Which Reality Is True In Total Recall?

[MartyMcFly]

watched it for the millionth time and also listened to a recent podcast discussing it. So it got me thinking how the film room feels:

Is Quaid dreaming or is Hauser the real person?

I like to believe he’s not dreaming and Hauser is the real person. Quaid goes to mars and gets the chance to become a better person and redeem himself.

The podcast pointed out casting Schwarzenegger makes it harder to believe the Quaid reality since there’s no way Arnold could ever be an everyman. That’s actually why David Cronenberg left the project and directed the fly instead. He was against Arnold being cast because he felt it went against the original story. And he has a point. But I do love the movie we got.

So yeah. What say you?

 

[John Reena]

Definitely was a dream

 

[MidniteJay]

Quaid's dreaming because your eyes, tongue and face can't bulge and stretch by the elements that way and just snap back to normal because Mars gets terraformed in seconds...

 

[Poetical Poltergeist]

It was all a dream....

 

[MartyMcFly]

Definitely was a dream

Quaid's dreaming because your eyes, tongue and face can't bulge and stretch by the elements that way and just snap back to normal because Mars gets terraformed in seconds...

But if it’s a dream, how do we get scenes with him not in it? When cohagen (who really needs to give people back their air) is talking to richter, Quaid isn’t there. And there are a few scenes with him not involved

 

[Poetical Poltergeist]

Also you see the exact version of Melina when he was asked the type he likes before he passes out at Recall.

 

[MartyMcFly]

Also you see the exact version of Melina when he was asked the type he likes before he passes out at Recall.

You do. The whole thing is laid out. But according to Hauser, that was all part of the plan. Recall, is a part of that plan

 

[Poetical Poltergeist]

You do. The whole thing is laid out. But according to Hauser, that was all part of the plan. Recall, is a part of that plan

He did dream about her at the start of the movie too.

 

[MartyMcFly]

He did dream about her at the start of the movie too.

Yeah he dreamt about the end of the movie at the beginning of the movie. And tells his wife he’s been having the same dream. Cohagen gets mad because whatever their plan was got fast forwarded and he wasn’t supposed to remember all this shyt so soon.

 

[Poetical Poltergeist]

Yeah he dreamt about the end of the movie at the beginning of the movie. And tells his wife he’s been having the same dream. Cohagen gets mad because whatever their plan was got fast forwarded and he wasn’t supposed to remember all this shyt so soon.

So is it a dream within a dream? The entire movie is his secret agent package merging with his real memories?

 

[MartyMcFly]

So is it a dream within a dream? The entire movie is his secret agent package merging with his real memories?

I see it as the secret agent memories as the real memories merging with his cover’s memories. Mostly, again, because there are scenes Quaid isn’t in. For it to be a dream, how does he know those things are happening?

 

[Poetical Poltergeist]

I see it as the secret agent memories as the real memories merging with his cover’s memories. Mostly, again, because there are scenes Quaid isn’t in. For it to be a dream, how does he know those things are happening?

Well he doesn't know those things are happening necessarily, dreams aren't linear nor coherent, they can jump from first person to 3rd person to people you don't know doing things you can't explain. Or it's just for the sake of story telling.

 

[MartyMcFly]

Well he doesn't know those things are happening necessarily, dreams aren't linear nor coherent, they can jump from first person to 3rd person to people you don't know doing things you can't explain. Or it's just for the sake of story telling.

Verhooven would definitely say it’s for the sake of storytelling

He’s said he wants it to be either way. If you believe it’s a dream then you can. If you think it’s real then you can. He wanted the movie to work on either level. I think his filmmaking makes him less committed to that ideal tho, specifically with the thing I just pointed out.

And my dreams have never gone to third person lol. That’s wild. That happens?

 

[Poetical Poltergeist]

Verhooven would definitely say it’s for the sake of storytelling

He’s said he wants it to be either way. If you believe it’s a dream then you can. If you think it’s real then you can. He wanted the movie to work on either level. I think his filmmaking makes him less committed to that ideal tho, specifically with the thing I just pointed out.

And my dreams have never gone to third person lol. That’s wild. That happens?

I'm somewhat of a dream coniseur. I usually remember all my dreams and lucid dream quite often. I've dreamt watching myself play football and freestyling at rap competitions, shyt like that.

 

[MartyMcFly]

I'm somewhat of a dream coniseur. I usually remember all my dreams and lucid dream quite often. I've dreamt watching myself play football and freestyling at rap competitions, shyt like that.

Well damn how’d you feel about inception