Overall, there are two battling agendas between Seele
(Soul) and Nerv (Nerve). One can view this as the tension between Mind and Body.
One party (Soul), is pushing the Human Instrumentality Project, to initiate a
third impact causing mass destruction, but maintaining ego integrity. Although
the men talk of evolution, this seems to me to be maintaining the status quo;
the issue with Mother is not resolved, ego boundaries in fact, are narrowed (less
people living). Gendo's betrayal of Seele with his Human Completion Project isn't
much better. He envisions a complete absorption of all human egos into a collective
unconscious. It is a return to the state of plenitude before the First Impact,
separation from mother etc.
Well, what actually happens is rather different. On the level of the storyline,
Rei merges with Lilith, and momentarily, Gendo's project actually seems to be
unfolding. AT fields disappear, and everyone bursts apart when touched by Rei/Lilith/Mother.
However, Shinji, still protected by Shogoki, is not absorbed. Shinji, inside
his Eva slowly walks through his mother complex, exploring themes of existence,
rejection and women. Ultimately, he is seeking for a meaning to life.
He emerges from Rei/Lilith, choosing existence, and life. Asuka, who was also
inside an Eva, apparently survived as well.
On the level of the story line, the collective is no longer simply found within
the diagesis (world of the film story) and is extended to our world, the world
of the spectator... Using live action material and New Wave techniques, Hideaki
makes us aware of our role as film goers and relates this to the subject-object
dyad. Although a formal analysis is not the purpose of this site, do keep in
mind the scene where the women's voices overlap while rejecting an unknown spectator,
which then cuts to an empty theater. If you're a film student, then you will
recognize that this reflexive scene is highly significant, and symbolizes a
rejection of the objectifying spectator's (male) gaze.
Concluding thoughts and Jungian references here.