I know the general consensus on the ending is that it’s just another self-aggrandizing fantasy concocted by the film’s incarcerated protagonist, whose ambition and propensity for delusion far exceed his talent. After all, the film ends with a victorious Rupert standing before a live audience decked out in a bright red suit with his hands clasped together as if they were cuffed and a subtle use of chiaroscuro that makes the shadows cast along the set curtains resemble prison bars. So, that’s a fair…
