"The Machinist" (2004) true meaning explained.

"The Machinist" was a 2004 movie revolving around Trevor Reznik (played by Christian Bale) - an industrial worker, who hasn't slept in a year and, after a weird chain of events starts occuring, is starting to doubt his own sanity.

SPOILERS AHEAD. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

So, if you're reading this, chances are, you have seen the movie.

The movie is a bit of a puzzler, but in the end everything is pretty neatly explained. Reznik regains his memories, discovers, that he has killed Nicholas, turns himself in and is finally able to sleep. Seems, that it's all there is to it. But...

After watching the movie I went on IMDb to give this movie a rating, check out trivia etc. And then I saw this post on movie's message board, that user black_mass had made.

Reznik is already DEAD, right? And the film is his purgatory?

"Psh... People and their conspiracies." I thought. But out of curiosity I opened the post and suddenly... Everything started to make a perfect sense.

Reznik was dead, when the movie began, and he was dead, when the movie ended. If you read the post, you'll already understand it.

So in the end of the movie, he remembers, that after he hit Nicholas with his 1969 Pontiac Viper, he fled the scene. He drove away with a shattered windshield and, completely shocked, entered a tunnel. As you'll remember it was the same tunnel, in which he entered, when he chased the same Pontiac Viper (driven by Ivan with someone (who was apparently Nicholas) in passenger's seat) earlier in the film. After he exits the tunnel, he tries to read Pontiac's number plate and nearly crashes in another car. And that's how he died. Another proof for this is one earlier scene in the movie. When Reznik reports a hit&run, blaming Ivan and his Pontiac, the officer comes up to him saying, that this car is registered to his name. But afterwards he says something else.

"Nearly a year ago you reported it as being totally wrecked."

So that's the apparent scenario, we are subtly pointed towards. Reznik hits Nicholas, flees in complete shock, enters the tunnels, crashes into another car and dies.

Now, that we have this theory, let's look for some evidence.

Firstly, the fact, that he's hanging out with Nicholas, who's already dead.

Secondly, when Nicholas goes to Route 666 attraction with Reznik, it kind of shows Reznik's life story:
1. There's a waitress cleaning dishes = Reznik going to the same cafeteria all the time.
2. Indian holding a detached hand = Reznik causes Miller to lose his hand.
3. A woman in black crying over someone's grave = Maries losing her son.
4. A hanging man with a sign nearby, that says "Guilty" = Reznik is guilty of killing Nicholas.
5. "Shady Lady Motel" = Reznik's relationship with hooker Stevie.
6. A policist holding a sign, that says "Stop, School zone!" and a child, that appears on tracks afterwards = Yet again, Reznik killing Nicholas.
7. A crashed car with a body nearby = Reznik crashing into a car and dying.
8. Road splits. One leads to "Highway to hell" other - "Road to salvation". Nicholas tries to steer to salvation, but car moves to "Highway to hell" = Reznik goes to hell.
9. Car drives into a tunnel, Reznik has flashbacks to the accident (that he's unaware at the moment) = Reznik is in hell. Which the movie takes place in.

Thirdly, Reznik had a ring in his Pontiac, that said "Route 66".

Fourthly, Reznik's suffering in hell - insomnia, stomach issues, Igor etc.

And fifthly, movie's ending. At the end Reznik finally understood, what he has done. He goes and turns himself in to police. They lock him in a completely white prison celll, where he finally is able to sleep.

I interpret it as Reznik repenting his sins and finally turning in to "Road to salvation".

All this seems just a bit too much to be a coincidence, eh? Well, decide for yourself.

All credit goes to IMDb user black_mass for coming up with this amazing idea.