Buffalo Death Mask Ending Explained: What Happened and Why?

What Happens at the End of Buffalo Death Mask?

For more than two decades Mike Hoolboom has been one of our foremost artistic witnesses of the plague of the twentieth century, HIV. A personal voice documenting and piercing the clichéd spectrum of Living With AIDS from carnal abjection to incandescent spirituality, no surviving moving image visionary surpasses him. Buffalo Death Mask is a three-part meditation — visual, oral and haptic, both campy and ecstatic — on survival, mourning, memory, love and community. A conversation between Hoolboom and visual artist Stephen Andrews, both long time survivors of the retrovirus, floats over what seems to be a dream of Toronto and some of its ghosts. No one savours the intimations of immortality inherent in recycled footage like Mike, no one else understands how processed Super 8 can answer the question “Why are we still here when so many are gone?"

Mike Hoolboom's narrative builds toward a resolution centered on Mike Hoolboom (Himself)'s journey. A personal voice documenting and piercing the clichéd spectrum of Living With AIDS from carnal abjection to incandescent spirituality, no surviving moving image visionary surpasses him.

How Does Mike Hoolboom (Himself)'s Story End?

• Mike Hoolboom: Mike Hoolboom's storyline wraps up in the final act, though some viewers have found the resolution more ambiguous than expected.
• Louise Bak: Louise Bak's role in the climax proves pivotal to how the central conflict resolves.
• Stephen Andrews: Stephen Andrews's character undergoes a significant shift in the final act.

What Does the Ending of Buffalo Death Mask Mean?

The ending of Buffalo Death Mask brings the narrative to a close, though viewer reception has been mixed. The resolution of Mike Hoolboom's story may not satisfy all audiences.