Interpretations
At the beginning of the film, Soderbergh speaks to the audience in a style meant to evoke Cecil B. DeMille's introduction to The Ten Commandments. He jokes, "In the event that you find certain sequences or ideas confusing, please bear in mind that this is your fault, not ours. You will need to see the picture again and again until you understand everything."
Several interpretations have been suggested, claiming that the film is exploring certain themes. One such theme is lack of communication: Munson and his wife only engage in templates of speech, such as "Generic greeting!" and "Generic greeting returned!" Another theme is the idea of social restraint versus internal thought: at Lester Richards' funeral, the priest begins the eulogy: "Lester Richards is dead, and aren't you glad it wasn't you?" Interpretations differ greatly, though, and the narrative jokes about its own apparent lack of meaning; at one point in the middle of the film a short message appears, stating "IDEA MISSING."
Each day in the film ends with a news report. An example is the following:
- "A New Mexico woman was named Final Arbiter of Taste and Justice today, ending God's lengthy search for someone to straighten this country out. Eileen Harriet Palglace will have final say on every known subject, including who should be put to death, what clothes everyone should wear, what movies suck, and whether bald men who grow ponytails should still get laid."
In the DVD commentary, the filmmakers point out that the reports never have anything to do with the story, and are generally satirical in nature.
Read more about this topic: Eventualism