After Dark, My Sweet (1990) — the Uncle Bud question
Neo-Noir cult classic After Dark, My Sweet (1990) is definitely an acquired taste. After a few views, it becomes clear that points of the story are left unexplained and many questions remain. Here we’ll look specifically at Kid Collin’s perception of reality with regards to Uncle Bud. Sperg-dive incoming.
Spoilers, obviously. Kid claims to have been faking insanity to avoid a murder charge. However, various scenes can be interpreted as Kid’s delusion as opposed to what actually occurred. Of course, this film is not like Fight Club where it’s designed to align with a twist reveal. We never get that. So, some moments don’t fully line up with this notion. But generally it’s clear that Kid is perceiving the events in a skewed fashion.
Many of these moments are marked by the camera shots — namely when Kid is not visible in the shot therefore we see the other character as if we are Kid. Compare this to shots of Kid’s interactions with the Doctor and you can see Kid in each shot (over the shoulder). But when Kid is speak with Bud for the first time he is not in the shot where Bud is speaking. This calls into question what Bud is saying at that moment. Also, notice no one else is around (Faye is in the bathroom). This true of other interactions between Kid and Bud (in the car as they’re scoping out the kidnapping, in the sweatshop apartment preparing for the pick-up). In fact, when Bud arrives at the restaurant he just appears. Also, when he leaves — he literally vanishes. He does the same after Faye flees the house - just appears. Odd editing? Interesting that his real name is Stoker, which lends to the Vampire theme and the excessive use of red symbolizing blood (Faye wearing red, red wine, red in the diner, red in Faye’s house, red in the station wagon, Charlie wearing red, etc.). But that’s a whole different rabbit hole.
If what we are seeing with Bud and Kid is not actual reality, then what does it mean for the story? At first glance it would seem that Bud is using Faye to lure Kid into the scheme. But, if that’s true then why does Faye have the newspaper clippings about Charlie in her house? Why did she appear to tell Bud to meet them at the Mexican restaurant later when he unexpectedly showed up at her house? It would seem perhaps that Faye was more in charge than we’re lead to believe. Also, what is her relationship with Bud? Or with Bert the bartender? It is rather interesting that Bud actually plays “bartender” at Faye’s house when they are discussing getting insulin for Charlie. Kid and Faye are seating in the same way as well. Very deliberate call back to the beginning bar scene where Kid meets Faye.
It’s also odd that Bud wears the same shirt in almost every scene, even when they are on seemingly different days. Other characters change clothes, but not him. Also of note that it’s very similar to what Faye is wearing at one point, as if they are one person. Again, this is not Fight Club, so it doesn’t work out quite as neatly. But it seems that Bud might be part of Kid’s imagination, almost a voice in his head that he’s projecting on a real person (since Faye acknowledges him). Could Kid be confusing Bud and Bert, and creating a fiction out of his brief interactions? It does seem odd that Bert just shows up randomly but only with Bud. Especially the airport scene — how would Bert already be there? How could he know where the pick-up was? Did Faye tip him off? If Bert and Bud are the same person, then it would explain Faye’s relationship. We’d just assume Kid was imagining Bert threatening Bud in the pool hall. As for the shoot-out, we could assume that it was just Bert coming out of the terminal with the money and then getting shot (which is only what Faye reacts to), and Kid just imagined it was both Bud and Bert.
Another aspect that lends itself to this idea (Kid imagining parts of the story) is Faye. Her behavior is simply erratic. She initially speaks to him with condescension but then decides she wants him around. She flees when she learns of his past, but then returns almost immediately and is even more drawn to him. She seems to be attempting to kill Charlie but then ends up killing Kid believing she is saving Charlie in the process. Indeed, she’s not the Femme Fatale we typically see in Noir. She also does not have any obvious motivation to be involved in a kidnap/ransom scheme. So why is she?
If Bert and Bud are one in the same, it would explain a few things. Bert shows up at Faye’s house after being punched seeking revenge, but she explains the opportunity (Kid as the patsy). It also explains why Bert would be “the last person to call the cops”. Uncle Bud even says at the restaurant that “it hit me like one of the Kid’s left hooks”. If Bud is actually Bert, he’s just trying to bury the hatchet in an effort to pull of the scheme. Kid is, for some reason, creating an entirely different person in his mind. The pool hall scene and airport shootout hurt this theory, however as stated before Kid could have just imagined it a la Fight Club. Wouldn’t it have been in Kid’s best interest to let Bert just stab Bud in the pool hall? Why save him? Also, Bud only tells Kid about being a detective in private. Faye never mentions it. Without this, the scheme is doomed. If Faye doesn’t know that Bud has an inside track with the police, then why is she going along with it? Perhaps Bert (as “Bud”) is forcing her to. Bud calls Bert a “murdering son of a bitch”, but who had Bert killed? Faye’s husband? Again, this would explain Faye’s relationship with Bud if he is actually Bert. Like a Double Indemnity scheme that they got away with but then ran out of money.
The film raises tons of questions, which in some ways hurts it but also gives it its uniqueness. We don’t know if Kid is insane or not, but the former would help explain many of the missing parts of the story and answer some of the questions.
