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(Warning: This post goes into detail about the ending ofHulusPalm Springs.)
Palm Springsis one of those movies that feels airtight.
Every time you start to think,But what about …
?, the script is right there with you.
What happens if you die?
What happens if you take a lot of drugs and dont go to sleep?
Its also a movie that rewards careful study.
In the weeks sincePalm SpringshitHulu, fans have noticed a few dangling strings, and begun to pull them.
They were, but only up to a point.
As Siara says, If you want to crack it, maybe the clues are there.
But maybe not though, too.
That was something that came after we started working with the Lonely Island.
But we talked to Clifford Johnson, our science consultant who plays the physicist.
We were saying, Time loops dont exist, but how could a phenomenon like this actually happen?
He was like, It would have to be a physical event.
Im trying to look up various articles and videos on black holes and string theory and the Cauchy Horizon.
Does it exist?AS:It exists.
And maybe dont quote me on this, but to be honest, I cant remember.
My brain has never …
I got Bs in science class.
Past Andy knew what it was, but current Andy …AS: Exactly.
MB: If I remember, its kind of like the boundary of a black hole.
Thats a very simplistic way of saying it.
Well probably get dissed for simplifying it to that, but thats the basic idea, I think.
AS: There are somecool papersthat you could read online.
It was a really fascinating week for me when I felt so enlightened.
And clearly my brain didnt really retain a lot.
Max and I would say it was like a death-bender movie in the vein ofLeaving Las Vegas.
However, it was always an absurd comedy.
MB: Imagine that nihilistic montage, extended out over the course of an entire movie.
He never killed himself.
He was trying to numb himself and go on a bender safari.
The most important thing to me is that they go into that cave together.
Thats the emotional ending.
And me, I think those are real dinosaurs.
Then the getting out was something that we always wanted to play with.
I think Max remembers it being like a five-page monologue.
It probably wasnt that long, but it was very substantial.
When the goat goes through and gets blown up, Sarah says it disappears in the loop.
And then there are specific lines of dialogue …
If you want to crack it, maybe the clues are there.
But maybe not though, too.
That was essential for Cristin, bringing in shame and imagining bad decisions from the night before.
And probably drinking a lot and getting lost out in the desert and having nothing to lose.
If you stay up all night, your loop will extend beyond the single day.
But then once you fall asleep, you go back to the loop.
Sarah I think brings it up at some point.
As for what we believe, I will defer to Max on that one.
MB: Id say so, yeah.
Weve been getting questions like, Whats the sequel?
The sequel could be any of these other days that progressed after [the loop].
AS:A family coping with the loss of a daughter.
A marriage that fell apart …
The word shukran comes up twice in the movie its an Arabic word for thank you.
[Nine seconds of nervous giggling.]
MB: The first time its spoken is in the pool, by Jerry.
And Jerry is part of the Schlieffen family, adopted.
Hes from Sudan originally.
So thats why he said shukran there.
Nana Schlieffen is also part of that family, and has adopted Jerry.
She also speaks the language.
So thats where that comes from.
AS: Thats stuff that was trimmed from the movie.
So therefore, is there more meaning to shukran?
I dunno, Im asking you.AS: Im askingyou.
MB: Its just important to have gratitude.
I dont know if Nanas one of them.
Maybe shes relived the same wedding over and over again.
Or maybe she just has been around for a while and went to a lot of weddings.
AS: I bet June can give you the best answer for that one.
[June Squibbs take: Its funny that everybodys wondering about it.
I truly went into it without that idea.
And we never talked about it.
I really never questioned myself, and usually I question myself if Im working on something like that.
But before I left the shooting, I began to wonder if I did know more.
I feel like thereissomething there.]
Then I remember Max said, What if he went to Equatorial Guinea?
MB: I dont know, it just made sense.
In chasing a laugh, get specific and absurd and random.
It seemed like a far enough place away that itd be really tough for him to get there.
I dont know how long it would take to go from Palm Springs to Equatorial Guinea.
[The answer isat least 24 hours, with layovers in San Francisco, Frankfurt, and Lagos.]
Sort of a nod to rebirth?MB: No.
This very ethereal, romantic heartbeat.
So it was always meant to be soft in that way.
But I like that a lot, lets go with that one.
AS: In the script it was referred to as the triangle cave.
I remembered seeing a cave out in Joshua Tree.
It was a smaller tunnel, you had to wiggle your way into it.
But then when it came to actually finding a location, thats where we found that cave.
A cynic will say, Theyre going to last a week.
And if they do last, then thats beautiful.
MB: They made the decision to try and be present in their relationship.
And Sarahs incapable of letting go of her past.
By the end, they both meet in the middle.
I think theyre both capable of that by the end.
Theyre not putting too much pressure on themselves just living together in the pool.
Some of the greatest weddings Ive been to, Ive been in tears because of the love on display.
Then the couple got divorced.
Theres been a couple of weddings like that.
But it doesnt, to me, take away from that moment.
We should never forget about them just because they are fleeting.
Feeling love is a special thing.
And Im getting too heavy now.
Like, Im on my knees.
Why are you on your knees?AS: I was pacing around the room.
It makes me just want to stop and enjoy the moment.
