Circle Story

Magnolia ends in the same place it began-with the stories of the three coincidental deaths in the past century. The stories are told to show how coincidence can change lives. The lives of all the people in these stories were changed by coincidental events. For example, a son is killed because he was planning to help put his parents out of their marital misery while at the same time committing suicide to put himself out of his own misery. These random events show the connections between people and the importance of coincidence, or fate if you prefer, in our lives.

Since the story makes a circle, viewers can begin to understand Anderson's themes and points. When the random stories first play on the screen at the beginning of the film, they make little sense. However, by the end of the film, the stories begin to make more...