Please don't be put off seeing this exquisite piece of cinematic brilliance if you happen to have been unfortunate enough to see the American rendition of Park Chan Wook's masterpiece. The original is without question far superior, and its greatness is only enhanced by its end shot. After uncovering the mystery behind his imprisonment and discovering that the women he loves is his long-lost daughter Oh Dae-su hires the help of the same hypnotist that worked for his adversary to wipe his mind rather than end his relationship with the girl. Feeling compassion for his plight the hypnotist agrees to help, and attempts to erase the knowledge of their biological relationship from his brain so that he may continue to be with the one he desires. Creepy. An interesting dilemma, no doubt, but it is the final shot that truly makes this a great ending. After the procedure Mido, Oh Dae-su's daughter/lover (who has no idea about their familial ties) embraces him. We end on a shot of our anti-hero's face, at first lightly laughing and smiling, but slowly fading into what can be perceived as emotional pain. His face clearly resembles that of the painting that hung in his prison, which came with the caption "laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone." Has Oh Dae-su taken the advice of the painting? Does he laugh because he still remembers, but chooses to forget? There is no way to systematically uncover whether Oh Dae-su still maintains his memories. His grimace can be interpreted as one of relief, knowing his ordeal is over, or one of despair, the knowledge of his incestuous actions inescapable, resulting in another ambiguous ending. But it is precisely because of this ambiguity, mixed with the unconventional and dark subject matter, that makes this a truly thought-staining shot that lingers in the mind. Speaking of minds...
