Plot Summary
Based on the novel by Chuck Klosterman, Downtown Owl tells the story of Julia Rabia, a young woman who moves to the small town of Owl, North Dakota, to take up a position as a teacher at the local high school.
Julia seems unhappy with her life, for reasons that have something to do with her marriage, which appears to be falling apart. But before the movie draws to a close, she comes to a realization about her life that seems to give her a sense of peace.
In this ending explained for Downtown Owl, we ask the question: What does Julia discover about herself at the end of the movie?
How does Downtown Owl begin?
The movie begins in 1984 with Julia trapped in her car during a blizzard. We are then sent back in time to 1983 when Julia is driving that same car to the town of Owl.
She has moved to the town to take up a position as an English teacher at the local high school. She meets the school principal, who introduces her to Coach Laidlaw, the gym teacher. Shortly after, she meets another teacher at the school, a woman named Naomi. The two of them become friends when Naomi meets Julia in a nearby bar and gives her tips on how to manage the amorous local men.
Is Julia happy in Owl?
Life isn’t easy for Julia at first as the students in her class are unreceptive to her teaching. However, some of the students gradually warm to her, including Rebecca, Eli, and Mitch, who call on her for help when another student, Tina, is seduced by Coach Laidlaw.
It appears that Laidlaw has a reputation for getting into sexual relationships with his female students. He was thrown out of another school for this very same thing.
Julia is roped into outing Laidlaw by the three students. She doesn’t have much success in doing so, but at the end of the film, Laidlaw’s relationship with Tina is brought to an end when the girl is transferred to another school.
When Julia’s not at school teaching or spying on the Coach’s house with the student gang, she spends time with Naomi at the bar. Julia also befriends a local man named Horace whose wife is in a coma after succumbing to an insomnia-related illness.
These new friendships bring Julia a lot of happiness but there are moments when we see her in an emotional state because of the marriage problems that she is facing back home.
Is Julia’s marriage over?
It’s hard to say as we don’t see Julia break up with her husband. But when we see her get into a relationship with a man named Vance, a former high school football star, it’s clear that she thinks nothing about having an affair with somebody else. Of course, if Julia’s marriage truly is over, then her romance with Vance isn’t strictly cheating.
What is the point of the film?
Downtown Owl isn’t an easy film to understand as it moves from one scene to the next in a sometimes incoherent way. However, there is a point to the film and it’s this one: Sometimes we can be stuck in a life that we despise.
Julia was stuck in a life she didn’t like when she was with Mike, her husband. She escaped that aspect of her life by moving to Owl, for a teaching job her father helped her get.
She isn’t the only one dissatisfied with her life. In the film, we get to know Mitch. He’s unhappy because Tina, the girl he likes, is in a relationship with Coach Laidlaw. He’s also miserable because he feels compelled to be the best football player at school, even though he hates the sport.
Horace is also unhappy because of his situation at home with a wife who can no longer communicate with him. Vance isn’t happy either and this is because he is depressed about his own life, which isn’t as perfect as it appears.
It’s no coincidence that each of these characters gets trapped in the blizzard that occurs near the end of the film. They become stuck in the snow, which is symbolic of how they feel stuck in their respective lives.
What does Julia discover about herself?
Stuck in the blizzard at the end of the film, the trapped characters come to important realizations.
Mitch comes to the realization that his relationship with his sister is more important than football and the possibility that he will die a virgin. It can be assumed that he later quit football and made more of an effort to be with his sibling.
Horace thinks his house is too far away to get to in the snow. But get home he does, which is now empty because his wife has died. He realizes that he is happy being alone in the house which means so much to him.
Julia, meanwhile, remembers the need to stay calm in a blizzard and to remain in her car. It’s never explicitly said but it can assumed that this means she’s come to the realization that it’s important not to panic about the difficult situation in her life.
During the final narration, Julia says:
“Is this where I’m supposed to be? Is this it? It really is? The place doesn’t matter. You just live.”
So, what has Julia discovered about herself? That it’s important to live her life, no matter where she is. In the past, she had become bogged down in her own unhappiness, but she had tried to escape that by moving elsewhere. However, even in a new place, she couldn’t quite escape the problems back home.
But at the end of the film, she seems to discover that she’s allowed a chance at happiness. When she rescues Vance from his car, it could be assumed that she’s ready to leave her old life with Mike behind and start life anew with this new man.
Admittedly, our explanation for the ending is a little hazy and this is because of the film’s plotting, which doesn’t make a lot clear to the viewer. The writers of the film seem to be aiming for something profound, but thanks to the muddled script, it’s difficult to grasp the messages they are trying to convey.
But what do you think about the film’s ending? Can you decipher its meaning? Let us know in the comments below.
Read More: Downtown Owl – Movie Review
I think Julia dies in the end and she’s gone to a better place. The clue was that she stated 2 rules to survive the storm; stay calm and stay inside the car, while Horace adds a 3rd; keep the tail pipe clear to not die from carbon monoxide. Also, the storm headlines don’t say it was a single casualty.
I also wonder if Horace didn’t make it either, but not nearly as sure here.
Thanks Lee. I might need to give it a rewatch!
Charles’ comment is exactly the same thing I thought. And the fact that Julia and Vance appeared so contented and peaceful as they have “moved on” together.
Interesting point Charles, thanks for sharing that. That certainly puts a sobering twist on the film.
My wife and I believe that Julia and the cowboy have died. Ed Harris specifically said the third thing to watch in a snowstorm is the car exhaust. Neither Julia or the cowboy did that. The cowboys truck was nearly covered in snow and Julia never left her car.