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Match Point - interesting facts about Woody Allen's film
As well as the meaning of the film and a breakdown of the storytelling techniques that the director used.
Match Point is an intriguing Woody Allen film with unpredictable plot moves. This film, differently perceived, opens up a complex world of passion and decisions. In this article, we will present you interesting facts about "Match Point" that make its storytelling more entertaining and appealing.
WARNING, THERE ARE SPOILERS!
WARNING, THERE ARE SPOILERS!
If you take the film at face value, the bottom line is that it's better to be lucky than good.
The opening speech about how everything depends on luck, whether you win or lose, is followed by a shot of a tennis ball hitting the net and falling in the right direction. This foreshadows a later moment where the old woman's ring falls to the floor instead of into the river, allowing the junkie to pick it up and take the blame for Nola's death. Also, Nola tells Chris that her new flat is susceptible to break-ins.
The ring, like the tennis ball at the beginning of the game, falls on edge, and the side it happens to fall on changes the fate of the villain protagonist.
The ring, like the tennis ball at the beginning of the game, falls on edge, and the side it happens to fall on changes the fate of the villain protagonist.
The irony is that in the game, dropping the ball to the previous side would have resulted in a loss, but here, a seemingly serious gaffe allows Chris to get away with it. This technique is called "ironic echo" - where one event is repeated at the end of the film.
Already at the beginning of the film Nola is unhappy - she is not from a loving family, she has career and financial problems, her parents-in-law look down on her, she has been dumped by Tom. She then has an affair with the married Chris, and her life gets even worse as she expects him to leave his wife for her, but he doesn't, and she inadvertently gets pregnant by him (at least that's what she says). By the end of the film, she is despairing of her situation.
Chris and Nola have sex for the first time in a wheat field in the pouring rain, which is a fairly popular cliché with romcoms.
Chris and Nola have sex for the first time in a wheat field in the pouring rain, which is a fairly popular cliché with romcoms.
An interesting reference is Chris reading Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, whose protagonist is very much like him, and essentially kills his grandmother too.
The Betty and Veronica trope (love triangle): Chloe (Betty) and Nola (Veronica). Chris (Archie) is married to the former (whom he says he finds boring and annoying) and cheats with the latter (who is more sexy). A very dark version of the story, ending with Archie killing Veronica.
The Betty and Veronica trope (love triangle): Chloe (Betty) and Nola (Veronica). Chris (Archie) is married to the former (whom he says he finds boring and annoying) and cheats with the latter (who is more sexy). A very dark version of the story, ending with Archie killing Veronica.
Was Nola really pregnant? The biggest clue to think that she isn't is that when the police question Chris, they are
1) they don't mention that she was pregnant, whereas they undoubtedly did an autopsy, and if she was pregnant, the police would have known about it
2) Nola's diary is shown, but it apparently doesn't mention the pregnancy at all (while her relationship with Chris is described in detail).
It turns out that either she wasn't pregnant and lied to Chris about it out of a desire to get him to leave his wife, or she was pregnant but miscarried, perhaps even without her knowledge (but again, the latter scenario is weak since she doesn't mention the pregnancy in her diary).
Also, in the "dream sequence", when Nola's "ghost" approaches Chris to accuse him of taking her life, even the neighbour whom Chris also killed (but who has nothing to do with the rest of the story) appears to accuse Chris - but the unborn child is not mentioned at all.
1) they don't mention that she was pregnant, whereas they undoubtedly did an autopsy, and if she was pregnant, the police would have known about it
2) Nola's diary is shown, but it apparently doesn't mention the pregnancy at all (while her relationship with Chris is described in detail).
It turns out that either she wasn't pregnant and lied to Chris about it out of a desire to get him to leave his wife, or she was pregnant but miscarried, perhaps even without her knowledge (but again, the latter scenario is weak since she doesn't mention the pregnancy in her diary).
Also, in the "dream sequence", when Nola's "ghost" approaches Chris to accuse him of taking her life, even the neighbour whom Chris also killed (but who has nothing to do with the rest of the story) appears to accuse Chris - but the unborn child is not mentioned at all.
Chris gets away with murdering his mistress Nola and successfully hides his infidelity from his wife and relatives, thus maintaining his trouble-free lifestyle and avoiding the consequences of his heinous deeds. While Chloe is extremely happy about the baby's arrival, Chris seems to have mixed feelings at the sight of the baby.
Alternative Character Interpretation: While many viewers may sympathise with Chloe, who is a seemingly nice girl, she can be interpreted as a passive-aggressive rich bitch, as she essentially bought Chris along with her father.
Alternative Character Interpretation: While many viewers may sympathise with Chloe, who is a seemingly nice girl, she can be interpreted as a passive-aggressive rich bitch, as she essentially bought Chris along with her father.
The film "Match Point" is a work that provides the viewer with not only an exciting plot, but also deep reflections on the nature of human desires, morality and destiny. Director Woody Allen easily transports us into the world of London's upper society, where ambition and passion are intertwined with patterns and morality.
The film successfully demonstrates how chance and fate can decide a person's destiny, but also stresses the importance of moral choices and taking responsibility for one's actions.
The film successfully demonstrates how chance and fate can decide a person's destiny, but also stresses the importance of moral choices and taking responsibility for one's actions.