All_About_The_Thing

here is starting to happen at the American base. It is as if the film were being told in
flashback or that these two characters who will die were visiting the scene of their death
after it has happened: We see what is going to happen and compare it with how things are
now. It is not just suspense but dramatic irony and the beautiful atmosphere allows our
minds to wonder.
We see the helicopter land in wide shot and we cut to an angle inside the camp,
looking out. Mac and Copper disembark and walk towards the building we already
occupy. The effect is observational and further proof that identification in a film is a
strange business, since emotionally we are still very much with the characters. We share
their state in our own way, we are not being asked to see the world specifically through
their eyes. The choice of shot is another signal that there will not be any cheap shocks.
Of the two men Mac seems the most nervous. Copper by contrast is calm and he
even leads the way. It is a reversal of the script writing convention that says the
protagonist must always lead the action, always make the decisions. At the same time it is
not forced and artificial. It occurs naturally and isn’t noticed.
The Norwegian camp is desolate but very beautiful. Living and working quarters
are now dark (there is no interior lighting). It is frozen and covered in frost because
several big holes have been blasted in the walls, and they also provide the only light.
There is a real sense of place and it is fascinating. It is a ruin, intriguing enough that one
could easily spend time wondering around it.
There is an opportunity for gore in this scene that isn’t exploited. Only one body
is discovered. The man they find has killed himself not only by cutting his wrists but his
throat, as well, assuming somebody else didn’t do that to him. His blood has frozen. It is
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