Poolside Action

[pristidae]

This for me was one of the keys to the scene: Jimmy didn't really have to hold Oskar down. Oskar was passively resigned to his fate. Even after Jimmy's arm came off Oskar did not move to the surface. This is also why it made sense to me that Jimmy's arm or hand did not move in death: Oskar was not fighting it. He was not putting any pressure on Jimmy's grip. Thus Jimmy's muscles could have relaxed in death but still not move.

But all of it could only work if Jimmy was killed first and before he could realize that anything was going on. His hand never moved.

Also, I think that most - if not all - of the screaming that is heard from underwater is Andreas. The screams are unbroken and uninterrupted. They can't have been Conny or Jimmy, because they were killed where they were when the whole thing started. This implies that they both got killed quickly before they had a chance to move. The screams continue while Martin was being dragged down the side of the pool. The only one who went unmolested to scream like that is Andreas. I can see him just sitting there frozen in terror screaming like a little girl.

Your analyses are consistently interesting and insightful. Your graphics regarding the pool scene are good enough to use in court, and appropriately, they match the skin of the forum. You really should negotiate with Lindqvist to write a companion to the film. I'd buy it!

[drakkar]

Back in my cabin from New Years Celebration I read the article on my mobile. It made sense then, however I decided to sleep on it. Later today it still makes sense. I tend to have a point of view similar to a_c_l, but after your last post I agree in this is the way it probably must have happened. It makes the scene even better. Thanks.

[TheVoxHumanus]

Thoroughly enjoyed the little play-by-play graphics.

[shaggles]

Here are some visuals of the Jimmy vs. Eli portion (courtesy of Hendrong on Flickr):

Wow. I love that depiction of Eli.

[gattoparde59]

For some reason I never saw this until shaggles bumped it up.

Nice Xs and Os!

I always assumed that the head belonged to Martin, but what do I know since I have only seen this on the small screen? All the same it would make more sense than your chronology of a take down of Jimmy, the murder of Martin and then a return for a Harlem Globetrotter stunt with Jimmy's head.

[Dragonclaws]

Would the behind the scenes featurette give a good enough view of the head prop to identify whose it is?

Love the images, by the way.

[Wolfchild]

For some reason I never saw this until shaggles bumped it up.

Nice Xs and Os!

I always assumed that the head belonged to Martin, but what do I know since I have only seen this on the small screen? All the same it would make more sense than your chronology of a take down of Jimmy, the murder of Martin and then a return for a Harlem Globetrotter stunt with Jimmy's head.

No, in the shot of the aftermath, with Andreas sitting there weeping, you can see that Martin is intact, Conny is broken, and Jimmy is disassembled.

[bore]

Would the behind the scenes featurette give a good enough view of the head prop to identify whose it is?

No, not really.
Skip to about 4:15.

[gattoparde59]

No, in the shot of the aftermath, with Andreas sitting there weeping, you can see that Martin is intact, Conny is broken, and Jimmy is disassembled.

If that is the case then I would still see this in a different order. Your sequence of events is logical, but I don't think that was the director's intention. To quote from your essay:

Now when Eli crashes in, it is reasonable to presume that she would first go after Jimmy, since he is the one ostensibly holding Oskar's head under the water. So the first thing that happens is that perhaps Jimmy gets his neck broken. Whatever Eli did to him it was apparently fast and instantly lethal, since the arm that he had in the water didn't even seem to move.

There is no indication that Jimmy takes a hit before Martin gets dragged down to the end of the pool. From what we see, Jimmy could just as easily be sitting still gaping in shock (as is the case with Andreas). Alfredson was definitely caught up in his idea to draw our eyes to the end of the pool with Martin's feet and then replace them with a head. Jimmy's death by dismemberment was left for last for this reason, and for the shot of the dismembered arm.

I have seen this discussed elsewhere. I am not the first to think of this.

[Wolfchild]

No, in the shot of the aftermath, with Andreas sitting there weeping, you can see that Martin is intact, Conny is broken, and Jimmy is disassembled.

If that is the case then I would still see this in a different order. Your sequence of events is logical, but I don't think that was the director's intention. To quote from your essay:

Now when Eli crashes in, it is reasonable to presume that she would first go after Jimmy, since he is the one ostensibly holding Oskar's head under the water. So the first thing that happens is that perhaps Jimmy gets his neck broken. Whatever Eli did to him it was apparently fast and instantly lethal, since the arm that he had in the water didn't even seem to move.

There is no indication that Jimmy takes a hit before Martin gets dragged down to the end of the pool. From what we see, Jimmy could just as easily be sitting still gaping in shock (as is the case with Andreas). Alfredson was definitely caught up in his idea to draw our eyes to the end of the pool with Martin's feet and then replace them with a head. Jimmy's death by dismemberment was left for last for this reason, and for the shot of the dismembered arm.

I have seen this discussed elsewhere. I am not the first to think of this.

But it doesn't ring true for Eli to do anything but first deal with Jimmy. He is the immediate threat to Oskar. I can conceive of no rationale or mindset on Eli's part that would lead her to do anything else first.

If you can believe that Jimmy's head can be separated from his body and it doesn't affect his hand in the water (as the film shows us must have happened), why is it less believable that something less violent but still terminal could have happened also?

Also, look at Jimmy's position when last we see him alive. He is on his knees and one hand, leaning out over the water in a prone position. To look up at Martin's final resting place alongside the pool, he would have to rock back and straighten up. This would either lift Oskar's head out of the frame, or Jimmy would have to relinquish his grip. I count 15 or 16 seconds between the time of the first crash, and Jimmy's head splashing down. Is it really believable that he could sit there watching everything that was going on for that period of time and his grip does not falter or change in the slightest?

I have thought about the pool scene for a long time. Whether this was the sequence of events that Tomas was intending to portray or not, I believe it is the only sequence that fits with everything that we are shown on the screen.