The Matrix (1999) - Reflection "Pills Swap"

Submitted by The_Wise_Sultan t3_126i730 in movies

In the first movie of The Matrix, Morpheus holds 2 pills in his hands, the blue on his left, and the red on his right, but when he gives the option to Neo, the reflection on his glasses "swaps" the hands. The blue on the right, and the red on the left. Neo then takes the red pill, which in the reflection is show as the "left hand".

Scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rrPP-QOF3k

I personally see it as symbolism for the illusion of choice and control. Neo wants to escape the Matrix to "control" his own life, which is a delusion. Therefore, the red pill lies in the "left" hand on the reflection, to show that even tho he has "waken up" he is still "dreaming".

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sakecat t1_je97lvg wrote

The pills stay in the correct hands. Reflections are mirror images so when the glasses reflect it appears opposite to the viewer. But the blue is still in Morpheus’ left hand and red in right hand. Rewatch and look again. Put on some glasses and try it in a mirror for yourself and you’ll see the effect

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TragicMagic81 t1_je987jv wrote

Yeah, I was coming back after watching the clip to suggest that OP is over analyzing the scene.

As you said, the reflections are accurate as to where each pill is visible.

The reflections themselves are added in elements for aesthetic purposes.

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The_Wise_Sultan OP t1_je9879t wrote

I understand the reflection is correct. I'm actually talking about the symbolism in the reflection.

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sakecat t1_je98ifl wrote

Ok. Got ya. Your thoughts on the symbolism are good. Have the directors spoke about it or is there any info on the commentary track?

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The_Wise_Sultan OP t1_je99mxl wrote

In a sense, he picks the red pill to keep dreaming about the illusion of control. Thus the reflection "hand swap". He picks the red pill to keep dreaming.

Edit: Idk man, once I though a little bit about it, it seemed so obvious.

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sakecat t1_je99w1o wrote

I see what you are saying but disagree completely. I could maybe stretch it to say he takes the red pill to keep hope alive but wouldn’t say he wanted to keep dreaming

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The_Wise_Sultan OP t1_je9a9gq wrote

Not consciously, no. But he still believes in a bigger lie that is control and choice. Choice by the way, he never had. He was always meant to be the one. As the oracle says: "It seems like you are waiting for something".

In this scene he picks the red pill to wake up, but only later on the movie (after his death) he trully understands the reality of the matrix. Until then he just takes the red pill to have control of his life. So he changes one lie for another, in a sense.

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sakecat t1_je9ak0z wrote

By your logic, the whole choice is an illusion. Because if he is fated to be the one without any real free will than there was actually no choice. Using that logic sort of unravels the whole point imo

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The_Wise_Sultan OP t1_je9b2ap wrote

I believe the movies follow a sequence: the first he believes (erronously) that he have a choice. In the second, he finds out he never had one. And in the third, he makes one.

I believe the movie makes a good point about the difference between choice and control. At the end of the movies he have no control. But he makes the choice to save Trinity. Choice, withouth control. "What will really break your mind, is what would have happened if I had'nt said anything".

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Tacosaurusman t1_je9u8rp wrote

Isn't the only one actually making a difference in the movies Agent Smith, by glitching up the Matrix like a virus? The whole story about Neo being the One is already calculated in by the machines.

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The_Wise_Sultan OP t1_jebwh9y wrote

In a sense yes, but Neo also went off the path and chose Trinity over Zion, which never happened before.

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The_Wise_Sultan OP t1_je990ic wrote

I'm desperate to find anyone else that found the same conections that I did. It's a very fast scene so most people don't really look into it. I'm trying to bring attention to the topic to see what else people thinks of this. Maybe I'm over analyzing, but my intuition says it's deliberate foreshadowing.

Edit: To awnser your question, I found nothing on this topic. Nothing!

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herewego199209 t1_je97s4x wrote

Neo is always meant to take the red pill. The movie explains that the " One" has been through this process numerous times.

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Citizen_Kong t1_je98e06 wrote

Reloaded revealed that there were several incarnations of Neo, there is nothing of it in the first movie.

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The_Wise_Sultan OP t1_je98hkk wrote

I now, I'm just pointing out that Neo takes the red pill expecting to obtain control of his life, only to fall into the unpredictable and uncontrollable machinations of fate. Thus, the "reflections swap". He takes the red pill expecting to wake up, only to find out that the "dreams" goes deeper than the matrix.

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VHwrites t1_jea320s wrote

You're reading into it too much. And that's saying something because this is already one of the most discussed and dissected scenes in film theory courses from the last half century.

However, there is some symbolism with the reflection--though I might suggest that "symbolism" is too strong a word.

Symbolism in movies only really works when it appears as a motif--a recurring composition, action, object, musical cue, or dialogue. Symbols require definition to hold meaning. Authors employ motif to signal the definition before the symbol is placed into the context which the author wants to draw meaning from.

So, where else in The Matrix do we see reflections? Easy, it's the next scene. There's a cracked mirror near him when he sits down to be extracted, it then repairs itself and tries to kill him.

Briefly--because there's literal libraries worth of chapters and essays written on this scene--how things are perceived--or reflected--in the Matrix is a recurring topic of exposition and philosophical musing--Residual Self Image and all that. Morpheus' glasses reflect that theme and foreshadow many layers of what's to come. That Neo reaches "into the reflection" of the glasses foreshadows both Neo's "physical" contact with the mirror and the thematic journey he is embarking on. That the mirror immediately tries to kill him exposits the hazards of pursuing truth and foreshadows the threat his own reflection--his own self image--poses to him.

But trying to draw meaning from right hand/screen left is reaching into your own construct rather than the film's. It's already thematically hefty. That the reflection operates normally on screen should signal a weight limit. Your own words signal your value of "personal" perspective--your residual self image--more than the pursuit of truth. That mirror is hazardous.

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The_Wise_Sultan OP t1_jebw4ys wrote

I might be going to far in my interpretation, yes. But it does seems like early symbolism about the illusion of choice. Blue, red, left, right, all the choices that Neo thinks he have without a clue that his path is already set before him.

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Talos63 t1_je9ax1z wrote

I was always too busy being gobsmacked at the complexity of the special effect you are looking at. The reflection is constructed and 'wrapped' onto Morpheus' excellent glasses. If it was real and untouched footage, you would see a camera and the crew, not too mention the angles would look a little off due to the shooting angle. Sheer genius. Back on topic though, I'd never read anything into it as Neo wants to wake up and goes for the red pill.

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Deep_Ad_2757 t1_jecc5iw wrote

people don't realize that zion is still part of the matrix. While it's debatable whether or not Neo actually left the simulation, the matrix itself was the system of control used to corral dissenters and deserters until the time came for extermination and Neo never left that part of the matrix. So yes, he only had the illusion of choice and left or right, blue or red, all lead to the same conclusion

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The_Wise_Sultan OP t1_jecp9zd wrote

Yeah, even tho he is "out" of the matrix, he still was playing his part in it, while believing he was seizing control of his life. I thought that this swap of hand was foreshadowing of some sort.

It could just be me overthinking a simple reflection. Maybe unintentional, but still very cool nonetheless.

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