But as the collision of the written and the unwritten life not only causes Bloom to take risks without abandon but to vacillate between the joy and fear of living in reality and an inability to believe that anything is real at all, what we see is an almost melding of stories written for us and the stories we write. Although Penelope comes to life as she pursues a life of unpredictability and uncertainty, it is within the story already written by the brothers that she is enabled to take those actions. Although the end of the film has Bloom making decisions and taking action with an autonomy and authenticity he has rarely known, it is only through the prodding, planning, and persistence of others that he finds himself able to know that freedom. And as the story ends with the fulfillment of the often repeated line that "the perfect con is one in which everyone involved gets just what they wanted," the movie almost poses the idea that even though a story is scripted, that doesn't mean it is incapable of recognizing us for who we are and seeking a good that benefits more than just those who orchestrate it.

With an apple of life, a sacrifice for freedom, and the struggle to find authenticity in an ever-changing story, in the end, The Brothers Bloom is a film which cannot help but make you think about the human relationship with God and the coexistence of our free will and His greater hand. As The Brothers Bloom comes to an end, what strikes you is not the collision of the two but the amazing reality of their coexistence. And when you think about that, it is almost impossible to not give thanks to the God who not only loved us enough to allow us to be more than his puppets, but who also loved us too much to leave us to write our lives all alone

Continue: 1 2