The Irishman ending explained: Silence speaks louder than words; here's why

The ending hour of The Irishman shows Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) gone down the hill. As the friendships, he had with Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino) and Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) had torn apart and he was obligated to kill Jimmy on behalf of his other friend, Russell. It is as if Frank’s loyalty was fake and the violent life that he led had isolated everyone who cared for him. He is left alone and sad in a nursing centre where he is talking to the people and the priest, even then Frank has trouble admitting the repentance and regrets he feels. But in that scene, he asks the priest to leave his room door open. Looking in at Frank through that open door was the final shot of the movie.

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The opened door reminiscences an earlier scene in the film where Frank is staying at Jimmy’s hotel in his room, and when Jimmy went to bed he leaves the door of the bedroom. There is no invitation there and it doesn't suggest that Frank or Jimmy have feelings towards each other but it seems like it was psychological for Jimmy. The way the scene is shown explains that Jimmy is aware that he has several enemies. And leaving the door open signifies self-defence.

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The scene is also very conflicting as he does not want to shut the door and he also does not want to be boxed and trapped by his enemies. But leaving the door open somehow gives him an unclear sense of power. He feels like it is an escape route of all sorts. Because in the truest sense, if you leave the door open, you feel no longer trapped. But the sad irony of the scene is that Jimmy trusted his protection from his future killer, Frank. However, for Frank to leave his door open at the end has a hidden meaning to it. It is a symbol of guilt for killing Jimmy by imitating his friend’s behaviour, but it also speaks of the weakness of both men in the film.

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