FAQ

A sucker punch is an unexpected blow.

In Baby Doll's dream, Rocket's jetpack had been pierced by a robot soldier's bullet. She had lost her ability to fly to safety. Sweet Pea tried to convince Rocket to share her jetpack, but Rocket knew the jetpack could only carry one person, and made Sweet Pea go alone. Meanwhile (but that is subject to interpretations), it's probable the 40 seconds left before the bomb's detonation weren't sufficient for any other escape attempt, like jumping on the roof and into the chopper (to which end Babydoll was strapped so it's also possible it couldn't close in by flying down without endangering her) . In "brothel life" Rocket dove in front of the cook's knife to protect her sister.

Yes, Baby Doll did kill her sister. She shot her accidentally. The bullet that she shot through her step-father's arm went clean through and hit her sister. This would explain the guilt that stopped her from killing her step-father afterwards and is the reason why she welcomed her operation as an escape from the pain, to forget. There is also a conversation between Rocket and Baby Doll where she asks Baby Doll if she "has ever said or done anything she regretted and wished if she could take it back." Baby Doll replied to this and said "All the time," in reference to her sister's accidental death.

According to Zack Snyder, no. Rocket, Amber and Blondie may have been killed off in the brothel fantasy, but nobody died in reality. It's left completely open what did happen to them. Babydoll says to Sweet Pea that she is the only one who could have survived outside, meaning that she was actually sane and didn't belong in the asylum. However the others were not sane, so Babydoll had them killed off to explain why they couldn't escape the brothel. Notably when discussing Babydoll's situation with the lobotomy surgeon, Dr Gorski does not mention anything about patients being killed. Likewise, the cook is still seen working in the kitchen, which he most certainly wouldn't be if he had actually killed Rocket. This implies that the girls are all alive and well, and have a chance at getting better once Blue is removed from the hospital.

In the brothel fantasy, it's explained that Rocket ran away from home because she disagreed with their parents. Sweet Pea (who is said never to have had problems with them) went with her, and they both ended up in the brothel, penniless and homeless. In the reality, their situation is pretty vague. There is a chance they're not even sisters at all. The general consensus seems to be that Rocket was genuinely mentally ill (to some extent anyway) and was committed to the asylum and Sweet Pea is sane but committed herself or is acting mentally ill in order to be with Rocket and look after her. Alternately they were both mentally ill but Sweet Pea recovered quickly—and is staying in the asylum to look after Rocket. Therefore Rocket's death in the brothel fantasy could be symbolic of Sweet Pea learning to let go of her and allow her to stand on her own.

Yes. This is a coping mechanism to deal with the pain from the asylum, the sexual abuse and her killing of her sister aided by the nasty, strong drugs she would have been given. There is most definitely an Inception-like, fantasy-within-a-fantasy element weaved into the film. Baby Doll appears to cope with her nightmarish situation first by imagining the asylum as a brothel (an abusive orderly at the asylum becomes the pimp of the brothel, Mrs Gorski's emotional support as theatrics, etc.), and her dancing (usually interpreted as either a coping mechanism for the sexual abuse by asylum staff or the psychodrama therapy while the asylum staff ogle) as a gateway to being sent on extremely dangerous military missions which are in reality fantastic versions of tricking the loony-bin staff. Knowing which scene belongs to which fantasy is key to better understanding what is going on in this movie, although chances are, the movie's intended to be widely interpreted.

Teaser Trailer (1m30s): "Prologue" by Immediate Music, and "The Crablouse" by Lords of Acid.

Theatrical Trailer (2m34s): "When the Levee Breaks" by Led Zeppelin, "And Your World Will Burn" by Cliff Lin, and "Panic Switch" by Silversun Pickups.

Before its theatrical release the movie was heavily shortened in order to achieve a PG-13 rating. On Blu-ray disc, an Extended Cut version (which was the first to receive an R-rated version) was released that features nearly 18 minutes of additional footage, like prolonged sexual harassment scenes, added violence. Furthermore, additional plot elements can be found as well as one of the originally five musical numbers, that has been put back in the movie. Also, there are four animated shorts based on the scenarios featured in the movie.

While you can try it yourself, it will only work for the beginning of the film until it goes out of sync. The original video here is the video used to sync the album with and has a slightly different frame rate from a Blu-ray copy of the film.

In the extended cut, there is an additional scene in between Babydoll helping Sweet Pea escape and her lobotomy. The High Roller is revealed to be a nice and caring man who is offering her freedom. He does not want to have her by force, but merely wants to know her. Babydoll chooses to give herself to him, and the scene then cuts to the lobotomy. This scene has multiple meanings: first of all, Babydoll has spent the entire movie being sexually abused and objectified by the people around her. So this moment is with someone who does not see her as a sex toy, but as a person. She had previously only thought of her sexuality as something disgusting used to pleasure Blue and his cronies, or a weapon to use against Blue. This scene shows her embracing her sexuality as something beautiful and wonderful—and as a form of love. Next, the scene represents that Babydoll is actually getting better through Dr Gorski's therapies in the real world. For example, Babydoll has been abused and objectified by the men around her. But this scene here shows that she is still able to move past her traumas. In spite of the abuse she suffered in the past, she's still able to have such a beautiful and passionate moment. Thirdly, the scene shows that a girl's sexuality is nothing to be ashamed of—and Babydoll takes control of her own sexuality her way, without men dictating it for her. Finally, going back to Gorski's therapies, it's implied that she allowed herself to be lobotomised as penance. As she accidentally killed her sister, the lobotomy is her way of making sure she pays for her crime. But through Gorski's therapies, she comes to realise that the sister's death was not her fault and she can again move past her traumas. The fact that she writes herself a happy ending—falling in love with a kind man who wants to give her the best life possible—shows that she has forgiven herself for her crime. Essentially the scene is a bit hint that Babydoll *will* get better and possibly live a better life.

A lot of people have taken Wiseman and Baby Doll's "five things" list to be literal, citing as discrepancies the fact that she needed cloth and liquor to start the fire and a place to do so. The list of five things would seem to refer to items that the girls didn't already have. It's shown in several scenes that they're allowed alcohol in the backstage area (the girls drinking after getting the lighter) or else there's cleaning fluid in the supply closet—which is bound to be flammable. Cloth is easily gotten from the beds. The items Baby Doll talks about weren't available to them: the map in the office, the mayor's lighter, the cook's knife and the key around Blue's neck. Therefore, they're referring only to things for which they'll need a diversion (Baby's dancing) to steal.