Is Alfredson an Emotionally Detached Filmmaker?

For discussion of Tomas Alfredson's Film Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
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danielma
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Is Alfredson an Emotionally Detached Filmmaker?

Post by danielma » Wed Feb 22, 2012 12:52 am

So I was over at IMDB recently (I don't know why I do it to myself as the site just annoys the crap out of me on a regular basis)...one of the common things that I keep noticing about both LTROI and TTSS is how many people claim that they are emotionally cold and detached films.

Or in other words, how little both films make you care for its characters. Personally I don't see it, I think LTROI is absolutely perfect in presenting its emotion. As I've always said, Oskar is a character who has a lot of emotion built up but has no idea how to express it. Whether that be anger or sadness. Hence it is what makes those moments where that emotion does come through all the more poigant. Same thing goes for Eli, to me they're both emotionally closed in some regards and are desperately trying to hide their vunreability from one another as a method of guarding themselves.

A similar thing happened with TTSS...We're dealing with characters who's own personal loyalties fall by the way side in favour of the job. They have to be somewhat emotionally detached due to the nature of the job. They can't be true to themselves hence where a lot of the tragedy of that film came from (for me at least). Smiley is the perfect example of this, he has to remain emotionally closed, he's a character who has to blend into his surroundings and has to almost remain unreadable...which makes the finale all that much more poigant to me (the reveal of the mole). Because in that moment, you see Smiley struggling to remain closed off but you get a glimpse in his eyes of the tragedy involved with the situation.

To me, both films deal with Characters who are desperately trying to hide their own emotions in order to guard themselves.

However on IMDB, this seems to be a turn off for most viewers. The biggest complaints I keep hearing is that there is no emotional connection or residue with these characters. Hence there is no reason to care about the identity of the mole....I of course disagree...I have seen this film 4 times and what has struck me about it with each rewatch is the sense of tragedy...it is the sense that it is about a bunch of men who cannot be loyal to thenselves or their own motives...hence I think that Bill Haydon's final line is rather poigant ("I'm someone who has made his mark")...In a way, even though it comes with a lot of betrayl...he is a man who broke the tradition and showed his loyalty...even if it did come with quite a deal of betrayl.

So my question is this...Is it just me that sees this? Or is Alfredson really someone who is devoid of emotion in his films? For me personally, I saw a film about men desperately trying to guard their emotions and loyalties in an attempt to hide their own Vulnrability...Am I the only one who saw it this way? Or Is Alfredson just a director voided of Emotion?
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drakkar
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Re: Is Alfredson an Emotionally Detached Filmmaker?

Post by drakkar » Thu Feb 23, 2012 10:26 am

If I should answer that question with a tagline, it would go:
- TA does not fall into the trap of conveying his own emotions through his work.

What might look like emotional detatchment I see as emotional neutrality. TA doesn't direct me how to feel, he leaves room for me to make up my own mind.
This is a quality I associate with many good Swedish films. TA's father, Hans Alfredson, was also a master in this - anyone seen Den enfaldige mördaren (The simple minded murderer)?
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Re: Is Alfredson an Emotionally Detached Filmmaker?

Post by Jameron » Fri Feb 24, 2012 5:42 pm

Well I must admit I have fallen in love with both; Let The Right One In and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, so I am 'slightly' biased. And I really feel that if it weren't for Tomas it might be a different story.

I am confused as to whether you mean that people claim that Tomas is an emotionally detached director, or he directs films where the characters are emotionally detached? Either way, I can't see it. I'm with you, I think Tomas has a near perfect touch when it comes to emotion.

What Thomas has is subtlety, he has subtlety in spades. This is a refreshing quality, something we don't see too often.

I agree with Drakkar as well, Tomas' strength is having faith that people can come to their own conclusions, he doesn't see the need to prescribe what we feel.

So in answer to your question ... no, it is not just you that sees this.

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Re: Is Alfredson an Emotionally Detached Filmmaker?

Post by CyberGhostface » Sat Feb 25, 2012 8:00 pm

TTSS I could see being detached at times but I thought LTROI was a very emotional film.
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Re: Is Alfredson an Emotionally Detached Filmmaker?

Post by jetboy » Sun Feb 26, 2012 10:43 pm

There is big time heart beating beneath both movies. Its buried deeper in TTSS IMO but thats because thats almost what LTROI is about. I think what people are actually saying is that they arent being told outright that this is supposed to be an emotional moment and arent used to it. Alfredson shows you things and lets you make up your mind as if you are actually their. Also in line with you feeling like you are their is how realistic he wants to keep it.

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Re: Is Alfredson an Emotionally Detached Filmmaker?

Post by danielma » Mon Feb 27, 2012 1:19 am

Jameron wrote:
I am confused as to whether you mean that people claim that Tomas is an emotionally detached director, or he directs films where the characters are emotionally detached? Either way, I can't see it. I'm with you, I think Tomas has a near perfect touch when it comes to emotion.



.

More so that he directs films where the characters are detached...or I guess as Drakkar said...he doesn't direct the audience on how they should feel. Which in effect has the result that for some its harder to feel anything for these people when they're not directly told as to why they should care.

This is a big thing I saw in LTROI as well...I was surprised by how many people hated Lacke...I never hated the guy, I thought he was a deeply flawed character, and I thought that he was someone who wallowed in his own self pity as opposed to actively changing his status in life. But I never once found myself hating the guy. Even in his demise...I never hated the guy nor did I really want Eli to kill him (same as I didn't want him to kill her).

But yet I was surprised by how many people hated that character (at least over on IMDB), and felt no inner conflict what so ever at his demise, because they were apparently given no reason to care for the guy.

Same thing with Oskar and Owen...you read some comments where people say they liked Owen better because they could connect with him on an emotional level where as Oskar they didn't have that emotional attachment. Yet I'm off the oppesite direction where I felt Reeves tried so hard to make him overly sympathetic that it inadvertingly painted Abby in a pretty negative light by comparison

But I'm going off topic (but not without a point)...As Drakkar said, Alfredson isn't the type of director to "Tell You" how to feel...and that seems to be very off putting to a general audience by the looks of it. Maybe that's why people are having trouble gravitating to the film I guess.

But yet I saw it as fitting the characters of TTSS perfectly...they're supposed to be somewhat emotionally guarded and closed off...that's part of the paranoia of the film...and apart of the "Who do we truly trust?" motive of the film...so to me, it worked perfectly for the characters to have them be slightly detached.
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Re: Is Alfredson an Emotionally Detached Filmmaker?

Post by gattoparde59 » Tue Feb 28, 2012 11:25 am

drakkar wrote:What might look like emotional detatchment I see as emotional neutrality. TA doesn't direct me how to feel, he leaves room for me to make up my own mind.
That would be my reaction. It is a deliberate style. You have to sit up and pay attention. If you want your story spoon fed to you then go see Steven Speilberg.

I'll break open the story and tell you what is there. Then, like the others that have fallen out onto the sand, I will finish with it, and the wind will take it away.

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Jameron
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Re: Is Alfredson an Emotionally Detached Filmmaker?

Post by Jameron » Wed Mar 07, 2012 11:42 am

danielma wrote:
Jameron wrote: I am confused as to whether you mean that people claim that Tomas is an emotionally detached director, or he directs films where the characters are emotionally detached? Either way, I can't see it. I'm with you, I think Tomas has a near perfect touch when it comes to emotion.

.
But I'm going off topic (but not without a point)...As Drakkar said, Alfredson isn't the type of director to "Tell You" how to feel...and that seems to be very off putting to a general audience by the looks of it. Maybe that's why people are having trouble gravitating to the film I guess.

But yet I saw it as fitting the characters of TTSS perfectly...they're supposed to be somewhat emotionally guarded and closed off...that's part of the paranoia of the film...and apart of the "Who do we truly trust?" motive of the film...so to me, it worked perfectly for the characters to have them be slightly detached.
Yes, totally emotionally guarded, but not without emotion.

I can see that Percy Alleline and Roy Bland fall into that 'emotionless' group, and Control at a push, but...

Ricky Tarr - emotional over Irina.
Toby Esterhase - disgust at the Christmas party, gloating behind Control's back, and fear when confronted by Smiley, all are emotions.
Bill Haydon - full of emotion, although how much of it was real we don't know (possibly only when talking about Jim Prideaux).
Jim Prideaux - becomes close to 'Bill' the schoolboy, and then pushes him away.
Smiley - throughout the film he kept his emotions in check but the final scene where he sees his wife has returned home was a perfectly underplayed explosion of emotion.


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Re: Is Alfredson an Emotionally Detached Filmmaker?

Post by lombano » Sun Sep 30, 2012 6:53 pm

Reviving this thread.... *TTSS spoilers*
I agree that TA is more emotionally neutral, leaving us to work for ourselves how we ought to react, rather than dictating it to us. This worked very well in LTROI, as otherwise it would've fallen into melodrama. It didn't work for me in TTSS, as I ended up not really caring much about any of the characters. Any sympathy with Smiley happens "by default" - he's better than a traitor and we don't have any reason to hate him, but that's not enough to really care about what happens between him and his wife or anything. I couldn't find myself caring about Ricky Tarr and even less about Irina. The only character I had more sympathy for was Prideaux, given all that he goes through, but none of the others. I guess partly it was a feeling of "live by the sword, die by the sword" with Irina being executed, or with Tarr being manipulated by Smiley, or the mole being executed, but it was largely that I felt no emotional connection, despite the acting. So for me it was a combination of the plot, which didn't make anyone particularly sympathetic, and TA's style that made it too detached.
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Re: Is Alfredson an Emotionally Detached Filmmaker?

Post by Nightrider » Sun Sep 30, 2012 9:46 pm

I had a totally different reaction to the movie. I felt that all the main players were pretty well defined within the running time of the motion picture. Alfredson's low key, non aggressive style is an asset to TTSS since it allows the audience to make up it's mind about the character's motivations and alliances, i.e. think for themselves. For a better comprehension I highly recommend tracking down DVD set of the original BBC series that showcases much more expanded versions of all main protagonists which could offer a better understanding of impetus behind all maneuvering you see on the screen.


PS: I watched TTSS last week and it's still a great film.
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