Ahead of the 2020 Academy Awards, Vulture is revisiting the endings of this years Best Picture nominees.
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As previously established,Martin ScorsesesThe Irishmanis a heck of a sit.
In the very last moments ofThe Irishman, a door is left open at Franks request.
The priest tells him he may not see Frank again until after the Christmas holidays.
Franks wife has died.
So have his attorney andall the former colleagueswho have some knowledge about what happened to Hoffa.
Even those who are not dead have basically forgotten about Frank.
But seconds later, he asks rhetorically, What kind of man makes a phone call like that?
He knows it wont.
Jimmy is dead and Frank is responsible.
Denial has become Franks life preserver.
He believes in keeping the door open.
In the final moments of the film, Frank quite literally does that.
As the priest leaves Franks room, Frank says, Dont shut the door all the way.
I dont like that.
Either way, that comment serves a more symbolic purpose.
Through that space, Frank looks small, distant, all by himself.
Hes a man left behind.
I get to live the rest of my life like a schnook.
Despite those words, theres a spirit of defiance in that ending.
And Michael, at least in part one ofThe Godfather, still gets to continue his unseemly enterprise.
As has beendiscussed ad nauseam for the past decade-plus, that resolution is both abrupt and vague.
Is he held accountable for all the bad things hes done over multiple seasons?
If hes not killed, will he reach the end of his life and feel guilt or not?
Its reminiscent of the endings of the previous two quintessential mafia movies, but with more ambiguity.
The final moments ofThe Irishmando not depict the closing of a door and they dont cut to black.
Unlike Michael Corleone inThe Godfather, Frank is not surrounded by acolytes showering him with praise.
Unlike Henry Hill, hes not able to retreat into his lovely suburban home with his morning paper.
Unlike Tony Soprano, Frank doesnt get to enjoy a hot meal with his family while listening to Journey.
Frank has no one and nothing.
Hes a schnook, but one without a nice home and more years to live.
Hes a schnook in a nursing home whos on the precipice of death.
Its easy to viewThe Irishmanas a traditional male-dominated story.
The whole movie can be read as an obituary for guys like him.
When considered in that context,The Irishmanfeels like an obituary for a whole era of films.
