imran, i think it had to do with the physical symbolism of the a guy who is 'the guardian of the abyss'. but either way i agree with ya that bit is a wee contrived. i always thought he was gonna achieve his epiphany via someone he loved.

BTW there is a scene in the movie trailer cut from the movie where he is sitting near the bathtub with his father ian holm.

Seen it. Well made but I thought the script needed a lot of work to tie in the drama with the quirky everything else. His relationship with his father and his past with all his daily activities as he visited his friends, etc. didn't really connect well. It was amusing and enjoyable. I liked the feeling of the film and the performances were good.