The usage of implied violence is used throughout Eastwood's Mystic River. As the movie begins, it depicts three kids playing street hockey. To their dismay the ball they were playing is lost in a sewer drain, which then brings their attention to wet cement. The trio decide to write their names in the cement until they are apprehended by what appears to be cops. They are questioned and told to go away, as one of them is being taken away as the other two watch.
What seemed like a cop taking away a delinquent, was actually child abusers taking away one of the main characters, the Dave. Instead of displaying the torture in which Dave could have endured, it only shows Dave locked in a basement. He looks as though he has been beaten and is laying on a dirty mattress. As Dave awakens, the camera pans and shows the child abusers that took him approach and then transitions into to complete darkness. And as the scene progresses it shows Dave running from his captors.
This event that occurred during Dave's childhood impacts the rest of his life. Towards the climax of the stories he tells how when he ran away to his wife. He tells her that he felt as though he was reborn like that of a "vampire" or "werewolf" in the movie that he was watching. That he was no longer Dave but someone or something new. Thus causing his wife to think that Dave has gone crazy and conclude that he did kill Katie. His remembrance of his prior life tragedy is what also causes him to also go into a deranged rage and kill the child molester that he seen on his way home from the bar.
From not depicting the exact violence leaves the audience to use their imagination to conclude what happened. It leaves only endless possibilities to what could have happened, only allowing Dave's entrapment even more tragic. It also allows the movie to remain timeless and correlate to any generation as to what a kidnapper would typically do during their generation's childhood. It also keeps a vulgar image to the viewer that they may find uncomfortable. From not showing what exactly happened it only leaves the audience wanting to know what really happened to Dave and caused him to be the man he is today. From not showing the treatment he endured only makes the audience to make assumptions and theories without having a concise answer.
I agree that it lets thw audience think about amd question what really happened to Dave. Because it wasnt specifically shown, but rather implied, it also caused the audience to question Dave's sanity: did he endure so much pain as a child that he went insane? This keeps him as a suspect for the murder of Katie--if he really had gone crazy all those years ago, maybe he was just taking his anger out on someone else. In the end, the leaving out of violence shows how fragile he had become during that time makigg it all the more gruesome and heartbrekaing.
ReplyDeleteLeaving so much left unsaid is what gives the movie it's mystery in my opinion. Often times throughout the film, especially with Dave, important details are omitted,thus inadvertently thrusting the audience within the film. It's a forceful engagement tactic, which contributes to Eastwood's brilliance.
ReplyDeleteThe only way for us to determine how brutal of a treatment Dave underwent after being kidnapped is by judging his actions in his adult life. Not only does he tell his wife "Dave" is gone and take himself to murder a child molester, but he also is so mentally unstable that he falsely admitted to Katie's death knowing he could be killed. It is this insanity by Dave that makes us think about how horrible the implied violence could be from the beginning.
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