The Jacket is a science fiction thriller that was first shown in theaters in 2005. The story tells about the sad fate of a veteran who fought near the Persian Gulf. This film is filled with meaning, so it will not leave anyone indifferent.
The meaning of the film “Jacket”
For an accurate understanding of the meaning of the film “The Jacket” it is necessary to recall the entire motion picture. Jack Starks is the main character who went to war. As a result of the fighting, he was wounded in the head. The man quickly goes home, because this type of injury is too dangerous. When the protagonist is driving home, he notices that there is a car on the side of the road. A young girl named Jackie is standing next to the car. A woman is lying on the snow – the girl’s mother. Her condition, altered by drug intoxication, is under threat. The man cannot pass by, he wants to help them. Approaching the car, he finds out what happened. Starks starts the car and hands the girl his military ID.
For some reason, the main character trusts these strangers from the first minutes. Now Jack is their new travel companion. Then events unfold very unexpectedly, because the man is accused of murder. It turns out that on the same day there was a fatal crime. The police found the body of their colleague. The protagonist passes under suspicion, then he is tried with a verdict. The man mysteriously remembers nothing from that day. The character is accused of insanity, so they send him for treatment to a mental hospital.
There is a doctor in the clinic who likes to experiment on patients who have arrived. It can be said that he mocks people in every possible way in order to cure them. Thanks to such methods, the physician extracts the most effective methods. Starks is injected with strong tranquilizers into a vein, then a thick straitjacket that looks like a jacket is put on the man. After that, he is placed in a box for the dead. After several such procedures, the main character begins to see fragments of the past. Like who actually killed the cop. It turns out that the guy who was riding a ride.
The main character finds himself in 2007, where, purely by chance, he meets a young girl named Jackie. In the past, she invited him to come visit her. There she gets very drunk and passes out for a while. Jackie is the same girl whose car was parked on the side of the road. It turns out that the girl’s mother is dead. Jackie does not understand the main character at all. She claims that the man died a long time ago, and his funeral took place on January 1, 1993.
A man wakes up from a trance on December 26, 1992. The character can’t wait to find out the sequel and the clue. He specifically takes out the clinic worker, because he needs to get into the box for the dead as soon as possible. Jack is overwhelmed with curiosity – he wants to know why he will leave this world in exactly 4 days.
The couple’s communication ends, but after a while, Jack meets the girl again. Suddenly there is a spark between them. They form a couple, realizing that they have tender feelings for each other. Then the young people go to the clinic where the main character was treated. The doctor meets with sad news – the veteran died from a head injury. However, the girl is very grateful to the man for saving her child by recommending a certain method of treatment.
Waking up again, Jack reveals one piece of information that shocks the doctor. The boy has epilepsy, so he is prescribed treatment. As a result of shock therapy, the child recovers. Starks asks the doctor for the address where the patient lives. Jack decides to send the girl a letter. He writes in it that she definitely needs to take care of the health of her child. Later, very sad news arrives – the heroine has died. She fell asleep and forgot to put out her cigarette. Previously, the girl led an unhealthy lifestyle – she constantly drank and smoked.
An unpleasant incident happens to the main character – he walks past the clinic and slips. The man again finds himself in a box where he meets the main character.
One of the main themes that is well and detailed considered in the film is sacrifice. The protagonist risks a lot to save others. This can be attributed to the case with the car. Also, bad deeds appear here as a necessity, which is also necessary for something.
The plot shows the meaning of the phrase: “born in a shirt.” The character gets into quite dangerous situations many times. He dies a couple of times, and then comes back to life again to save others. There is not only sacrifice, but also altruism. You can compare Jack to God, who is immortal.
Love plays an important role in the film. Starks will do everything possible to save the child. He also tries to constantly help his beloved. Unfortunately, this does not always work out. Every time a person struggles with some kind of difficulties for the sake of love for: people, the Motherland, a woman. The hero constantly lives in hope for the best and he believes in others.
Jackie genuinely fell in love with Stark. They have a big age difference, but the girl perceived him differently. Since childhood, the image of Jack has shaped her understanding of what a man should be.
Explanation of the ending of the film “The Jacket”
The protagonist slips on the street and again gets to the doctor, who experimented on him with a jacket. He lays down in a box intended for the dead, no longer falls into the past, but into the future. Thanks to the main character, the girl’s life has become completely different. She is no longer so superficial about her health. Now she has: a job, a house, a car. Her mother was also alive.
The ending adds another layer of meaning to the film. If you constantly change the present and choose different models of behavior, then the future will also change. Each person is able to program himself for: luck, happiness, career growth. The goal requires daily striving towards it. If a person uses illegal substances, like the mother of the heroine, then nothing good will end.
The last shots of the movie leave a lot of questions. For example, will the couple get back together or break up? At the very end of the story, the main character’s phrase sounds: “How much time do we have?” Such a statement prompts certain thoughts. Most likely, the main character dies, because the date of his death is 1993, and they are in 2007. Another scenario is the imminent separation of the couple.
There is no confirmation of the death of the main character. He is again placed in a box where he saw the past but was alive. The viewer wants to believe in a good ending. The protagonist survived in 1993 and then married Jackie. They have a happy family. At the end, the character smiles, thus giving hope to the audience for a good ending.
The Jacket is a rather serious fantasy thriller that touches on many topics. Excellent acting adds realism to events. The viewer, as if with the character, travels through time and experiences the same emotions as Starks. The director showed all the tragedy of events in detail. The main character had to endure many difficulties: go to war, get injured, risk his health for the sake of salvation, and much more. The humanity of the character amazes the viewer.
In the end, Jackie says “How much time do we have”.