MovieChat Forums > The Last Thing Mary Saw (2022) Discussion > Loved it, can we discuss the ending?

Loved it, can we discuss the ending?

posted 2 years ago by mr159 (136)
2 replies | jump to latest

Possible explanation.

The old woman coming back from her own death and saying "it is misguided trying to fight me" probably means she represents Dogma. Timeless and immortal, everyone looks to her for authority and guidance. Dogma has the power to silence people, as seen in that supernatural scene where she literally tears out Eleanor's vocal chords. Even when there's seemingly nobody left and Mary begs her father to speak up, he gets shot before he can open his mouth. Dogma also blinds people to reason, like the old woman blinded Mary.

Which brings me to the book that everyone reads from. The father fears the book. Eleanor and Mary read it as a work of irony and biting cynicism. The old lady interprets it literally. Possible metaphor for how Christians see the Bible. Or is it a reference to "God creates enemies to perform his good" - the same book giving Mary and the old lady opposing ideas on religion?

What about the black finger? What does that mean? I'm not a Christian so maybe I might have missed some of the less obvious motifs.

[–] johnnybiscotti (384) 2 years ago

I guess that makes sense as much as anything else I could try to take from this.

She (old matriarch) represents tradition, religion, and it is futile to rebel against that.

The religious puritanical fear of feminine sexuality, especially lesbian sexual energy, is a common theme in movies. I couldn't figure out the supernatural angle imposed in this film on top of that. But your take on it sounds like a good explanation.

What to make of the "intruder"? I liked the tone of this movie but feel scattered at the end.

[–] ColumboKate (5334) 2 years ago

Nice interpretation. I'm not religious at all so that's a good insight for me.

The black finger is ominous. To me it suggests that the old woman and Mary are now linked together somehow, somewhere in the afterlife maybe. The fingers have a negative part in the story so whatever the meaning, I doubt it's anything good.