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Clearly they weren't actually playing Bingo, and instead were bidding for Chris. I could tell holding up a Bingo card indicated they were bidding, and the whole notion of using Bingo was a jab at white culture in the US, but what I don't understand is how the bidding worked.

It was evidently some kind of silent auction with the father holding up different numbers of fingers, but I don't know if this was meant to indicate dollar amounts, or bidding rounds, or something else? If they were dollar amounts, are we talking thousands or millions? Or is this something we're not meant to actually understand and just infer?

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  • If you look at actual auctions, the bidders all have numbered paddles to identify the bidder, which they raise to make a bid, so that's what the actual Bingo cards were about. The rest was inferred, but since we're talking about rich-rich folks basically bidding for youthful immortality, I'd think millions. Commenting because this doesn't really add beyond what you offered in the question, or what was already offered in the answer below.
    – PoloHoleSet
    Commented Nov 16, 2017 at 16:48

3 Answers 3

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10

If the 10 extended fingers represent dollar amounts, $10 million is certainly more likely than $10,000, just given what is being auctioned. These days a nose job could cost around $10,000, and what the doctor is auctioning is obviously much more complicated than a nose job.

But the filmmakers chose to omit the dialogue and any other context, so I don't think there is an in-universe answer. (And personally I think the scene works just fine that way -- or perhaps even better. As viewers, even without the context, we can easily put together what is going on -- and the silent depiction of the scene adds to its horror IMHO.)

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While I cannot be sure what is the magnitude of the amounts being bid, I believe Shiz Z.'s answer is quite reasonable. On my answer, I'll also use millions as a scale.

The scene starts with Dean raising 2 fingers, so asking for 2 million dollars. Someone bids off-screen, as we see when he points to his right, and he asks if anyone offers 3kk$. Once more, someone bids, this time to his left, and he asks for 4kk$.

At this point, Jim Hudson (the blind guy) raises his card, indicating he is offering a much larger value, 10 million dollars. Dean then asks if anyone outbids him, and, since no one does, awards Chris to Jim.

Here's my interpretation of lines for that scene:

Dean: We'll start bidding at 2 millions.

bid

Dean: We have 2 million, 3 million anyone?

bid

Dean: We have 3 million, 4 million anyone?

Jim's bid

Dean: 10 million going once... 10 million going twice... Sold!

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    How does Jim, being blind, participate in the silent auction? How would he know what the current bid is? Or does it not matter because he assumes his bid is the largest.
    – cxrodgers
    Commented Jul 4, 2018 at 20:45
  • @cxrodgers im not sure atm, but that would be a great question for this StackExchange!
    – BlueMoon93
    Commented Jul 4, 2018 at 21:49
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    @cxrodgers he has his guy behind him, whispering in his ear. Just like a moment before the two first met, describing the... object.
    – Christian
    Commented May 9, 2020 at 11:51
  • But how does he bid for 10 million dollars? In his bingo card, there is nothing to suggest or communicate that amount? Yes there is number 10 on his card, but so are a lots of other numbers?
    – amsquareb
    Commented Dec 21, 2020 at 14:44
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The blind guy knows when to bid and what to bid because there was someone behind him whispering it to him. He was standing behind the blind guy. Probably his assistant.

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  • I wasn't asking about just the blind guy, I was asking about the whole thing.
    – MattD
    Commented Sep 15, 2018 at 13:06

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