Uncut Gems | Questions and Answers

In this section of our Colossus Movie Guide for Uncut Gems, we answer questions you have about the movie. If you’re curious about plot explanations, meanings, themes, lessons, motifs, symbols, or just confused by something, ask and we’ll do our best to answer.

Cast

• Adam Sandler – Howard Ratner
• LaKeith Stanfield – Demany
• Julia Fox – Julia De Fiore
• Kevin Garnett – himself
• Idina Menzel – Dinah Ratner
• Eric Bogosian – Arno Moradian
• Judd Hirsch – Gooey
• Keith William Richards – Phil
• Mike Francesa – Gary
• Jonathan Aranbayev – Eddie Ratner
• Noa Fisher – Marcel Ratner
• Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye – himself
• Ronald Bronstein – Writer
• Josh and Benny Safdie – Writers and directors

Uncut Gems | Questions and Answers

Why does the camera dive inside Howard’s bullet hole at the end?

This question is answered in both the title and ending explanation sections. But essentially, this visual technique serves a deep thematic purpose. The shot mirrors the opening shot when the camera dives into the gemstone to reveal a cosmic array of colors. This bookending technique highlights the highs and lows of greed and capitalism (the movie’s main theme is the chase of the American Dream). The “high” is the promise of the dream, the romanticism of scoring big in a single moment that will make the rest of your life easier. But, in the end, the bullet hole represents the other end of that dream—the pain, the regret, everything you lose in the pursuit of trivial, material things.

Who else did Howard owe money to?

Apart from Arno, Howard’s brother-in-law and primary creditor in Uncut Gems, Howard also owes money to loan sharks. It’s shown that Howard is deeply entrenched in a pattern of borrowing from one to pay another. His debts with other characters, like Phil and Nico, who are Arno’s enforcers, further exacerbate his precarious financial situation.

What questions do you have?

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