OMG this movie was such a mind funk, didnt know WTF was going on most of the time. Was the double and James the same person??? Is it his crazy side???? does each person have a double O WHAT?!?!
EXPLAIN MOVIE, EXPLAIN!!!
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Although confusing, this was quite a thought provoking film, obviously and purposely left to interpretation.
Plot and logic aside, I was really impressed with the art direction, acting and overall atmosphere. For that alone, this movie is more than worth watching - of course, if you have a taste for it.
Together with the other great interpretations (as you may find in the "Confused!" topic, I have a slightly different one, which may have been pointed before.
Ok, so here we go.
At some point, Simon reaches a limit - has had enough of being pushed around, not noticed, and so on. So he invents a better him, a person who materializes in James. Some may think they're linked, others may think James doesn't even exist (the Fight Club theory).
I think that Simon wished to become James, and started to portray him, but eventually couldn't handle becoming James, it just wasn't him, and this - let's call it incompatibility - results in Simon losing control over James, who rapidly becomes an individual of his own, stealing every bit of the real Simon (his work, his girl), turning Simon into a ghost.
Then Simon semi-suicides himself thus killing James. Yey.
The real question is: how much does Hanna know? Who does she love? Was it enough that she saw the drawings Simon put together from pieces thrown in the garbage? Does she realise who Simon really is, really was? I guess that, when we see her wearing the earrings (in the ambulance) she received from Simon, we're led to believe that Hanna picked Simon. Or should we believe that, like everyone else at work probably, Hanna thinks she loves James, (because Simon intentionally kills Simon), as a plot to recover all the credit that was due to him - now 'filling the shoes' of James.
Anyway, be careful what you wish for.
