Vanilla Sky Finally Explained & Movie Meaning

Cameron Crowe’s Vanilla Sky was released in 2001. The name of the drama gives a feeling of sweetness, ideality and unreality, which absolutely coincides with its content. What is the meaning of the film “Vanilla Sky” and is the real life of the main characters so sweet? : the meaning of the film, summary, ending

Plot Summary

Before analyzing the meaning of the Vanilla Sky thriller, we will give a brief description of the events taking place in it.

David Ames talking to psychiatrist Curtis McCabe. The guy is accused of murder. He tells everything he knows…

David Ames is a young, successful businessman. His wealth is the legacy of his father who died in an accident. The hero has a friend Brian and a girlfriend Julie, with whom he sometimes sleeps.

Interesting! According to Cameron Crowe, there are more than 400 references to famous works of art in the thriller.

At the birthday party, David invites everyone he knows except Julie. This does not prevent the girl from coming herself. Before her eyes, the protagonist flirts with Brian’s charming girlfriend Sophia.

David walks Sophia home. There they talk, fool around, draw cartoons of each other, kiss. The hero promises the girl to fill her life with meaning, stop leading an idle lifestyle and start working conscientiously.

Accident: consequences

On the street, Julie stops him in a car – she is offended, unambiguously offers David to console her. The guy agrees, sits in her car. The girl talks about her feelings and David’s responsibility for the promises made. Then he deliberately turns off the bridge – the car flies down and crashes. Julie dies, David with a broken body and disfigured face is in a coma for 3 weeks.

Plastic surgeons cannot correct the defects of the hero’s face. David and Sofia agree to meet at a disco. Drunk with grief, Ames quarrels with the girl and Brian. Runs after them down the street, falls on the sidewalk, falls asleep.

Sophia wakes him up in the morning – she still wants to be with him. David gets a successful plastic surgery. The hero is absolutely happy. But hallucinations begin to torment him:

  • The face in the mirror looks disfigured.
  • Instead of Sophia next to him, he sees Julie.

David begins to go crazy – after another vision, he kills his beloved, mistaking her for Julie. The hero is imprisoned, where he communicates with Dr. McCabe. David remembers entering into an agreement with LI, a life extension corporation. Dr. McCabe is taking the guy there. David escapes. Agent “LI” Edmant Ventura finds him and tells the whole truth.

True

After the disco, the hero no longer saw his friends. Severe headaches and parting with Sophia haunted David. The young man entered into an agreement with the LI company, according to which his body should be frozen after death, and committed suicide. Then he saw a dream that he himself created from his dreams. It has been 150 years since his death.

Now David is faced with a choice: continue to live in his dreams or return to reality. The hero chose the second option.

Vanilla sky: the meaning & explanation of the movie

What is the meaning of the thriller “Vanilla Sky”? Where is reality in it, and where are the dreams and fantasies of the hero?

There is no single opinion on this matter. There are several versions:

  • The whole movie is a dream.
  • The dream is the scenes from the moment of the accident.
  • The illusion begins with an episode of the hero falling onto the pavement after a disco.
  • A successful operation and continuation of relations with Sophia is a reality. A twisted face in the mirror, the murder of a loved one and an agreement with “LI” – this is just a nightmare.

The third option, which is directly stated in the film, is more likely. The hero lives an idle life until he falls in love. After meeting a beautiful brunette, his attitude to life changes. But once having stumbled, David deprives himself of the opportunity to continue a beautiful love story.

On a note! The film “Vanilla Sky”, the meaning of which is a mixture of the real and the illusory, became a remake of the thriller “Open Your Eyes” by Alejandro Amenobar that appeared earlier.

After the accident, his face is twisted, haunted by unbearable headaches. The only chance to change something is to freeze the body and immerse the mind in their own dreams. But over time, the hero chooses reality.

Responsibility for actions

The movie “Vanilla Sky” is full of meaning. The main theme of the thriller is the responsibility of the characters for their actions.

What happened to David is a payment for frivolity, irresponsibility and disrespect for the feelings of other people. Julie loved the main character, believed him. But she didn’t even get an invitation to her birthday party. David didn’t keep his promise to call. The hero proudly talked about his sexual “exploits” to a friend, thereby belittling the dignity of a woman.

Ames did not differ in decency and in relation to a friend. He was not at all moved by Brian’s words about being in love with Sophia. The hero only cares about his own needs and wants. After the accident, he accused Brian of wanting to steal his girlfriend – this is just a projection of his bad qualities onto other people.

Further, David did not give a damn about the feelings of a new girlfriend, with whom he really fell in love. He betrayed her by agreeing to sleep with his ex-girlfriend. Only God could teach the main character to be responsible for his actions. An accident is a punishment for insults inflicted on others.

Everyone is in control of their own destiny

The hidden meaning of the Vanilla Sky plot is that a person creates his own destiny. Previously, with his own habits and actions, the protagonist pushed himself into the abyss. A warning about misbehavior was the near-collision of David’s car with a truck at the beginning of the film. Such situations indicate the need for change.

With his determination after meeting Sophia, David was able to change the direction of the future by 180 degrees, exactly as he turned it back in another 5 minutes. It was David’s agreement to go with Julie that became decisive in further events. The hero lost everything, although happiness was so close.

What is the essence of the ending

At the end, David admits the bitter truth of life. He learns about his death and the unreality of recent events. The only thing that brings relief is the realization of innocence in the death of a loved one.

Mr. Ventura’s story allows David to realize how wrong he was about Brian and Sophia, to feel guilty about it. Convinced that in real life there is true friendship and love, the hero with a calm heart goes to the unknown present.

The thriller ends with the words “Open your eyes.” Many do not understand the meaning of such an ending to Vanilla Sky. The last words mean awakening from a long sleep and a return to reality. They are told to David by a doctor who defrosts his body.

The phrase “Open your eyes” becomes the symbolism of the painting. It reflects the meaning of not only the ending, but also the plot of Vanilla Sky as a whole. Throughout the film, the hero seems to be told: “Look around! You chose the wrong path! Get back to reality before it’s too late!”

On the other hand, the closing words of the thriller “Open your eyes” immediately remind you of the protagonist’s strange alarm clock, returning the viewer to the beginning of the film. Perhaps this is a hint that everything shown is just a dream?

Vanilla Sky is a beautiful tearful melodrama with an unexpected ending. No one knows what surprise life will bring in the next second. Therefore, it is important to appreciate every moment. At the same time, you should not live in dreams, decorating your unreal world with vanilla paints.

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