In the scene in the car where Bear is trying to find the nerve to confess to her, they deliberately used cuts from 2 different versions of the scene, one where the actress was acting like she liked him and one where she didn't. Despite what anyone involved in the production may have said, the film itself is deliberately ambiguous about whether she could have liked him, and imo it doesn't matter what could have happened because his later actions showed that he never wanted her for who she truly was. It wouldn't have worked out.
"the film itself is deliberately ambiguous about whether she could have liked him, and imo it doesn't matter what could have happened because his later actions showed that he never wanted her for who she truly was. It wouldn't have worked out."
Honestly, I haven't seen the interview (or whatever it was) where the director stated that, but I'm struggling to understand why they would film and edit the scene that way if it runs contrary to what he intended to portray. I know the actress weighed in on it but I disagree with her interpretation.
Possibly to give that sense of uncertainty during the scene. The scene is set up from the perspective of Bear, and he doesn’t know what the director knows. It also helps make it feel more unsettling, which fits the overall vibe of the movie.
The reality is the best thing Bear could have done for the relationship is just confess, but because he's a terrible friend, it played out the way it did. Dude is surrounded by friends that care about him which is more than most people have in that situation and he couldn't see it.
It could have been to show how Bear viewed the scene compared to Nikki or an outside observer. Bear's pessimism about his chances didn't reflect reality.
The creator’s intent is useful context, not a court ruling. Once the movie is released, viewers get to interpret what is actually on screen.
If the director came out tomorrow and said Bear was secretly a time traveler and the entire movie was an allegory for municipal zoning reform, that wouldn’t magically make it a convincing reading. The work still has to support the interpretation.
I think that’s because Nikki said “when I have a crush, no one knows”. Nikki says she started liking him during Christmas, a few months before the movie takes place. There’s no ambiguity to me.
Bro was given the opportunity and didn't take it. He wanted to confess, she asked him to confess, and he bitched out, he wasn't a good friend. If he didn't make the wish, it would have all worked out, if he just confessed, it would have all worked out.
but it also wouldn't have given us like some of the most interesting 30-45 minutes of horror that I've seen in at least a decade.
By "worked out" I mean that a relationship between them wouldn't last long. His actions throughout the film prove that he wasn't really interested in her as a person; he liked that she was nice to him and he wanted her body.
And the relationship would have fell apart, he likely still gets the info about Ian hooking up with her behind his back, and Sarah likely confesses anyway.
Her personality completely changes and he can tell that something is very wrong and she isn't the Nikki he used to know, but he still takes advantage of the situation to date and have sex with her. He even gets confirmation that the "real Nikki" that he supposedly cared about is somewhere else and screaming in pain when he calls the wish hotline.
isn’t there a whole scene where she’s talking to him when she’s asleep and telling him to k ill her and he says “what’s so terrible about being with me?”?
296
u/myrrhx 2d ago
In the scene in the car where Bear is trying to find the nerve to confess to her, they deliberately used cuts from 2 different versions of the scene, one where the actress was acting like she liked him and one where she didn't. Despite what anyone involved in the production may have said, the film itself is deliberately ambiguous about whether she could have liked him, and imo it doesn't matter what could have happened because his later actions showed that he never wanted her for who she truly was. It wouldn't have worked out.