Like a previous commenter, I, too didn't know where the film was going,but was glad I stuck with it. I found Bonnell's story deceptively simple. It basically tells of Julien's obsession with Olga, a beautiful clerk at a bookstore whom he fantasizes about seducing. Once he realizes that she is a wife and mother, his obsession is exorcized and that Alice, a very close friend, is, in fact, the perfect woman for him. But the story is much more complex than that. Every character has some personal demon that their fighting with, but at the same time have people around them who care. and in the end, problems are not really solved, no dreams are fulfilled, the characters just continue to live with their pain but are able to deal with it because they have people around who love them.
I like the ending, as in the beginning, where we hear julien's piano playing. It signifies to the audience that life, as Bonnell sees it, is not a continuous flow, it's a series of stop.. starts... Emotions are fickle.. People do and say stupid things, fantasies fester and become paralyzing, the pot is stirred, and basically all you can do is wait it out until the pot boils over, than you can continue on with life.
I like the ending, as in the beginning, where we hear julien's piano playing. It signifies to the audience that life, as Bonnell sees it, is not a continuous flow, it's a series of stop.. starts... Emotions are fickle.. People do and say stupid things, fantasies fester and become paralyzing, the pot is stirred, and basically all you can do is wait it out until the pot boils over, than you can continue on with life.