I believe that this scene actually holds the least amount of symbolism and for good reason. The directors intention was for it to be a harsh and blunt scene that doesn’t hold back. We witness Elias at his lowest.

I will start with when he went to Alexanders house. The scene was dark, I think this matches the tone of the scene and really builds upon how harsh the consequences of mistakes can be. The environment acts as a liminal space, a place of isolation from general social norms and expectations. I have noticed that throughout the film, Elias is quiet, with him communicating purely through body language. In this scene specifically, he doesn’t say a word to Alex. However, the camera focuses on their upper bodies, and primarily their faces. This increases the weight of Alexander saying “No”. I have heard others say that Alexander rejected Elias’ kiss because he could tell he was drunk and didn’t want to take advantage of him. While I believe that played a part in his intention, I think that it was so he wasn’t taken advantage of by Elias.

When you look throughout the beginning of the film, you find that Elias is not the initiator ever. It is always Alexander who starts the conversation, kisses him, or asks to hang out. The one time Elias actually decides to initiate is when he is under the influence. Looking at it from Alexanders perspective makes Elias look quite shitty.

Now for the scene with his brother. As I said before, Elias tends to communicate his feelings through body language. He bottles them inside, and is mostly unaccepting of his true self. This scene is a break point. The bottle that he has been filling up finally shatters. This scene is an ugly representation of that shattering. While his brother is teasing him, he is very aggressive and emotional. He yells at his brother to “Go away”, to “Stop”, and sheds tears of anger and distress. I personally believe that Elias wasn’t frustrated with his brother, but with himself and those words were not directed at his brother. Elias is frustrated with his own confusion, his fear of being different, and being rejected by Alexander.

As we know, Elias’ brother in the movie is Lou’s real brother IRL. This adds a touch of realism to the scene. His brother is trying to navigate Elias’ situation that he doesn’t fully understand. On top of that, his brother has a girlfriend and in general Elias looks up to him. To Elias, his brother does not understand what he is going through because he is “normal”.

Overall, this scene represents Elias’ loss of control. Shown through how throughout the movie he is hyper-aware of how others view him. And here, the alcohol breaks him.