10 Movie Secrets They'll Never Tell You
2. Were The Film's Events Real Or Not? - Total Recall
Total Recall's brilliant ending has left fans feverishly debating its meaning ever since - were the events of the film real, or simply part of Douglas Quaid's (Arnold Schwarzenegger) fantasy memories implanted by Rekall?
And despite director Paul Verhoeven being asked about the ending every single time he comes out of the woodwork to promote a new film, he's remained steadfast in his refusal to give fans an answer. In a 2016 interview with Mandatory, he said:
"Total Recall doesn't say whether it's reality or it is a dream, you know? It's really saying there's this reality and there's that reality, and both exist at the same time... I wanted it to be that way... I felt that basically I should not say 'This is true, and this not true.' [We] worked very hard to make both consistent, and that both would be true. And I think we succeeded very well. So I think of course there is no solution. Hey, it's both true."
Basically, this is Verhoeven rather generously letting fans on both sides of the argument "win," all while refusing to show his hand and give an authoritative stamp on the ending.