Unfaithful : Can someone explain the end scene

Right at the end Connie says they can go away and change names etc. Then the camera pulls out and it shows the police station to the right of the car. What is this suppose to mean? Does it mean he is about to give himself up?

@ultrafastcode

It's totally left to the viewer's discretion. My take is that there's no way they would have actually taken off for Mexico, and the police would soon close in on Edward.

***SPOILER***

In the original version, Claude Chabrol''s La femme infidle (1969) the police showed up and the husband slowly walked out to meet them, leaving little doubt he was caught.

Last Movie Watched: Third Person (2013)

Agreed with above poster: The ending we see is left to our interpretation.
I personally felt that the film was indicating that Edward was very close to being arrested. The whole escape-to-Mexico conversation seemed spun fantasy because they KNEW the police were coming, that they would not get away with it.

*spoilers below*

On the DVD, there is an alternate ending. We see them stop at the light outside the police station & talk, then we see Edward & Connie embrace & weep. Connie apologizes for what she has done, Edward tells her he loves her & to tell Charlie he loves him that they are still a family.
Edward bolts from the car & runs into the police station. Connie weeps even harder.
The end.



"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."

I wasn't aware of that alternate ending. I think I actually prefer that one. So many writers and directors seem to think it's cool and unique to leave the ending open for interpretation. in 2002 when this movie was made, perhaps that really was the case, but I've seen so many movies by now that take that route that is has become somewhat trite in my opinion. There's no doubt that some movies benefit from such an ending, but I'm not sure this is one of them. The alternate ending you describe would have been fine with me, especially considering that Chabrol's original left little doubt about the husband's fate.

Last Movie Watched: Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: A Caribbean Mystery (1989)

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I wasn't aware of that alternate ending. I think I actually prefer that one. So many writers and directors seem to think it's cool and unique to leave the ending open for interpretation. in 2002 when this movie was made, perhaps that really was the case, but I've seen so many movies by now that take that route that is has become somewhat trite in my opinion.

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Agreed! Not to mention people already knew about the affair (Edward's PI, and the guy that Edward fired). Edward left his fingerprints on Paul's braille book and the movie showed how sloppy his clean up job was. The detectives already suspected or knew and showed that by trying to trap Connie in her words (claiming she hadn't been in the neighborhood, but she forgot about that parking ticket on record). The "ambiguous" ending fell flat for me. I was like, um ok. lol. It wasn't deep or ambiguous at all.

I mainly watch this as a Diane Lane fan anyway, I really think it would have been one of those forgettable movies if not for her. She did a great job here.

Yes, he was going to turn himself in to the police. There would be no other reason why he would be shown outside the police station.

Actually there is another reason.
The film is not being literal. The final scene can mean any number of things.
Such as:
1. It could represent what the Sumners wish they had the strength to do, turn themselves in.
2. It could mean that the police are 1 step away from arresting them (THIS is what I
thought happened after the credits rolled! The police had more than enough evidence to arrest Edward.
3. It could simply be coincidence, leaving the ending to the audience's interpretation.


I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus.
Didn't he discover America?
Penfold, shush.

It's a very interesting ending because I sense that it means to imply that Connie romanticizes the idea of Edward murdering "for her sake".

The whole point of the ending was to show how screwed up their lives were, and were going to be now that she had an affair and he killed the lover. In other words, it was a stupid, selfish, inconsiderate and destructive thing she did. And now, everyone is going to suffer.

That was way more important than what actually happened to them from then on.

I thought it simply meant, though they were free, their guilt would let them ever be free to live as they once did, with the threat of the "police" always over their should (hence they look at each as they hear a police siren at their home) but the "go green" light in front of them.

I had a hard time believing Gere would even consider giving himself up but I think the film does indicate that he did; they wouldn't have gone all the way up to the police station unless he had pretty much decided to, making their conversation about running away wishful thinking, and the film ends with the light on red.

*spoilers*

In the alternate ending I mentioned above, he does turn himself in.

But as to the ending we see, I don't think he does. He didn't drive *to* the police station. It was just on their way home.
However, I truly believe the police were very soon going to arrest Edward.
They had evidence against him, at least enough to get a warrant.



I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus.
Didn't he discover America?
Penfold, shush.

They hadn't much evidence actually. They only suspected that Connie knew Paul and was in his neighbourhood but it's not enough evidence to make an arrest.

We can assume they ended up finding Edward's DNA on Paul's body or something (hairs, fibers..).

I think he ended up turning himself in. I don't think he could stand not to.

I really thought that for the final scene we will see the police lights slowly starting to reflect on them while they were holding each other in the car.

With a gruesome murder and attempt to hide the body, the police are going to keep digging for years.

The movie ended with us guessing what will happen. Most likely, the police have taken every fingerprint from Pauls apartment and will one day come back to her to check for prints. That would prove she had been IN the apartment and lied about it. Once that happens all credibility is gone. I sensed instantly she should have said, "Yes, I went there to look at his books". Once exposed as lieing that causes police to wonder what are you hiding? Then their brains go into overdrive and they start suspecting the jealous husband. They may never have tied him to the murder, but they would have frequently been after the wife to learn why she lied. Their lives were going to be a mess from then on.

Perhaps the director, or writer meant for us to get that message from the start. Screw around and you just might GET screwed.

That was so stupid of her to tell the detectives that she met Paul at a fundraiser. She already told Edward that a stranger helped her get a cab in the city. She could've just told the cops the truth, leaving out that she went back and had an affair. That way, it would be easier to keep up with the lie, and it'd explain why her car got a ticket parked in front of his place.

I agree, Connie was ridiculous in lying to the cops. But she was caught off-guard, and this is likely how an *everyday* person would react when in that situation.
Connie was not a sociopath or an *experienced* criminal, so she was panicked.

But I do agree, she could have just said "Yes, I was at Paul's place to look at books but didn't buy any."

Once the cops got suspicious, they would start looking harder at Edward & Connie.

The cops have taken fingerprints at Paul's apartment. Edward touched things all over the place in the apartment, he could not have wiped down EVERY print he left.
Edward's prints are ON FILE, because he works for an armored car company and therefore must be bonded.

Long story short, Edward's prints alone aren't enough to arrest or convict him (unless they found a print IN blood) but it could be enough to get a warrant for his car or home.
Paul's blood/DNA is almost surely in one or BOTH places.






I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus.
Didn't he discover America?
Penfold, shush.