I See You

The last scene in Avatar is a key scene of the entire movie. In the background, you can hear what sounds like an alarm system, which is an aural representation that signifies that something undesirable is befalling. You then hear Jake struggling as he attempts to reach for an unobtainable air mask. Jake being unable to obtain the air mask can be read as a representation of Jake’s fantasy of truly being an Avatar. Jake’s fantasy is interposed by the reality of his inability as an effect of his paralysis. As a human, Jake is dependent; as an Avatar, Jake is liberated. The music in the background during this part of the scene compliments other aural and visual aspects. Once Jake stops breathing, the music becomes slower and has a more melodramatic sound, similar to that in the movie Titanic when Jack lets go of Rose’s hand. It signifies loss and despair. Neytiri desperately rushes into the trailer to find Jake lying on the floor, helpless. She makes distressed noises that signify her feelings towards what she sees. She holds Jake’s limp, human body in her arms as she puts the air mask onto Jake’s face and anxiously waits. You can see by her facial expressions that she is concerned; her eyes express sadness. When Jake comes to, his facial expressions express relief. He puts his human hand on Neytiri’s face. She puts her Avatar hand over his in return. They exchange their “I see you”(s) and Neytiri cries, a human feature, representing her connection with Jake’s soul, rather than his physical body. When Neytiri says "I see you" to Jake, she is seeing him as who he really is. The fact that he is human does not seem to have an affect on her. This scene argues you (the viewer) to feel the connection between Neytiri and Jake. The fact that Jake is human has no negative implications on his connection with Neytiri; they share their connection through spirit and soul. Their love is at such a deep level that it is capable of crossing all sorts of boundaries, including their physical bodies.

The cinematography in this scene is so incredible in that a 10-foot Na’vi is holding a small, delicate human in her arms. The cinematography enables our (the viewers) fantasies to be heightened to a whole new level. It enables us to visualize ourselves, in our own individual human bodies, with the Na’vi people. In this scene we no longer have to imagine ourselves as Avatars. Instead, we are able to see ourselves as humans in Avatar. In a sense, in this scene our fantasy changes to a different kind of fantasy. We, humans, no longer experience a personal gap with Avatar; we no longer lack the fact that we are not Na’vi Avatars. However, the gap between visual representation on screen and our own real self-images still exists. This scene is a key contributor in our ‘post Avatar depression’ as an effect of our being able to visualize our human selves in this scene. In this scene, we are able to fantasize ourselves with the Na’vi. When in reality, it is far from possible. We are forced to escape our Avatar fantasies and come back to reality.