Little things noticed upon re-viewing

[a_contemplative_life]

...in the basement scene, when Eli turns on the cassette tape, she jumps back a little bit when it comes on. I was just wondering if others had any such experiences of little details that jumped out upon later viewings….

Yeah, I love that, too. And you got the lop-sided grin, which is only associated with a pleasant surprise or when she's happy for a moment or has reason to believe that she might be happy in a moment. The defining lop-sided grin was at Oskar's door. Watching it slowly disintegrate there just about killed me. I almost started to bleed from my own eyes. And when she comes into the room wrapped in the towel and tentatively tries to move to Oskar's music, there's the grin. Moments later when she gives the little twirl in her borrowed dress, there's the lop-sided, now almost goofy, grin. Those grins didn't fade in the moment. She had not a barrier standing. She was totally exposed -- a gift for Oskar. It was like she was ... intoxicated. Happily, in these moments, Oskar's head never even gets close to his own @ss. Hurrah, Oskar.

Ily

.......
"No, I - I better not look. I just might be in there." (Foghorn Leghorn)

I have always enjoyed the comical expression on Eli's face when Oscar janks her toward the bedroom.

[drakkar]

Still, I'll have to go with loud sound. I guess. If I have to.

Just rewatched the scene. After stepping back, you can see Eli reaching for the cassette player again, and then you can hear the volume being reduced. So, I've made up my mind.

[seigezunt]

One thing that made me smile that I had not really noticed/thought about as it's just a little thing: in the basement scene, when Eli turns on the cassette tape, she jumps back a little bit when it comes on. Just a nice little direction/action that possibly speaks to the fact that this is not a person native to the 20th Century..

I've always thought it was because it was too loud for his acute senses (IIRC he even turns down the volume). It might be a reference to the novel, where Eli breaks Oskar's Walkman, tearing off his head.

First impression was like seigezunt, a sort of "primitive encounters technology" scene. At some point, I noticed that she knew how to put in a cassette and which button to push. I guess the loud sound could have triggered her startle reflex, but she seemed pleasantly surprised that music came out of the magic box. Still, I'll have to go with loud sound. I guess. If I have to.

I still think it could be a mix of both...

[StrayAway]

I have always enjoyed the comical expression on Eli's face when Oscar janks her toward the bedroom.

Yeah! I think that's one of the best examples of just how good Lina was in the movie (since I can't see the deleted scene that Sivy and ya'll like so much). It seemed totally real and spontaneous -- I know, that's what acting is, but this was her first gig. I can't grasp how an actor under those circumstances, on her first job, surrounded by a film crew, where maybe someone's off on one side pickin' their tush, she's hungry and the catered food's being set up, the director says "Gimme what I want" and bang, there you are. And it's supposed to be just a cute smiling throw away moment but it's delivered so well that there's backstory in it that you can fill in however you like, even if all you know is what's in the film, which I think the writer and director did on purpose by basically making every scene a stand alone little vignette (is that the right word?). By the time I watched it for the 3rd time I'd dragged in some nice backstory for Eli's silly (girly) expression and none of it disagrees with what you guys say ought to be there. So that's all Lina, right? That's ability, and the character. I just wouldn't care to see anyone else try to do it. It's like a Richard Middleton story.

Ily

.......

"You should never drag The Thing out from under the bed or out of the grave; if you do, you have to do something with it. If you don't, the reader will take care of all that shit themselves, and that's always better than anything you could think up." (WF Davis)

[dongregg]

When Eli turns away from Håkan to tap code to Oskar, she smiles to herself. It's just a flash, and it is very endearing.

[a_contemplative_life]

When Eli turns away from Håkan to tap code to Oskar, she smiles to herself. It's just a flash, and it is very endearing.

The original mischievous child. She knows she's treating Hakan badly but in that moment, she doesn't care.

[dongregg]

When Eli turns away from Håkan to tap code to Oskar, she smiles to herself. It's just a flash, and it is very endearing.

The original mischievous child. She knows she's treating Hakan badly but in that moment, she doesn't care.

Yes, I think mischievous is better here than endearing. Good that you tied it in to Håkan. She knows he's jealous. I would also say that mischievous connects with the idea that it is a secret code (as far as she knows) that is only between her and Oskar as well as a game that excludes poor Håkan.

While I'm on this thread, I would add that the word love occurs only once in the film, when Lacke is trying to comfort Ginia as she lies bleeding. "Jag älskar ju dig." (He's also still trying to make up for speaking harshly to her at Gösta's.) Yvonne uses a form of the word (ÄIskling) to address Oskar when he tells her he fell down at recess. "ÄIskling, du måste vara försiktig," which is something like "Honey, you have to be careful."

One more: Plenty of Infecteds have mentioned Oskar's mouthing of Yvonne's words when she tells him not to go out of the courtyard until she gets home form work. Once seen, I couldn't believe I had kept missing it. I only saw it for the first time when I was watching the film with the sound off. (Yvonne's strident voice is very compelling in the scene.) Note: you see a lot of things that you had missed watching it that way. Also, you hear a lot more listening to the film with your computer screen minimized.

Okay, I watched the scene of Jocke being lifted from the lake a bunch of times before I noticed that the guy walking by in the foreground was Larry from the Sun Palace crowd. (And he's eating a banana at Gösta's!)

[StrayAway]

When Eli turns away from Håkan to tap code to Oskar, she smiles to herself. It's just a flash, and it is very endearing.

The original mischievous child. She knows she's treating Hakan badly but in that moment, she doesn't care.

Yes, I think mischievous is better here than endearing. Good that you tied it in to Håkan. She knows he's jealous. I would also say that mischievous connects with the idea that it is a secret code (as far as she knows) that is only between her and Oskar as well as a game that excludes poor Håkan.

See, ya'll understand! I mean, yes, she's being kind of a little mean to Hakan, but it's not like BAB bad. I mean Okay, you know what, I really can't shine that one up for Eli. BUT. Oh. Well, I was going to make a point about how many times Eli said förlåt, but now I can't remember what it was. I'm on Nyquil or whatever it is. I have sort of like the flu. I'm not making excuseds, I'm just saying. Also, I can't put the movie in my TV because I can't get out of bed. And Gracie is lying in the door and everytime my feet touch she floor she barks and tells it. And then I have to holler something like I got to go pee! And Sissy hollers Gracie she get to go pee. And there are six or seven people downstairs, so I leave it to yall to imagine how embarrassing that might be. It's hard to be good all the time, i think, I might have meant to say for Eli's behalf. I don't even kno w now.

[dongregg]

Hi Ily. Haven't seen anything from dear you since this post. Flu-like? I hope it runs its course quickly. Please let us know how you are doing.

[dongregg]

...It's hard to be good all the time, i think, I might have meant to say for Eli's behalf. I don't even know now.

Well, that would fit. Yes, Eli is a good person. Lina said in an early interview that Eli is a very kind person and that she would like to be friends with Eli, "if she exists." You, Ily, pointed out in your first (I think it was) post that Eli is yelling at Håkan because she is in a panic because Håkan came back without blood. Even the kindest person can go off under some circumstances. Well, that's about the best face I can put on it, too, and that's good enough, I think.