It’s the fact that, when confronted with the realization his big win could cost the lives of his wife and children, he didn’t call it off. It’s not even the fact that he’s a relentless asshole to everyone around him. It’s not the affair, plenty of people come out the other side of that with more wisdom. Howard Ratner isn’t just an insufferable torrent of self-destruction and selfish consumption, he’s also a bad person full stop. It might sound a bit on the nose to say, “Howard was the real uncut gem all along,” but in doing so, the Safdies also pull off a tremendous cinematic trick with their antihero. And this idea of seeing this man who we watched be a planet, a sun, that everyone revolves around him, just have life pulled from him in that last moment dive into him and realize that he is the uncut gem, and then spidering out and seeing all the characters you realize how his life - I think that’s what happens after death, we enter myth.” “I think the movie is about myth and mythology. In the end, when he risks it all for the ultimate score, he pays the ultimate price. He tries to up-bid KG for the opal at the auction and ends up having to buy the gem back at a penalty. He uses the pawn money to place a bet instead of paying his debt, but Arno cancels the bet before he can collect his coveted win. He pawns the Celtics ring KG gives him as collateral instead of keeping it safe, which ends up screwing him over twice. Every time Howard tries to get over on someone and it backfires. It’s a compulsive, self-destructive need for more and better, and it leads to his downfall at every turn. Whether it’s a younger woman when he already has a beautiful wife or a big score when he should just be paying off his debts, Howard is always so focused on what he doesn't have, he never takes a breath to enjoy his many, many blessings. He also has a ritzy apartment he shares with his mistress Julia ( Julia Fox). His wife, Dina ( Idina Menzel), remarks about a jealous woman wanting their home, and it isn’t even his only place… or lover. Though he may not be wealthy enough to have $100K liquid, it’s obvious Howard is well off. Howard’s entire sense of value is wrapped up in that which he doesn’t already have. Howard's obsessive drive for more is the furious and unyielding undercurrent to the core themes of Uncut Gems a film that's all about the promised payoff of “leveling up,” the relativity of value, and the self-destructive compulsion to win no matter the cost.Īs Josh Safdie explained during a TIFF Q&A, “This whole movie is just showing how everyone runs around and tries to achieve these things and think that’ll bring them to a higher place and it’s always gonna get better if you get this one thing.” For the next two hours, Howard is a shark in a shrinking tank, frantically wielding his old-fashioned huckster charm to keep his bookies at bay, navigate his crumbling family life, and make the big score, be it through the opal or betting on KG. Howard wheels and deals, barters and bargains, and risks it all over and over again in pursuit of whatever “win” is waiting for him on the other side. Once again man, myth, material, it’s all the same to Uncut Gems.Īnd so begins a wild and excruciating sprint towards an ever-evolving, expanding payoff. When he stares into the glittering gem, he’s transported through it, much as we were in the opening scene, seeing his past and the gem’s history all tangled up. (That rock’s gonna make him a million at auction!) Unfortunately, so does Kevin Garnett, who feels a spiritual connection to the opal and believes it will boost his game. RELATED: The 10 Best Criterion Collection Releases of 2021īut because Howard has his gem, he believes he has it all.
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