My best guess is that the last two shots were representative of Josh's loss of identity, more specifically that his realization that he doesn't know how to put his personal info in writing is emblematic of how he's destroyed his life. I was assuming that Josh was going to use the application as an opportunity to maybe get behind the counter or distract the clerk so he could get a weapon or something, but instead everything is left open. After a few moments of this the screen abruptly smash cuts to black and the credits roll. A gentleman talking on his cellphone can be seen milling about in the background. He then looks up at the convex security mirror to see a woman thumbing through her cellphone while holding a cup of coffee, presumably from a Starbucks like chain. The final shots are of Josh standing over the application while the clerk disappears into the back. I'm assuming that he was going to use his fake ID, but we never find out. Now Josh had dumped his cell by placing it in random cars in the lot, which is a bit puzzling because why not just use a storm drain? Did he walk in intending to get the job? Or was it a spur of the moment thing? He's asked if he needs help, to which responds "no" but abruptly changes his mind and tells the clerk that he wishes to fill out a job application.
The camera lands on Josh who's browsing absent mindedly. He enters a sporting goods store after dumping his cell phone and we see a long pan across the interior, showcasing the tents and knives and other outdoorsmen type stuff. Josh (Eisenberg) has fled Oregon after killing Dee (Fanning) as a result of her cracking under the strain of guilt she felt in the aftermath of their attack on the dam. One particular scene though, namely the final one, has left me a little baffled. Her visual storytelling, pacing, and subtlety are brilliant, and she's an expert at cultivating emotional impact using little or no dialogue in many scenes. The true star of the film is Reichardt herself, who is building a formidable resume with this entry along with the terrific Meek's Cutoff of 2010. All three leads, especially Eisenberg, give some of the best performances of their already impressive careers, and it's kind of mystifying as to why this film hasn't gotten more attention over the years. It's a terrifically acted, intelligent, and atmospheric tale of idealism gone wrong and the brutal impact of unintended consequences. For those of you who haven't seen Kelly Reichardt's terrific 2013 eco-activism drama Night Moves starring Woody Zuckerberg (aka Jesse Eisenberg), Dakota Fanning, and Peter Sarsgaard, I strongly implore you to check it out.
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