The Words Ending Explained & Film Analysis

The plot of the film The Words resembles a nesting doll: three stories told one inside the other. At the same time, only together they form an integral picture and reveal the true motives of the characters. The meaning of the film “Words” (2012) is revealed gradually and becomes apparent towards the end of the picture.

The plot of the film The Words

The film begins with the presentation of a new book by a famous novelist. Clay Hammond publicly reads part of his work. After the speech, he meets Daniella, a young journalist, and they go to his house, where he tells her the end of the story.

The new novel is dedicated to the failed writer Rory Jansen, who craves recognition and fame, but publishers reject his novels. He is told that the public will not understand and will not accept them. The only person who supports the writer and believes in him is his wife Dori.

One day, in an old briefcase bought at an antique store, Rory discovers a battered manuscript. He starts reading it and cannot stop, and then, under the impression, reprints all the pages on his computer. His wife admires this work, the publisher finally agrees to publish it, the book becomes a bestseller. Rory gets the life he dreamed of and is hesitant to admit to cheating. On the wave of success, he becomes famous and writes new books, which are now received favorably. The writer himself begins to forget that his career began with someone else’s novel, but once in the park he meets an old man. He tells him about his life, about how he wrote a manuscript about the love of a soldier and a waitress, how it was subsequently lost. He reveals his human grief, which was at the heart of the sensational novel, and calls Rory a thief – the man who stole his life.

Jensen realizes the mistake he made and tries to correct it: he tells the truth to his wife and the publisher, he wants to help the old man, to redeem himself for forgiveness. But all efforts are in vain: the wife leaves Rory, the publisher refuses to change anything in the book, the old man does not accept the money and drives him away, and soon suddenly dies.

The writer, who until recently enjoyed a new life, is tormented by guilt and the consequences of his mistake.

The meaning of the film The Words

The meaning of the film The Words (2012) is that you can not steal someone else’s happiness. By publishing the old man’s novel under his own name, Rory not only deceived his wife, publisher and readers, he deceived himself. Passionately wanting recognition, he wanted to prove to everyone, including himself, that he was a good writer and could write a brilliant novel. But, having started his career with a forgery, he thereby forever deprived himself of the opportunity to find out what he really is worth. Would his novels have been published if the stolen work had not been such a success? This question constantly torments him and does not allow him to enjoy the newfound glory.

You can fool others, but not yourself. The recognition and success he has received does not please him, he believes that he did not deserve them. The opportunity to somehow correct the mistake disappeared with the death of the old man. He did not accept money for the sale of his novel and did not allow himself to be helped. Once this novel was everything for him, a part of his life, words that came from the very depths of his heart. Writing this story helped him get over the death of his daughter and separation from his wife, but the loss of the manuscript was the reason why he broke up with his beloved. As the old man himself said, this happened because he loved words more than a woman. So Rory, by publishing the novel under his own name, not only appropriated the work of the old man, he appropriated part of his life, his tragedy. This old man could not forgive the young man. He did not go public with the story, but left Rory to the judgment of his own conscience. And he was not mistaken: the writer must bear this cruel punishment all his life.

The worst thing is that Dory’s beloved wife did not want to stay with the man who deceived her. He didn’t want to lie to her, but he couldn’t tell the truth right away when he saw tears of admiration in her eyes when she read the old man’s novel. He wanted her to also admire his book and, afraid to disappoint her, he hid the truth. But it cost him dearly. After confessing to what she had done, Dory could not live with him. The deceit deeply hurt her feelings and forever undermined her trust in her husband. This story showed her Rory in a new light, as someone she had never known before. Dory decides she can’t be with her husband and leaves him.

Daniella realizes that Hammond’s new novel is based on the events of his own youth, and that he bears the burden of guilt for a mistake he made in the past. She admires his talent, but the writer himself is tormented by the fact that he deprived himself of the opportunity to break through to fame on his own. The journalist is young and beautiful, but Clay does not want to be with her. He still loves his wife Dori, whom he lost due to deceit. He recalls how happy he was with her, felt her support and care. He is still waiting for her forgiveness and wants to be there. But there is less and less hope for this.

Why does an elderly famous writer decide to publish this book at the risk that the truth may be revealed to readers? Is he even reading the first chapters of his new novel?

Perhaps this is the last attempt to return his wife, to prove to her how much he repents of lying. Or is it a kind of agreement with conscience: this is how the writer wants to atone for his guilt, to relieve himself of the burden of responsibility for a mistake that cannot be corrected. The once appropriated words of someone else’s novel turned his life upside down, and now he finds new words designed to put everything in its place. Hammond’s last novel, which is discussed in the film, is words about words that have become more important for the characters than the story itself.

The film “Words” has a non-trivial plot, deep meaning and touches on the themes of trust, lies, punishment and forgiveness. Therefore, the film can definitely be recommended for viewing both for a pleasant pastime and as food for thought.