I think Ray's redemption journey can be broken down into three small phases. The first two stages are undoubtedly failures in the eyes of the playwright, and in the third stage Lei finally obtained the qualification to be forgiven. And the playwrights weave religious elements into the story very carefully, and it seems that they can focus on a wider group of people, not just Lei.
The first stage is the first arrival in Bruges. Ray was restless and impatient at this time, reluctant to follow Ken as a mediocre tourist, and he had no interest in this old and old town. He could not forget that an innocent child was killed because of his own mistake, and he watched the child fall to the ground with a headshot, the pure face was stained with red dazzling blood, the innocent and focused eyes no longer had brilliance, the child repented to God There was blood on the small piece of paper. He couldn't forgive himself, but this matter was too heavy and depressing. Humans have psychological mechanisms for self-protection, and out of this instinct, Ray tried to avoid it. He had no intention of sightseeing and was restless. When he saw the children in the square, he couldn't help but think of the terrifying past.
He went to bars, drank, cursed, and wanted to date the girl he fell in love with at first sight. In fact, he was diverting attention, avoiding, and pretending to forget to prove that he could still be happy. But it was impossible, and it turned out to be a failed date.
The discussion between Ray and Ken at the exhibition led to the second stage. Ray gradually sobered up, and he began to face the sin he had committed. He asked Ken if he believed in hell. Undecided. Although both of them were at a loss, they could find that Ray thought that the person who committed the crime would go to hell to be punished and atone for his sins in order to seek forgiveness. Instead of avoiding it, he faced it.
The conversation between the two by the river after the exhibition showed Ken's attitude towards Ray's incident, which was also Ken's answer to the previous question. The two form a contrast. Ken confessed that he had killed a courier by mistake, and if he refused to fight back, he would be killed by the courier. This is not only a kind of comfort to Ken's conscience, but also to comfort Lei. But Lei refuted him that the courier was not lethally aggressive, and the conversation ended unhappy. By this time Ray had thought of death.
Then, on a date, Lei joked about the child abuse incident. The girl instantly became stiff and serious, and she said that her friend was the victim. Ray was undoubtedly struck by a heavy sense of guilt, and he thought of his own sins. At this time, he should not only be guilty of killing innocents, but also felt that his killings caused the living to suffer.
Later, Lei went to beat the couple at the next table for the girl. The girl learned that Lei hit the woman and it was unbearable. Lei explained that he was just defending himself. It's a lot like Ken from the Riverside Conversation earlier. Ray and Ken again contrast. Again, this explanation is weak, because for whatever purpose, harm is harm, and once it has happened, it cannot be undone, just as a person cannot be resurrected from the dead. Presumably, Ray felt this powerlessness even more deeply. After returning to the girl's residence, after the two people's tryst was interrupted, only Lei was left in the house. At this time, he should have completely realized that escape cannot bring happiness, and there is only an abyss behind him. He took the guns and drugs for a final orgy.
The next day, he was going to the park to commit suicide, and before leaving, he left money for the pregnant female shopkeeper, also to relieve a little guilt. He believes that death can be liberated and redeemed, and one life is worth one life. But Ken stopped him. Ken tells Ray's boss Harry to hunt down Ray, and Ray says he really wants to die. Ken said, "Kill one little boy, then save the next little boy, go anywhere, get out of this business, do something good. You can't bring the dead back to life, you can't bring that kid back to life, but you can save Next." This was Ken's understanding of redemption, and Ken's words and actions changed Ray. Ken couldn't revive the courier, but he could save Ray, Ken was redeemed, and he should be forgiven.
Thus, Ray entered the third stage. He has to work hard to live, he can't die under Harry's gun, because he hasn't finished redemption, he hasn't been pardoned and forgiven. At this stage, the girl who fell in love at first sight sees true love in adversity and reunites with Lei, and Lei also reaps a beautiful love, which also gives him courage and strength. The climax of the film's plot ends when Harry commits suicide by drinking a bullet in the square. This act actually stimulates Ray from the negative side. Ray realizes what a powerless and ridiculous punishment death is. Harry mistakenly believes that a dwarf is a child, whether it is a dwarf or a child , cannot be resurrected. So Lei strengthened his belief in living to redeem and seek forgiveness, and he had a flat and moving confession at the end.
Ray's personal destiny seems to be unclear, whether he is alive or dead, whether he has completed the redemption and obtained forgiveness, and will he be restless and confused all the time. The writers didn't tell us because it doesn't matter anymore. I think the story is not just about a killer named Ray, but a metaphor for humanity as a whole.
Ray killed the priest, the priest communicated with God and had a strong religious color. Shooting the priest seems to be a metaphor for the collapse of faith. The manslaughter of a child is the concretization and secularization of the original sin. Lei introduced that dwarfs have a high suicide rate, and here dwarfs form a metaphorical relationship with suicide. Ray showed no interest in seeing the last few drops of Jesus' blood, with a contemptuous attitude, a symbol of doubt and lack of faith. When Lei came to Bruges, it can be abstracted that in the state of the collapse of traditional religious beliefs and original sin, people were born into the world and began a journey of redemption, remodeling, and seeking forgiveness. Like purgatory in a painting.
During this long journey, the soul has been tormented and the body is riddled with holes. Choosing death does not free people. Salvation is not leaving, but investing. To face, to live, to help and rescue those who are lost and bewildered can make us less uneasy when we are manic-depressed. To give, to act, to do truly beneficial things, rather than to consume and damage oneself, only people are qualified to be forgiven and forgiven.
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