There are plenty of examples of established actors starring in their own passion projects, and the results can be terrible. The most notable way BJ Novak refutes this in his debut work as a writer-director is by approaching the subject with humility. Ben Manalowitz, played by Novak, is a typical New Yorker who travels to a small town in Texas to attend the funeral of a young girl he barely knew in search of a story and discovers much more than that. Here is all the information you need regarding the conclusion of “Vengeance”. Spoilers follow.
end of revenge
Revenge Plot Synopsis
Considering Ben’s surroundings in the huge city, he doesn’t really stand out. Every area of people’s lives is spoiled with options, which has ultimately created a sense of alienation between them and the rest of the world. Ben is a product of his environment, the millennial culture of New York, which has a negative opinion of the majority of things outside the city.
Even if it criticizes city life, “Vengeance” does not denigrate it. In any case, the film focuses primarily on life in this small town in Texas, where the story begins with the death of Abilene Shaw (Lio Tipton). Ben is happily conversing with his friend John (John Mayer) at a party in New York during this time. They are both enjoying their lives of instant pleasure. Ben is basically immersed in the dating scene while John is dating far too many women at the same time. In fact, this is how he first connected with Abilene.
Although Ben appears to be a skilled journalist who regularly contributes to The New Yorker, he also wants to start a podcast. However, her producer pal Eloise (Issa Rae) points out that while her ideas are spectacular, they are just that – ideas – and need strong support.
That evening, after yet another encounter with a woman he barely knows, Ty (Boyd Holbrook), Abilene’s distraught brother, calls Ben to inform him that Abilene died of a drug overdose. Ben believes that although he and Abilene sometimes shared a bed, they weren’t romantically involved. But it seems Abilene had a different opinion and told her family about it.
Ben learns that Ty believes his sister was killed even though the official cause of death is an opioid overdose. Ty then asks Ben to help him get revenge on whoever he thinks killed his sister. Yes, the girl was named after the city in which she was born and raised. Although Ben doesn’t think this is the case and has no desire to demand retaliation, he contacts Eloise because he thinks the story would make a good podcast. Before Ben clarifies that he wants to do the podcast about the New American Reality, where people refuse to acknowledge the truth and seek out the craziest explanations, Eloise first assumes he’s talking about his own life and the disconnection and selfishness that are unmistakably part after learning that Ben is in Texas and his reasons. He asserts that Abilene’s disappearance represents the disappearance of American identity and the desire to blame.
Ben informs Ty that he will be staying with Ty’s family for the next few weeks after getting Eloise’s approval. Ty is thrilled at the possibility, and the rest of the Shaw family is too, as they think Ben is Abilene’s lover. They embrace it with great arms and lavish on it all the southern hospitality for which the region is renowned. As the film progresses, Ben discovers that, despite their stereotypical actions, there is a sincerity that is sorely lacking in his own life. But in the final scene of the film, this feeling is even more difficult.
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End of Revenge: What Happened to Abilene?
Although “Vengeance” is satirical, it is more introspective than observant. This is not the story of a liberal man from a big city who visits a conservative community and finds the people uninteresting and the setting bizarre. While that seems like it for a while, it’s also not a tale of an arrogant semi-intellectual from the city learning the most important lesson of his life in a small hamlet. Until the truth is revealed, writer-director Novak allows his character to be the subject of satire.
Ben is overcome with a deep sense of guilt after actually listening to Abilene’s songs, which he obtains from mysterious local music producer Quentin Sellers (Ashton Kutcher). Additionally, he develops a close relationship with the Shaw family and becomes self-aware enough to see that what he is doing to them is nothing short of exploitation. Plus, he hears it from enough people that he’s beginning to doubt that Abilene might have overdosed.
Then, however, reality hits him. Abilene grandmother’s late grandchild casually mentions opioid use. It turns out Ty came up with the idea to tell Ben a lie in order to keep him in town. Therefore, the Shaw family also engaged in some exploitation. But what Ben accomplished still holds true despite that. Ben reflects on himself as he ends his podcast by revisiting Eloise’s original understanding of the subject of her proposal.
Ben discovers the password to Abilene’s phone as he returns to spend his last night with the Shaw family and finds that she too has taken advantage of him in some way. She was talking to someone the family knew, but she saved Ben’s number because she didn’t want them to find out she was dating this guy. It worked and “Ben” was mistaken for her boyfriend by her family. Ben Manalowitz thinks this Ben must have been there at the party where Abilene died before, and he learns that Quentin is actually this Ben.
Ben discovers that Quentin is part of the drug trade. Quentin had Abilene’s body moved to a site in the middle of four different jurisdictions after she died in her tent. For this reason, no proper investigation was conducted and Abilene’s death was classified as another case of opioid overdose.
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Why does Ben kill Quentin?
The essence of the film is summed up in the crucial exchange between Ben and Quentin. Ben’s exploitation of the Shaw family is highlighted by Quentin, who also admits that he took advantage of the whole town while appearing as a helpful member of society. Ben exposing her to the world is no threat to him since he knows the world would eventually inquire into the truth.
The fatal mistake Quentin makes in this situation is that he neglects to consider how much Ben was influenced by his time with the Shaws. He never considers that Ben could grab a gun and shoot him; instead, he believes Ben will use social media to try to bring him to justice. And Ben acts that way. Then it deletes all the podcast recordings it had previously created. It is a story of family tragedy that belongs only to this particular family. It is strongly suggested, however, that he tell Ty and Ty’s mother what really happened, who was to blame, and what he did to this man. The local police come to the conclusion that Quentin’s death was drug-related and he leaves for New York.
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