The foreign film “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” proves memories can tattoo the psyche as permanently as ink marks the body. The film, based off the bestselling novel “M?n som hatar kvinnor,” or “Men Who Hate Women,” written by Swedish author Stieg Larsson, indirectly details one woman’s struggle to accept her past while assisting in the investigation of a sordid family disappearance.
The movie begins with the crinkling of brown postage paper. An elderly man unwraps a delicately framed flower and immediately dissolves into quiet sobs. The camera shot planar with the brown paper of the package as it falls to the desk immediately signifies its intense emotional content to the audience. The movie then jumps to the trial of watchdog journalist Mikael Blomkvist who is found guilty on six counts of libel against the Swedish industrial tycoon Hans-Erik Wennerstr?m. Taking advantage of his recent unemployment, the corporate mogul Henrik Vanger then contacts Blomkvist to investigate the 40-year-old disappearance of his niece, Harriet Vanger. Blomkvist must examine decades’ worth of family documents and untangle numerous family scandals in his search for Harriet.
From the start, the film traces two plot lines: one about Mikael, a talented but unfortunate reporter, and the other about Lisbeth Salander, a pierced and tattooed professional hacker who makes a living providing corporate espionage while negotiating abusive relations with her state guardian. The disjointed transitions between the two plot lines serve to intrigue the audience until the stories converge.
In addition to negotiating the stories of Mikael and Lisbeth, the film also uses a cyclical format to feature flashbacks to Lisbeth’s troubled past. These flashbacks foreshadow the plot for Larsson’s sequel, “The Girl Who Played with Fire.” Viewers must infer much of Lisbeth’s history ? the lack of outright detail forces audiences to use well-placed clues to understand why law enforcement drives Lisbeth to embrace Sweden’s technological underworld. Audiences might also interpret Lisbeth’s constant smoking as a form of penance for her past crimes.
The shocking nature of the film will also interest viewers. Audiences who can stomach raw content ? think “Law and Order Special Victims Unit” multiplied by a factor of five ? shouldn’t let the subtitles scare them away from this must-see movie.
Although the movie lasted 157 minutes, the twisted content promises to keep audiences riveted throughout. Music played an integral role in maintaining the film’s tempo, as it allowed the audience to connect emotionally with the characters and experience the adrenaline rush that accompanies each of their discoveries. For example, after co-workers ask Mikael to take a leave of absence from his work at “Millennium” magazine, the dark tones that reverberate as Mikael walks away impart his despair to the audience. Conversely, the music becomes more frenzied as Mikael investigates the Vanger family history and when Lisbeth unravels the code contained in Harriet’s diary. The infusion of static with intensified music conveys Lisbeth’s rage and pain during her assault at the home of her guardian.
The film emphasizes Vanger family photographs to give viewers special insight into Mikael’s research. At times during his research, the photographs are layered on with screen with text and newspaper clippings superimposed, simulating the layers of history Mikael must sift through to uncover the truth about Harriet’s disappearance.
Appreciating the supreme talent of the main actors will also engage audiences throughout the duration of the film. Michael Nyqvist plays (“Among Us”) Mikael with a believable intensity and reserve. As he investigates Harriet’s disappearance, he hangs her picture on the wall of his cabin with a tenderness missing from many police procedurals on television. Noomi Rapace (“The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest”) plays the detached introvert Lisbeth, who conceals both vulnerability and blind fury beneath her embellished appearance. Peter Haber (“Mein Herz in Chile”) plays Martin Vanger, perhaps one of the sickest characters in the film. His calculated honesty will chill audiences.
The movie’s thematic content extends far deeper than a missing persons search to include betrayal within the family, intergenerational deviance, the reciprocity of violence and an unexpected focus on racism. Audiences can be sure “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” will ink its provocative messages onto the memories of viewers long after the theater lights flick on.
4 1/2 stars out of 5.
