Another thing I love about this movie

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PeteMork
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Re: Another thing I love about this movie

Post by PeteMork » Wed Jun 21, 2017 5:30 am

dongregg wrote:But no, PeteMork. This was when Oskar woke up, opened his window, and looked for Eli. Through a space between blocks of flats, you just see a car going down a street. You have to look quick. But you see, I've watched the film two weird ways -- once with no sound (you see way more) and once with the screen reduced. Whoa! So many sounds I never heard before!
Ah, yes. My Bad.
We never stop reading, although every book comes to an end, just as we never stop living, although death is certain. (Roberto Bolaño)

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Wolfchild
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Re: Another thing I love about this movie

Post by Wolfchild » Mon Jun 26, 2017 1:32 am

jetboy wrote:
ltroifanatic wrote:I love that it's in the middle of suburbia.You can see car headlights just 20-30 metres away when Hakan kills the boy and when Eli gets Jocke and the truck rumbles past.There are people everywhere and none the wiser.I'm so used to seeing vampire movies that are set in deep dark forests or isolated castles or places it quite refreshing to see it set in the middle of a plain ordinary suburb.I love this movie for so many reasons.. :wub:
Great to see this forum still alive and kicking with relevant topics still being discussed. I like this element in the story too. This doesn't have anything to do with the violence in the story but one thing with cars that resonated with me in a way I'm not sure why is after Oskar wakes up and opens his window to look outside, after yhe night Eli climbed into his bed, a car goes by. I don't know why that is good but it's like it's a brand new day. Alfredson is a great director with these touches.
Tomas has said that he specifically wanted to show things where people could see them, if they only chose to. As ltroifanatic pointed out, when Håkan attacks the boy on the path, you can see cars passing by in the background. Any one of those drivers light have seen what was going on. This extends even to the more mundane (but no less horrific) happenings in the film. When Oskar is whipped by the bullies, he is first shown walking past the window where his teacher is working late. She could have easily seen Oskar getting accosted if only she had turned her head to look out the window. Instead she sees nothing.

This theme is repeated with Oskar's mom, Yvonne. Eli becomes the most important thing in her son's life, yet she never has any clue that Eli even exists. As Oskar is getting ready to go out for his second encounter with Eli in the yard, he is checking himself out in the mirror. For the only time in the film, his hair is shown carefully combed. Yvonne could have seen this and noticed that something was up with Oskar. Instead she is absorbed in her TV show. She does not turn her head and see Oskar.

The only one who comes close to actually seeing what is going on with Oskar is Avila, the gym teacher. Out on the ice, he turns his head, he watches Oskar, he sees the impending confrontation with the bullies. However, even he gets distracted. He ends up turning his head away. He could have seen, but he did not.

A theme for Tomas was to point out that there are things we miss because we do not choose to pay attention to them. It rings true that a city full of people miss these horrific things going on in their midst because Tomas illustrates how people just do not turn their heads to see. We believe that Eli could exist in society unnoticed, because he shows us how many other things the people in this film just do not see.
...the story derives a lot of its appeal from its sense of despair and a darkness in which the love of Eli and Oskar seems to shine with a strange and disturbing light.
-Lacenaire

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ltroifanatic
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Re: Another thing I love about this movie

Post by ltroifanatic » Mon Jun 26, 2017 3:07 am

I've read somewhere that one of the directors (I think) wanted to put more about Hakan in the movie but found it too problematic. So in the end it's just our two little kids facing another terrible day. Surrounded by people who just don't notice them. :cry:
Please Oskar.Be me for a little while.

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