Good and Bad characters

Rating: Null/10 (4 February 2001)

I think one of the reasons some people hate this movie is that the movie breaks the "Hollywood code" that requires characters to be clearly either "good guys" or "bad guys", and there has to be either a happy or sad ending. The ending is twisted and you're not sure what to make of it. The characters are all self-centered and controlling but have a few positive quirks, which may or may not make up for their flaws. Perhaps the movie would be easier to deal with if the characters were a bit more stylized or "cartoonish" rather than having some human characteristics that you have some sympathy for.
I found me asking myself, am I supposed to feel sorry for the puppeteer? Or for the pet woman (Lotte)? or Maxine? But then I realized -- wait! This movie is weird! You don't have to worry about feeling confused! Elijah is probably the only character that you can really sympathize with!