In The Lovers on the Bridge (Les Amants de Pont Neuf) why did Alex shoot his finger off?
Lets try it this way: can you think of anything in the legends or folklore of France, or in the drug cultures of France that would give meaning to an addict shooting a finger off when he believes he has lost his lover permanently?
Do you recall which finger he removed?
I could guess that someone might cut off their ring finger as a symbolic gesture to show that they don’t think they’ll ever get married. If he felt that he had lost the love of his life and would never be that close to someone ever again, it might have made sense to him to lose the ring finger. It’s not like it’s much use for anything besides bearing a ring: it’s too fat for picking noses, and isn’t needed for any offensive hand gestures.
Perhaps that is it. Wife says it was the ring finger. I didn’t remember it that way or I might possibly have not even asked. Thanks. We may have solved another of life’s imponderables.