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Ewan Mcgregor - Blog Posts
i am once again reminded that not many things leave my very heart downright aching as christian's echoing sobs, the wails during satine's death oh my god
ewan you goddamn mastermind
https://www.tumblr.com/nildurumvolenti/776033984136331264
Idk I think this would make you laugh
thank you for thinking of me and sharing this :)
LOOK WHAT I FOUND
For my birthday today I went on a shopping spree (idk if buying 7 clothing items at a thrift store counts as a "spree" but oh well lol) and I decided to quickly peruse the movie section. I restricted myself to only buying a movie if it was a Ewan one so that I didn't go over budget. I wasn't expecting to find anything cuz I was already at the bottom shelf and BOOM! I COULDN'T BELIEVE MY EYES!!!!!
I screamed! I couldn't help it! I was so surprised and excited that one of my FAVORITE Ewan movies was for sale!!!! Plus, this was one movie that I figured I'd NEVER find in store especially not on DVD. Hands down this single handedly made my birthday PERFECT! 🤗
I loved this scene. I could smell the joke coming a mile away but it was still so cute 😁
↳ I Love You, Phillip Morris (2009)
Ewan McGregor fans assemble!
I NEED to get my dash looking like I woke up in Ewan McGregor heaven. I can't take only seeing posts that invoke all out panic and despair. I get it. I GET IT! We're all gonna be murdered and select rich white people will finally live their 1950s wet dream and there's nothing we can do about it. Is it too much to ask that I at least be able to read some quality Ewan fanfic as shit hits the fan? What about headcanons of an obscure character? Where are pictures of his handsome face? Think-pieces on an underrated movie? We need a Titanic "and the band played on" moment but it's just all the Ewan McGregor fans sending memes and gifs and whatnot. Please for the love of GOD, I need some happiness 😫
For anyone who isn't able to use the link my moot sent this is what it was. SQUEEEE! 🥰
Fun fact about this blog: the "loyc" in my username stands for "Lipstick on Your Collar" which was Ewan's very first televised role!
Lipstick on Your Collar (1993)
https://www.tumblr.com/somethingsteff/775288280154505216
90s Ewan stuff for u
I'm in-fucking-love with you! YESSS this means so much to me that you saw this and thought of me and shared it! Ahhh! 🤗 Kicking my feet! Thank you, dearest moot!
Oh. My. GAWWD! I love it! You are sweeter than honey, my friend 🥹 I can't believe you thought of me and then took time to make one of your collages FOR me 😭 my heart is touched to the nth degree 💓 You are precious 🫂 it is honor to be YOUR friend! 🫶 I have nothing in my heart but love for you. Thank you thank you thank you! 💕💕💕
for my good friend @loycspotting , thank you for being my friend . You are the coolest user here(no offense to anyone else I follow) 🦢
I GOT THE MOVIE AND SHIRT TODAY
Bonus shirt I bought. It's from Stranger Things and I thought it was cool. There was a Hellfire shirt too but I couldn't find it so it was probably bought already.
We got an Obi-Wan Kenobi t-shirt at work today! It was him in The Clone Wars and I got so excited! It was priced super cheap too so it will probably be gone tomorrow but still. I also Ewan's movie The Ghostwriter for sale and it was still in the wrap! Cool stuff
22. (A Brief) Ewan McGregor Movie Review: Young Adam (2003)
I haven't made a post in awhile, especially a Ewan movie review. I had started working on the Screentime Percentage about a month ago and then life happened and it got shelved 🫤. I didn't want to leave it halfway done so I finally finished tallying his SP this week! However, this won't be a regular review and I can't guarantee that I'll go back to my original format. I still enjoy tallying the SP but honestly, I've fallen out of love with the review writing portion. It's just a lot and I figured I might as well just do the part I enjoy instead of forcing myself to do the part I don't. So that's my little update!
Synopsis: "Young Adam" is about Joe Taylor, an amoral drifter, who discovers a dead woman's body while with his workmate. As the rest of the town is swept up in the sensational story, Joe is slowly consumed by his secret that he alone knows the true fate of the mysterious woman.
Screentime Percentage: Ewan is on screen for 69/98 minutes making his SP 70%. This means that Rogue Trader has finally been knocked out of the #1 spot!
To Ewan or not to Ewan: Is the movie worth watching for Ewan alone? Yes. Outside of the high SP, this is also an erotic movie so there's lots of sexy Ewan content. I counted seven sex scenes plus one implied, ten shirtless scenes, five kissing scenes, and two nude scenes (one ass shot and the other frontal nudity). This isn't even including the nudity performed by women. There's also the infamous Custard Scene™️ which you just have to experience for yourself. Is the movie worth watching in general? No. I've seen it a few times now and it just fails to interest me. Maybe the book is better but the movie is plain boring.
Where to Watch: It's currently uploaded for free on YouTube.
😍 thanks for tagging me @toxictoad
Padawan Obi using references of young Ewan McGregor with long hair ❤️
After watching Ewan's Walk of Fame ceremony I feel reinvigorated. Finally cracked open my notebook to work on the EMSP again!
FANDOM ALERT 🚨 FANDOM ALERT 🚨
Attention all Ewan McGregor fans! This is not a drill!
I'm pumped! I'm hype! I'm frothing at the mouth cuz TODAY'S THE BIG DAYYYYYY 🎉🎉🎉
Ewan is getting his star on the Walk of Fame TODAY at 11:30am Pacific Time!
Make sure to double check the time conversion for your zone!
The ceremony will be streamed live on www.walkoffame.com
I'm excited to show up and SHOW OUT for our mans!🤩🤩🤩
Don't apologize for SHIT! Imma be crazy right there with you, Pal! 😝
I apologize in advance for the level of crazy I’m going to become tomorrow while watching Ewan get his star on the walk of fame (and Hayden speak!).
Fun. That's what the fuck Down with Love had going on. Fun! We need movies that will be unashamedly fun and quirky and just plain silly again. Not sarcastic. Not making fun of itself (or the audience) because it knows it's "cringe" and is embarrassed about it. Just let movies be full-blown wacky and ridiculous! It doesn't need to justify why it's that way. Embrace the weird! Be fun!
we need to bring back to cinema whatever the FUCK down with love had going on
The Ewan Match Maker Game
I've been tumbling this around in my head and I don't think it's nearly fleshed out enough but I wanna do it anyway 😅 What better way to work out the kinks, right?
Okay, so the game is that I'm going to match you to who I think is your perfect Ewan McGregor character boyfriend!
All I need from you is to reblog this post with the answer to 3 simple questions.
What is your favorite movie? (does not have to be Ewan related)
What is currently your #1 song on repeat?
Describe your favorite character in 3 words (don't tell me the character)
I'll send my answer to you in your ask box!
Let's see how well this goes lol
Jesus Christ, OP you're killing it with these edits! This one hits hard and gave me a new song to check out!
.Trainspotting (1996).
[Song: Weird Fishes/Arpeggi - Radiohead]
Beautifully done. Wow.
.Trainspotting (1996) + T2 Trainspotting (2017).
[Song: How to Disappear Completely - Radiohead]
For the Ewan character ask game:
Q17 + Alex Law.
He’s my bbygirl 💚
17. What's a ship for this character you don't hate but it's not your favorite that you're fine with?
Well, this is an interesting question for Alex because, from what I recall, there are only six named characters beside him in Shallow Grave. The few other characters he interacted with are nameless and/or have no speaking lines. Plus, I don't think I actually ship Alex with anyone. So, I guess I'll say Cameron. He seems really sweet and maybe they could make up and start over.
Thanks for the ask!
Back for another: Lincoln 6-Echo, (The Island) 25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?
I rewatched The Island not too long ago and honestly my impression of Lincoln has stayed the same. He's very intelligent for someone so innocent and oh my GOD, absolutely adorable. Truly pure of heart.
Alex Law (shallow grave) 12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?
Okay this is gonna be long-winded lol
So Alex tends to be talked about in the context of the movie during his present timeline but I don't see people talk about Alex post events.
I think Alex would become a shell of the man he was. He wouldn't still be loud, extroverted, and confident. That would all be left behind on the bloody kitchen floor. I think he would become paranoid, highly anxious, and ultimately reclusive. The people he loved and trusted most tried to /murder/ him. I don't see him bouncing back from that with his same bravado from the beginning of the movie.
What I really like about this headcanon is that he would realize he needs therapy. He needs to talk to /someone/. So, he joins a discussion group! And in a cruel twist of irony, he DOES end up meeting his new best friend/partner for his life there! 😁
Wow, yes, I agree. I see this commonality in you and Oliver as well. 🫂💜
Thank you for playing, my dear friend!
Oliver Fields (Beginners) + 6. What's something you have in common with this character?
Oof, that's tough. I think part of why he feels sad is because he's waiting for something more—something that will suddenly make everything better. I can relate to that: to waiting for the "lion."
Hal: ...let's say since you were little, and... and you... you always dreamed of... of someday getting a lion, and you wait and you wait and you wait and you wait, and the lion doesn't come. Then along comes a giraffe. You can be alone, or you can be with the giraffe.
Oliver: I'd wait for the lion.
Hal: That's why I worry about you.
Obi-Wan Kenobi + 5 🎶
What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?
Easy! "Alone and Sublime" by Mother Mother. This song was MADE for my poor Obi
(Ewan) Character Ask Game
This character ask game is from @epickiya722
Rules: Send a Ewan character + one of these questions for me to answer in my ask box. In turn, I will send YOU a Ewan character + question in your ask box.
1. Why do you like or dislike this character?
2. Favorite canon thing about this character?
3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?
4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?
5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?
6. What's something you have in common with this character?
7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?
8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?
9. Could you be roommates with this character?
10. Could you be best friends with this character?
11. Would you date this character?
12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?
13. What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?
14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.
15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)
16. What's your least favorite ship for this character?
17. What's a ship for this character you don't hate but it's not your favorite that you're fine with?
18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?
19. How about a relationship they have in canon that you don't like?
20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?
21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?
22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to this character? Something you don't like?
23. Favorite picture of this character?
24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?
25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?
26. FREEBIE QUESTION!!
@crazyfoolish This is the one I was thinking of when you said "hand in trousers" for some reason 😅
He's so stupey! 😆 What could this have possibly been for?! Lol
why this pic makes me laugh...sorry
Hello!
I feel your sadness and agree. Luckily, I have some info that will hopefully brighten your spirits! Ewan actually did two more musicals after Moulin Rouge!
In 2005, he performed in the stage musical "Guys and Dolls." Unfortunately, I haven't come across a bootleg of the full play but here's a link to him singing "Luck be a Lady" https://youtu.be/yigcJ3OCa-s?si=I70lyYBb6H6ra1Gf
Then in 2017, he was in Disney's live action "Beauty and the Beast" as Lumière. Now, he's a CGI candlestick for 99% of the movie, but he does sing twice that I can recall!
Finally, here's a list of Ewan movies after 2001 that aren't musicals but he does sing in for one reason or another:
Down with Love - 1 end credit song (absolutely gorge)
Miss Potter - 1 song (serenades the main character midway through the movie)
T2 Trainspotting - 1 song midway through the movie (not a serious song at all but still fun)
Bleeding Love - 2 songs (1st in the middle of the movie for fun and 2nd during the end credits as a duet with his daughter)
If you'd like a list of movies pre-Moulin Rouge I can do that too!
Sometimes I think about the fact that after Moulin Rogue, Ewan Mcgregor never did another musical and it makes me sad for the world.
Which Ewan character should I make a headcanon alphabet for next? I want to write and I'm not feeling inspired.
EVERYONE STOP SCROLLING AND READ THIS NOW!
Bestie, this is everything I could've ever wanted. You mind! You're beautiful mind! I don't know what to say. This was food for my soul. You've inspired me to study film analysis. This breakdown blew me away! 🤯 I'm just rambling cuz I'm genuinely floored. Wow!
Queer Text/Subtext in Shallow Grave (1994)
CW: BLOOD, STABBING, MURDER, NON-SEXUAL NUDITY, DRUG USE
I guess I wrote a rough essay... about the queer subtext in Shallow Grave... Here... have the rough draft if you'd like...
Overt references to queerness:
When we look at contemporary movies, we often have a knee-jerk reaction to dismiss any “funny” references to queerness or sexuality to be taken as jokes and nothing further than that. Unfortunately, this has become all too common, and does a disservice to the films we watch. So I will be taking every moment of referenced or implied queerness as serious, even if it is delivered in a humorous way. Especially because this movie is not meant to be a comedy (despite some humorous moments).
Furthermore, references to queerness in movies should be taken seriously because they establish not only the existence of queerness (in universe, as one might say), but can also demonstrate the character’s attitudes towards queerness. Its important to notice that at no point in this movie are any references to queerness played for a laugh – they might be humorous, but we are not meant to laugh at the character for being queer, which indicates that queerness is taken seriously within the universe of the movie (or at least between the characters).
The first overt reference to queerness is when Juliet asks an interviewee if he is having an affair with a man or a woman and the man is not given screen time to answer. This same man bursts into tears after Alex, a man, says, “When did anyone last say to you these exact words, ‘you are the sunshine of my life’?” (this is a reference to the Stevie Wonder song of the same name). While it is technically (according to the script) said by Alex to a different interviewee, the arrangement of the shots does not indicate that, as it cuts directly from Alex asking the question to the man crying. This could imply a number of things.
The second overt reference to queerness comes at the charity ball, where a Scotsman says, “ladies and gentlemen, and those of you who are neither or both,” which is then met with a drumroll. Alex immediately responds, offended, “where did they dig him up?” implying that Alex finds the joke to be outdated and, perhaps, distasteful.
The third overt reference is when Alex dresses in drag. He also appears in the same scene, on the tape recording wearing some rather flamboyant costumes. The fact that Alex is in drag is not addressed by any of the other characters, nor by Alex, indicates that this is either a usual occurrence, or, for some reason, entirely unremarkable to the characters. Specifically, it is interesting that David does not comment on it, as he walks into the scene unsuspecting.
The fourth, and final, overt reference to queerness is when, upon being told of Juliet and David’s relationship, Alex says to Juliet, “I’d do exactly the same thing except I don’t think I’m his type.” If the line is interpreted sarcastically (which I think most viewers will) then we can assume that he is jealous of David for being with Juliet. If it is interpreted as earnest, then we can assume that he is jealous of Juliet for being with David. It also could be an ambiguous combination of both.
Queer Subtext:
Now let us dig into the subtext, which I actually find to be much juicier....
The Squash Scene and the Car
Directly after the interviews have concluded, we are given a scene which helps frame the relationship between the three characters as one built on dynamics of domination and submission and gives us a baseline to understand each of the character’s roles within this dynamic. This scene takes place on the Squash court.
There is a deviation here between the script and the film, as several lines have been cut, but I will include them as they add some context to the scene.
In the above text, Alex indicates that he sees this game of squash as a struggle for dominance. In this case, the game between Alex and David is won by Alex, who then, despite having called David a “bad loser,” demonstrates that he is a sore winner when he gloats over David by saying, “defeat, defeat, defeat – sporting, personal, financial, professional, sexual, and everything.”
David is clearly annoyed by this and storms off. This scene sets up the ongoing power dynamic between Alex and David in which Alex is the dominant one in the relationship. It also is the first time that we see David being emasculated by Alex, which will continue occurring for the first half of the movie.
Immediately after David leaves the court, Juliet takes his place to play a match against Alex. In this scene she is wearing a rather masculine outfit which is similar to that of the two male characters. She also sports short hair throughout the movie, but this is the scene in which she appears the most “boyish.” When she enters the court to play, Alex begins to make the same statement (“Did you know squash is-”) that he made (in the script) earlier, to David. Thus he is using this exercise as a way to exert dominance, not only over David, his male sexual rival, but also over Juliet, thus implying that she is on equal footing – therefore also a sexual rival. However, Juliet cuts him off and tells him, “Alex, just serve.”
The action of cutting off Alex denies him domination in that moment, thus establishing that the two of them are on much more equal footing, or possibly that Juliet is in fact the dominant one between the two of them. This scene serves to establish that typical gendered dynamics are somewhat blurred between these three individuals, and that David, instead of Juliet, takes on the most feminine/passive role in the group.
The next scene once again highlights the complicated gender and power dynamics within the group. Juliet drives the car (masculine) while Alex and David bicker with one another from the back seat and passenger seat, respectively.
In this scene, addressing Alex’s win, David says, “Victory is the same as defeat – it’s giving into destructive competitive urges,” which distances him from competition, and could be interpreted as him rejecting the masculine urge to dominate. Alex, in return, emasculates him by belittling his reliance on a “discussion group,” (implied to be therapy). During this scene, Alex and David are looking at one another, however, the rear-view mirror blocks both of their eyes. This symbolizes their unwillingness to see “eye-to-eye and perhaps a certain level of repression between the two of them. Also in this scene, Juliet physically dominates Alex by elbowing him in the chest, and attempts to emasculate him verbally by implying that a woman that he is interested in hates him. She does this specifically in response to Alex’s emasculation of David, thus establishing that while Alex might be dominant over David, she is dominant over him. During this exchange, however, in her attempt to protect David from Alex, David is further emasculated because he relies on someone else to defend him.
Discovering the Body / Three Friends, Three Bodies
When the trio discovers Hugo’s body we see some more of this interesting dynamic.
David stands by shocked while Alex ransacks the room searching for paraphernalia, while Juliet (the doctor among them) attends to the body.
Hugo’s nude corpse in this scene represents male vulnerability. He is prone and exposed on the bed, having overdosed on heroin, and can do nothing while his privacy is violated (by the dominant, Alex). The injection of drugs into the body, in this case, could also be said to symbolize emasculation - the breaking of the body barrier through penetration of a syringe (phallus). This exemplifies a significant cultural fear at the time – death of the male body via penetration, which had become a major concern due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. (If I was writing this essay for real, this is where I would insert articles that demonstrate horror’s preoccupation with AIDS and gay stuff during the 80s and 90s, but this is just for fun)
David, of course, is enamored by this display of the fragility of the male body. I would suggest that he identifies with Hugo’s vulnerability in death, and that the treatment of Hugo’s body by Alex and Juliet mirrors the way that they treat David. While Alex takes advantage of Hugo’s vulnerability in death by violating his privacy (thus dominating it), Juliet emasculates Hugo’s corpse by tending to it. In one shot, we also see Juliet’s fingers dangerously close to penetrating Hugo’s mouth.
We can also expand upon this by recognizing that the two male characters that are pursuing Hugo and the trio in search of the money, are parallels to Juliet and David. The two men are able to dominate Juliet and Alex through violence, only then to be killed by David. Thus, the three bodies that the trio end up burying are parallels to the trio themselves.
David Overcomes Emasculation, Alex Becomes Emasculated.
Alex’s emasculation of David continues throughout the first half of the movie, culminating in David being forced to dismember Hugo’s body (the very body that he identifies with). When this occurs, he becomes the violator/aggressor/dominator.
This occurrence proceeds the change in the group dynamic. Around the midpoint of the movie (during the charity ball) we see David transition into a dominant role in the trio, while Alex becomes submissive.
This is demonstrated first by Juliet dominating Alex while they dance. Alex falls to the floor, drunk, and Juliet takes that moment to step on Alex’s mouth, forcing him to lick the bottom of her shoe. He then willingly kisses her ankle, meeting her eye contact submissively. It is made clear through his facial expressions and laughter, that he finds joy in this act, thus embracing the emasculation (whereas David had always responded poorly, rejecting it).
Alex then attempts to re-exert control over David by forcing him to toast when he doesn’t want to. David eventually concedes after Alex yells at him, demanding that he toast to “love and happiness forever.” (Alex also humiliates and emasculates Cameron in this scene).
David finally exerts control when Brian McKenly (a man keen on pursuing Juliet) interrupts their conversation. David responds by standing on level with Brian and stating, “If you want to talk to my girlfriend, you talk to me first. If you want to dance with her, you apply in writing three weeks in advance or you end up inside of a fucking bin bag. You didn’t apply – so you don’t dance!”
While David shrinks a bit afterwards, admitting that he found the interaction stressful, both Juliet and Alex embrace him, in high spirits (one might say… aroused…). Alex exclaims, “He [David] was really good – fucking bin bag – I really liked that. You really explored your maleness to the full there! You were magnificent.” This statement indicates that Alex, who has rarely had an encouraging word for David over the course of the movie, is invigorated upon seeing that David has stepped into a dominant role, exerting his masculinity onto others. Immediately following this, Alex is assaulted in the bathroom by Cameron (who he had emasculated twice prior) and two other men, who beat him quite badly, thus emasculating Alex.
The following day, Alex’s emasculation is made complete when he dresses in drag and spends the day in debauchery with Juliet. The framing of his and Juliet’s bodies during this scene is also worth noting, as they are often visually indistinguishable from one another – with Alex being noticeably more feminine than Juliet in several shots due to his makeup, jewelry, dress, and rather delicate shoulders.
(Notably, during the entirety of the ball scene and much of the drag/video scene, Alex is often pictured smoking a cigar instead of his usual cigarette, which could be said to stand in for a phallus.)
From this point on, David is almost always dominant over Alex. (One notable exception is one moment where Alex leans in close to David during dinner and orders, “now swallow,” while making very intense eye contact. David regains control by reminding Alex that David was the one who dismembered Hugo’s body.)
After this point it is clear that David is undergoing some extreme psychological stress, and has become paranoid and aggressive. His shift in demeanor is most clearly symbolized by this shot, where he calls out of work so that he can begin making plans to protect the cash.
The Wickerman
During one scene, an injured Alex lays on the couch and watches the final scene of The Wickerman (1973).
The Wickerman tells the tale of a conservative Christian police officer who goes to a Scottish isle to investigate the disappearance of a girl, only to discover that the locals are practicing a form of paganism that involves human sacrifice. The police officer discovers that he is in fact the sacrifice. It is implied that he is the sacrifice because he is a virgin and a heterosexual, and he is unwilling to have sex with Christopher Lee’s character. Christopher Lee was most well known at the time for playing the lead in Dracula (1958) – another movie with extremely well documented queer subtext. The audience of The Wickerman would have been aware of this.
During this scene, the drumbeats of the pagan ritual, where the police officer is being marched to his execution/sacrifice, synchronizes with David’s steps overhead, a sound that the characters and the audience come to associate with surveillance and dread.
Honestly this scene has me a bit stumped. Who does Alex identify with in this situation? The heterosexual victim? – is the ending subverted because his submission culminates in… the penetration of Alex's body… thus making him queer? Idk it's been a long day.
Surveillance
During the second half of the movie, David moves into the Attic and rarely comes down when his housemates are home. He is protecting the money, both from his housemates and from the men who eventually come looking for it. While Alex and Juliet are brutalized by the men, David is the one who has set a trap for them, and is able to kill them. He also leads the trio to dispose of the bodies, and drives the van (whereas Alex had driven the van the first time they disposed of the bodies, when he had been the dominant one in the relationship).
During his time in the attic, David drills holes in the ceiling so that he can spy on his housemates. He is literally in a dominant position over them, looking down on them while they go about their daily tasks. In one scene, he spies on Alex and Juliet while they are sleeping. In this scene, he is shown first to be watching Alex. David is also in a state of undress that we have not seen before, implying a certain sensuality to the observation. We do not get to see Alex in a state of undress, but the scene finishes with Alex putting his shoes on, the camera looking down from above, implying David’s Point of view, and that he had watched the whole time. After Alex leaves, David moves to watch Juliet, in a scene that is much longer and more explicitly inappropriate and sexualized, especially because we come to understand that David’s temporary attic bed is located directly over her bed. However, before she begins undressing, he looks away and holds his head in his hands.
This scene simultaneously offers us a leveling effect between the two objects of David’s gaze (Alex and Juliet), while simultaneously prioritizing the heterosexual coupling. However, the implication that there is shame associated with the heterosexual gaze, complicates the situation.
Penetration with the Drill (Phallus)
When Alex goes into the attic to look for the money (and finds it in the water tank), he climbs back down the ladder only to be confronted by David, who is holding a drill (phallus) as a weapon. Alex’s hands are wet from the water, and he frantically wipes them on the seat of his pants, behind his back, visually placing his hands as a barrier to his anus. The Drill makes contact with Alex's head and breaks the skin in an act of penetration (the body barrier is broken). This is the first scene in which David directly engages in domination (and penetration) of Alex.
David’s Glasses and Alex’s Photo
Lenses, mirrors, and portals/doorways are deeply significant visual aids in this movie, but I want to highlight the one that stood out to me the most. When Juliet and David have (implied) sex, at which point they solidify their status as a couple, David removes his glasses, and places them on Juliet’s bedside table. Underneath the glasses is a photo of Alex in costume, a cigar in his mouth, framed through the lens of the glasses. The photo was taken on the day in which we see Alex at his most feminine, at a point where he had been thoroughly emasculated (beaten in a bathroom by a man that he had emasculated multiple times). The framing of the photo, through the lens of David’s glasses implies that this is how David sees Alex – costumed, emasculated, and with a phallus in his mouth.
This photo is also shown once more in the film; David holds the photo of Alex as he lies in his attic bed, and he pins it above his head so he can look at it. The scene cuts to Alex, also in bed, who then gets up. It once again cuts back to David, who also gets up, and we see that Juliet lies asleep next to him. This follows a pattern of shots that we’ve seen before in the film (see the Surveillance section), where we see David watching Alex in what could be interpreted as a sexual or romantic way, before the camera reveals Juliet and lingers significantly. The implication is that whatever there is between David and Alex always gives way to the relationship between David and Juliet.
Returning to the glasses - the final time that we see them is during the climax of the movie. The three characters are struggling against one another, and David’s head is forced into the refrigerator so that Alex can try and smash him with the door. He manages to throw Alex off, but not before his glasses are caught on the shelf of the refrigerator, thus knocking them off his face. Having David’s glasses be knocked off would not typically be significant in a fight scene such as this, however the camera goes out of its way to linger on this shot, indicating that the symbolism here is important. The other time that we have seen David remove his glasses has been before he has (implied) sex with Juliet. In this case, the removal of the glasses occurs just before David pins Alex in his final act of domination, which then culminates in the ultimate symbolic act of sexual penetration – David stabbing Alex with a knife (phallus).
NOTE: David is also pictured without glasses at the beginning of the film, where he is lying on his back, and halfway through the film, after he has dismembered Hugo in a symbolic act of violence against his own vulnerability. In the first scene we hear his monologue; “I’m not ashamed, I’ve known love, I’ve known rejection. I’m not afraid to declare my feelings. Take trust for instance, or friendship. These are the important things in life. These are the things that matter, that help you on your way. If you can’t trust your friends well, then what then? What then? This could have been any city, but all the same.” It is unclear until the end, but it seems that the first time that we see David, right at the beginning, we are actually seeing him postmortem in the morgue. Meaning that the monologue is a lament on his life... (You're not ashamed of what, David? Being a bit gay, perhaps?)
Penetration with the Knife (Phallus)
At the climax of the movie, after David’s glasses have been removed, we arrive at David’s final act of domination over Alex. David pins Alex to the floor by sitting on his stomach, with Alex’s legs pinned underneath his knees in a position that could be interpreted as sexual. He then holds Alex by the throat, and stabs him in the shoulder, slicing clean through and penetrating the floor. The act of stabbing (penetrating) a victim with a knife (phallus) is one often noted in analysis of horror films, as having sexual implications (again – I’d find some article about it here if I was a serious writer lol).
Before David can stab Alex again with a second knife, David is stabbed with a knife through the throat from behind by Juliet. Thus Juliet, who has been a dominant character throughout the movie, is symbolically penetrating David with a phallus. Furthermore, the location of the stabbing in the throat and from behind, implies that David has now suffered, once again, an emasculation, just as he had just preformed on Alex.
David collapses and dies, just as Hugo did, from emasculation through the body barrier being broken from penetration. Thus, David’s identification with Hugo’s corpse and the vulnerability that it represented, is complete in this moment.
Juliet then kneels over Alex, taking up the same position that David had just occupied, and places her hand on the knife in Alex’s shoulder, pressing on it, thus taking David’s place as the one to dominate Alex. She then removes her shoe, and in an act that mirrors the scene from the charity ball in which she dominated Alex by having him lick her shoe/foot, she uses her shoe to hit the knife three times, driving it deeper into his shoulder, further penetrating him. Thus, in her final interaction with both David, and Alex, she has penetrated them.
As she puts her shoe back on, we can see inside of the refrigerator, where we once again see David’s glasses, recalling once again that this scene is coded as sexual in nature through the movie's visual language.
As the movie closes, we discover that Alex is alive (probably), and that he has hidden the money underneath the floorboard. In the ultimate irony of the movie, the character that spent the second half of the movie being coded as the submissive (homosexual receiving) partner, has come out on top, despite the other two character’s attempt to dominate (and kill) him.
Uhhh the credits roll, and they're all shown as they were in the first scene of the movie, smiling, laughing, and the love song "Happy Heart" plays...
Ask Game!
I'm always wanting to talk about Ewan McGregor so I came up with an idea for an ask game! This is my first time making one of these so it will be a learning experience 😅
Reblog this post if you want me to tell you what Ewan character I think you are in your ask box! It might be based on your blog, your personality (if we've interacted before), or just plain vibes!