There will be open signifiers.

Rating: 5/10 (5 January 2008)

Both this film and 'no country,' are exemplars of contemporary American film-making because they both end with an open signifier, ambivalent closure that is neither a triumph nor a failure, neither a tragedy nor a drama, just an end (evident in the typically-rowdy-newyork-audience's reaction to the ending which was an awkward mixture of laughs, gasps, applause, and silent awe). major chunks in the story are told thru narratival ellipsis, which can either say more about the characters or leave you completely cold; so the audiences' understanding and emotional involvement of the film ultimately depends upon their imagination and intellect. if you possess neither you won't like it.
again, pta's latest bares resemblances with an altman, if only for its irreverence to convention and sheer dismissal of Classical good vs. evil dichotomy.