction is trying to save Rumi.

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[–] Singingtothestardust 12 years ago

She really wanted to save her. Rumi never did anything to Mima, it was all her alter-ego. Rumi was suffering from a sever case of DID (dissociative identity disorder), she had no conscious idea of what she was doing to Mima or anyone else. It's not like she actually understood what was going on and chose to do all of it.

Dale Cooper: Are you Laura Palmer?
Laura: I feel like I know her. But sometimes my arms bend back.

[–] snake_eyes989 12 years ago

"Rumi never did anything to Mima, it was all her alter-ego."

True, Rumi is obviously severely mentally ill, and I am certainly no psychologist or expert in psychology :), but I do believe that Rumi was at least slightly conscious of what she was doing. I know that's somewhat of a paradox when it comes to mental illness but still...If you pay attention to certain scenes, you notice the strange way she sometimes gazes at Mima - her view ranges from cold resentment to jelaousy. Or maybe that's just my viewing. She was mentally ill, definitley true. But also (I believe) envious and resentful of Mima even in her conscious/"normal" persona, and not able to let go of her days of glory. That might have acted as heavy fuel for the obsession and mania.

I think it's interesting that Rumi acts like some sort of overbearing yet emotionally distant mother-type character, and it's interesting how Mima is cut off from her real mom (who is only heard on the phone) throughout the movie.
Just a thought.

"The Right Man in the Wrong Place can make all the difference in the World..."

[–] klantarsel 11 years ago

I think she wanted to save Rumi because she was her friend, she had helped her so much in her career and Mima seems to feel a lot of obligation towards her. Even though Rumi wants to kill her, it is obvious that she is mentally sick and needs some sort of help. This may be naive to the extreme, but i think this is what helps to make Mima into such a sympathetic person.

Why did Mima risk her own life to save her ??? *SPOILERS*

Why did Mima risk her own life to save her ??? SPOILERS