The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (David Fincher, 2011)

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Constable
Joined: Wed Apr 15, 2020 3:51 pm

Re: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (David Fincher, 2011)

#426 Post by Constable » Mon Jan 18, 2021 9:01 am

Watched this for the first time today and then I went and watched the What the Flick review of it and was surprised by them agreeing that the ending of the film is unsatisfying. I found the ending to be the best part of the film.

The film itself I found to be kind of a standard, conventional, genrey detective film and I felt the ending really elevated it out of that by putting more of an emphasis on the personal relationship and also taking the relationship in the interesting direction of him betraying her, which is so much better than the happily ever after option.

How did you guys feel about the ending? Did you find it unsatisfying, do you agree with my take that it elevates the film, something third?

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therewillbeblus
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm

Re: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (David Fincher, 2011)

#427 Post by therewillbeblus » Mon Jan 18, 2021 9:41 am

A few of us discussed the merits of the ending on the previous page of the thread not that long ago. The short answer is that I think it’s a great ending that fits well as the final blow in the development of the film’s tone-informing-narrative.

Constable
Joined: Wed Apr 15, 2020 3:51 pm

Re: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (David Fincher, 2011)

#428 Post by Constable » Sat Jan 23, 2021 5:19 pm

therewillbeblus wrote:
Mon Aug 31, 2020 1:06 pm
I don't disagree with any of that, and still don't think this is a great film, but it seems to be a more appropriate method to tell a cold story in a cold way than the 2009 film. If memory serves, the Swedish film grants more gravity to the mystery by meditating on the details and granting the case a lot of power. In Fincher's film a major complaint I had, that I also noticed this last watch, is that after the first breakthrough in going to the parade photos, all the subsequent journalist-detective reveals aren't given the space to impact us on their own, thus destroying any excitement we'd get from plot by aloofly presenting everything to us objectively without passion. So the forward momentum is strictly resigned to the narrative of the characters rather than the case, and it's watching the characters' eyes light up, their bodies move differently, and humanity emphasized in these moments that's of interest. Maybe the story just wasn't very interesting after I had seen it once, or perhaps my memory of the original is not accurate, but what drew me into liking Fincher's film this time was in such strong opposition to how I've been trained to enjoy these kinds of films and stories that it's hard to describe, and definitely makes sense that it took another revisit and some rope to acclimate to what (I believe) he is doing here. Having said all that, I agree that he dissects complex themes and attends to narrative better in both Zodiac and Gone Girl, by a country mile.
What did you mean by this? How were you triend to enjoy these kind of films and how was it in opposition to it?

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therewillbeblus
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm

Re: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (David Fincher, 2011)

#429 Post by therewillbeblus » Sat Jan 23, 2021 5:38 pm

I think I summarized it better in my post just before that one you quoted, so I'd say reference that for more context, but essentially what I mean is that the film becomes about examining these characters who are unveiling their complexities in reference to the work they're doing in the narrative, in opposition to a 'traditional' convoluted mystery-thriller where my attention is trained to focus on the superficial facts, actions, and forward momentum, with character development as secondary, and change initiated by these experiences. I don't see these characters "changing" so much as emerging from cocoons of archetypes, with the plot as secondary this time around, other than to reveal deeper characterization. That Lisbeth unlocks her intricate character that she's been repressing defensively from trauma, etc. isn't the same as the normal process of a character evolving based on external experience shaping them- she's becoming familiar with a natural part of herself, not a formed one, and I think Fincher portrays this all pretty subtly that it flies under the radar of an overwhelmingly cold and sterile atmosphere. But I think I said this more in-depth on the last page.

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