>So um, the robbery scene! This is a very important moment for Billy's characterization, because, well, the idea of 'adulthood' is very important for this film. So he has this moment where he realizes, "I'm essentially bullet proof". They try and they try, but it's just not doing anything. So, Billy feels empowered! More empowered than he's felt in a long time because he's, well, an orphan. So he takes the gun as a display of his newfound power and autonomy. And I thought it was really important to just have him focus on the gun for a few seconds. It's an important symbol of his newfound power. The catalyst of his transition to becoming a hero. A real, full circle situation since his parents were gunned down at the start of the film. So, yeah, he takes the gun, and almost symbolically shoots the robbers through the skull. And then they get root beer.
