The acid

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Kaizarc
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The acid

Post by Kaizarc » Mon Aug 28, 2017 7:07 am

This has been on my mind since my last watch. I understand Hakans use of the acid was to disfigure himself so that he would be near unidentifiable. But why did he open it before attempting to kill the boy at the gym? :think:

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metoo
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Re: The acid

Post by metoo » Mon Aug 28, 2017 7:37 am

To be ready to use it quickly, perhaps?
But from the beginning Eli was just Eli. Nothing. Anything. And he is still a mystery to me. John Ajvide Lindqvist

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ltroifanatic
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Re: The acid

Post by ltroifanatic » Mon Aug 28, 2017 10:52 am

Yea he knows he's doing something incredibly dangerous and he must protect his identity for Eli's sake.Have you noticed how Eli caresses the side of his face that gets mutilated?..Creepy.Does she know?From looking at her I get the feeling that she's saying " Oh well.You tried but I really don't need you.Bye".
Please Oskar.Be me for a little while.

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Kaizarc
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Re: The acid

Post by Kaizarc » Mon Aug 28, 2017 8:04 pm

ltroifanatic wrote:Yea he knows he's doing something incredibly dangerous and he must protect his identity for Eli's sake.Have you noticed how Eli caresses the side of his face that gets mutilated?..Creepy.Does she know?From looking at her I get the feeling that she's saying " Oh well.You tried but I really don't need you.Bye".
Wow I never noticed that :o That's quite a bit of ominous foreshadowing to Hakans fate.
metoo wrote:To be ready to use it quickly, perhaps?

He actually seems to have the place well secure for the murder. Well the best he could get it at least. It took 3 people bashing gym equipment into the door to get it to open. I don't have my novel with me right now but does Hakan use it immediately? He seems to have some time in the film before using the acid.

Right now I see two possibilities.

At the point of the film Hakan seems reckless. Even compared to the novel where he covers his face with a mask before going into the changing rooms. Here in the film he stands outside the gym window watching or choosing his next victim for anyone to see. We're unsure how long he has actually been with Eli and killing for her, but it does seem he's growing weary of the killings. It's his only real use left in the world and it really is a horrible one. By leaving the jar opened beside him to quickly throw on his face is nearly admitting that he wants or expects to be caught.

The second possibility is more practical. When he opened the acid it wasn't really to use on himself, but to use it on the boy after killing him. With something as lethal and dangerous as this it would be no wonder that he'd want to test it before using it on himself. Then, when he's discovered he doesn't use it immediately. I believe he even tries to make an escape considering how far away he was by the time the door was opened. With no other option left he pours the acid over himself. Regardless to how it might turn out.

Sorry if my thoughts are a bit jumbled. Maybe I'm overthinking this dude opening a jar :mrgreen:

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ltroifanatic
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Re: The acid

Post by ltroifanatic » Thu Aug 31, 2017 10:58 am

The scene when we see him looking into the gym is for me one of the scariest in the movie.He seems to become more monstrous with every re-watch.I go more for the second possibility and think that he wants to be caught.He had nothing but Eli but now she's found Oskar and doesn't need him anymore.His whole world gone, he has nothing to live for, so when they break down the door, he pours the acid with a sense of release and relief, but also of incredible loss.His sick and twisted mind still thinking that he is performing and act of love.As he put it .."Real love is to offer your life at the feet of another".
Please Oskar.Be me for a little while.

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a_contemplative_life
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Re: The acid

Post by a_contemplative_life » Thu Aug 31, 2017 12:21 pm

Yeah, plus he knows at this point that Eli's emotional life is now directed towards another person, which has left him embittered. I think this probably added to the reckless way he conducted himself, and enhanced his desire to prove his love for her, as sick as it was.
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Drakeule
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Re: The acid

Post by Drakeule » Thu Sep 07, 2017 4:58 am

To me it seemed a little forced. We know it happens but to make sure it happens doesn't seem right to me. It was his last stand, but he seemed way too eager to use it.

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