Do You Really Understand David Fincher? - Analyzing 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'

If we first distill the elements of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,' you'll find sex, violence, homosexuality, rape, religion, thriller, suspense, and crime. You'll notice how familiar these elements are if you've seen more than three of Fincher's films, such as 'Se7en,' 'Fight Club,' and 'The Social Network' (of course, this film also includes Nazis and the killing of Jewish people). Among these, the style and themes of 'Se7en' are the most similar to 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,' but apart from the more mature editing techniques, 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' isn't stronger than 'Se7en,' so why did it receive more acclaim?

However, at least the Oscar for Best Editing for 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' is well-deserved, as cutting a seemingly straightforward crime story into mind-bending fragments has always been Fincher's forte. If you've watched 'Fight Club' from start to finish and aspired to understand all the details, you'll surely appreciate this.

Fincher's Super Scissors

The film begins with Henry calling Morrell to investigate the annual letters and gifts he receives from Harriet, who has disappeared or been murdered. This is a completely baffling technique, not just Fincher, as almost all suspense thriller directors in Hollywood enjoy using this trick (except for Hitchcock), starting with a plot point from the middle of the film or related details to create the opening scene, as seen in Quentin Tarantino's 'Kill Bill' or Christopher Smith's 'Triangle.' At this point, the audience has no understanding of the film, so the sudden appearance of an inexplicable plot is naturally bewildering. This is the director's mischievous pleasure in manipulating the audience.

After the opening, the director, who comes from a background of making music videos, includes a section of dirty, gritty, almost MV-like visuals. I don't agree with those who say this section is superfluous; at the very least, it tells me that the film's tone is absolutely hardcore.

Next, we enter the regular narrative phase, starting with a panoramic description of the characters' backgrounds. First, there's the story of Mikael, played by Daniel Craig, who receives an anonymous tip accusing business tycoon Wennerström. However, this turns out to be a trap, as the informant is actually one of Wennerström's henchmen, and the information is false. Wennerström then sues Mikael for defamation and wins, putting Mikael in a crisis both professionally and personally. This is the external reason why Mikael accepts Henry's invitation to investigate Harriet's disappearance. The main reason, however, is that Henry provides Mikael with real information about Wennerström to help him seek revenge. But in reality, the information Henry provides is useless. Of course, the director doesn't reveal this so easily; if I hadn't organized it in sequence, you wouldn't know until the end of the film. Although this is just background information for the film, Fincher even fragments the background.

But when the MV ends, the first scene only ends with Mikael losing his defamation case and returning to the company, where he talks to the newspaper editor (here it is implied that Mikael and the editor have an ambiguous relationship). At this point, we only know that he lost a defamation case, but we don't yet know it was a trap. However, the second scene jumps to two men sitting in an office, holding Mikael's information, and the recipient of this information is Lisbeth Salander, played by Rooney Mara. This introduces the main character, a girl with a peculiar appearance, strange hairstyle, no eyebrows, rides a heavy motorcycle, is not easy to get along with, and has a dragon tattoo. In our words, she's the ultimate form of non-mainstream. From here on, Mikael and Lisbeth have their first layer of potential connection. Later, we will learn that these two men, one being Lisbeth's boss, and the other Dick Fröde, are there to inform us that Henry had someone investigate Mikael before he asked him to investigate Harriet's death. From their conversation, we can infer that Mikael and the editor both have families, but they maintain a long-term sexual relationship.

Next, we continue to delve into the backgrounds of the two characters, gradually deepening our understanding of the protagonists while also advancing the plot."

Advancing the Plot Through Mikael

During a Christmas gathering, Mikael receives an unexpected phone call inviting him to Hedeby Island (at the Christmas party, it's revealed that Mikael has a daughter, and their relationship is strained; Mikael is non-religious, but his daughter is a Christian believer. This is the infiltration of Fincher's religious ideas and an important plot point, as it implies that Mikael can't decipher the notebook's numeric code. It's only when his daughter visits the island and unintentionally reveals that it's from the Bible that Mikael finds a breakthrough, becoming a crucial element in solving the case. The inclusion of Mikael's daughter not only enriches the protagonist's background, making the characters more realistic, but also plays a pivotal role in the plot's development, a stroke of genius), and Mikael agrees to accept Henry's request to investigate Harriet's disappearance. He, along with Henry, revisits the scene of Harriet's murder (Henry's account shapes a locked-room murder or escape case, but we later discover it's absurd. Henry claims Harriet couldn't have escaped, checked the boat, and blocked the bridge, but in reality, Harriet was hidden in a cellar less than 20 meters away and later escaped in a friend's car during lunch. It can only be said that Fincher plays with suspense in a bizarre way. Henry presents the strange annual birthday gifts he receives from Harriet, making it appear mysterious, but it's evident that these are sent by Harriet herself, which is confounding. Besides, if Harriet had faked her death, why would she send gifts to Henry every year? It's completely contradictory and inexplicable).

Next, Mikael moves to the Vanger family's island, where one scene involves Mikael searching for a cellphone signal on the island, hinting at a crucial detail - later in the film, Lisbeth tries to call Mikael but can't connect. While this serves as necessary foreshadowing, the specifics of this foreshadowing are overly convoluted, a detail not worthy of such extensive elaboration. Fincher seems to have a compulsion for logic. Mikael starts interacting with the family members introduced by Henry. Many characters appear here, including Henry's introduction of family members, which brings a lot of names into play. Foreign names, which are long and somewhat similar, make it particularly challenging to distinguish characters. Fincher even adds humor in his character introductions, further complicating our efforts to identify them. It's no wonder that even Mikael, with pen and paper in hand, says, 'I feel like I'm about to lose track of who's who.' Don't think that these names are useless; they are crucial to the film, serving as the most important clues and keys to solving the case. Although in the two-thirds of the film, Fincher straightforwardly reveals the identity of the killer and the details of the crime. You don't need to rack your brain for it. But Fincher's films aren't like 'Detective Conan,' where you're guessing who the killer is. Instead, you're understanding the process of solving the case. This is why Fincher doesn't hide the killer and the case but complicates the clues and the process, creating a lot of confusion. When watching Fincher's films, you not only need to know 'what' but also 'why,' so you need to pay attention to details. In this film, distinguishing these names is the most important detail. So, while watching the movie, it's a good idea to create a chart of the character relationships. If you're too lazy to do it, leave it to me; I'll mention it in the following chapters.

Now let's continue with Mikael's progress in advancing the plot. Mikael learns about a relative living in London, Anita, who is the daughter of Henry's brother Harald. He gets this information from Cecilia, Anita's sister. This is a fog Fincher sets up, somewhat unrelated to advancing the plot. However, this so-called Anita is actually Harriet, who has changed her name. Mikael thus misses the person he was looking for, which is a common technique used by Fincher to keep the protagonist away from the truth until the end of the film. This technique is extensively used in 'Se7en' and 'Panic Room.' Previously, it was mentioned that Mikael's daughter visited him and told him that the numbers in Harriet's notebook were codes from the Bible. Mikael follows this clue to discover a person named Rebecca mentioned in Harriet's code, who was a victim of a murder in 1944. From accidentally found photos, he begins to unearth clues starting from a yacht party photo. At this point, Henry falls ill and is hospitalized. Mikael asks Dirch for an assistant, and Dirch recommends Lisbeth Salander. It's at this point that the male and female protagonists of the film finally meet for the first time.

By this point, the film can be considered to have concluded its first part. However, Fincher is not one to sit idle. In the first part, he uses Lisbeth Salander's experiences to explain her background, character, appearance, and the reasons behind them. Although Mikael takes up more screen time throughout the film, he's just a character who follows the clues. Lisbeth is the film's sole protagonist, as evident from the title 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.' However, I have to criticize the title here because it has no relevance to the entire film. The dragon tattoo has no significance in terms of clues or important details; it merely symbolizes the girl's rebellious nature. However, this rebellion could have been described using other adjectives, such as the 'girl without eyebrows' (which reminds us of Mona Lisa) or the 'girl with lip piercings,' or even the 'girl engaged in oral and anal sex.' It's quite extreme, isn't it? Yes, Fincher's main theme conveyed through the character of Lisbeth is the extreme, which is the darkness and depravity of human nature, his expertise and obsession."

Mikael's Investigative Process

When watching a suspense film by David Fincher, there's usually not much mystery about who the killer is, nor is there much mystery about how the crime was committed. Unlike Alfred Hitchcock, who often keeps the audience one step ahead of the protagonist, or Stanley Kubrick, who keeps the audience one step behind, Fincher tends to keep you and the protagonist on the same level. He provides you with the same clues and the same thought process to delve into solving the case. The details are there, even highlighted for you, but he creates a fog that makes some details seem insignificant (like the names of the Vanger family members) while making seemingly irrelevant events mysterious and significant (such as the lack of cell phone signal or the cat entering the sealed room). Whether you can distinguish between clues and red herrings like Mikael depends on your personal perception, and this is why some viewers find Fincher's films uninteresting, while others become engrossed.

In a film that lasts only two and a half hours, Mikael's investigative process is overshadowed by numerous life events and deliberate smoke screens created by the director. Additionally, Lisbeth's subplot competes for your attention, directing your thoughts in different directions. Therefore, understanding how Mikael gradually uncovers the truth is where the essence and enjoyment of Fincher's film lies.

The Investigative Process:

1. Gathering Clues

- Mikael's first step in investigating the case on the island, after agreeing to help Henrik, is to gather clues through conversations with Henrik. These clues include:

a. Henry introducing family members, providing information about the case's victims.

b. Recalling the day of Harriet's disappearance.

c. Showing physical evidence sent annually by the missing Harriet.

d. Information provided by Gunnar about past events.

e. Information from Henry about the island's family members and their relationships, mainly providing information about suspects.

2. Examining Documents

a. Recreating the crime scene through Detective Morell's notes (Mikael underscores details in the notes to visualize the situation at the time of the incident, an ingenious idea and credit to Fincher's editing).

b. Discovering information from Harriet's notebook, such as the names Magda, Sana, R.Y., and R.L.Mani, English words, and a series of numbers (this is also considered an answer derived from Morrell's answers because Mikael learns about the Rebecca case from Morrell's conversation, which involved a beheading).

3. Interviewing Family Members on the Island

a. Interviewing Martin and Liv.

b. Cecilia's visit, leading to her mentioning her sister Anita.

c. Traveling to London to interview Anita, which was previously mentioned as a smokescreen.

4. Accidentally finding a photo of Lisbeth attending a yacht party in the documents.

5. Searching the archives for all photos from that day.

6. Playing individual frames of the photos, discovering clues to Harriet's fear in a photo taken from her perspective by a tourist with a camera.

7. Mikael's daughter's visit hinted that the English words alongside numbers in Harriet's notebook were codes from the biblical Book of Leviticus. Actually, the narration in the movie hints at the Bible even before this.

8. Through examination of the Bible, it's revealed that R.Y. corresponds to Rebecca Jacobsson in Harriet's notebook, who died by beheading. This connection is significant as it aligns with Leviticus 1:14.

9/ Lisbeth deciphers the names of five victims in Harriet's notebook, corresponding to their gruesome deaths, all in line with Leviticus:

a. Magda - Death by being killed if a woman comes near beasts, they should be executed.

b. Sana - Death like the daughter of a priest, condemned to be burned.

c. R.Y. (Rebecca Jacobsson) - Died by beheading, arm chopped, and burned, corresponding to offering a dove and beheading it.

d. R.L. (Rachel Lund) - Previously mentioned by Officer Möller as Rosemary Larson, but it's intentionally misleading. She was a cleaning lady and part-time palmist, who died in 1957, a death in line with Leviticus 20:27, death by stoning.

e. Mani - Mary Höglund, a prostitute, whose death aligns with Leviticus 15:19 - If a woman has a discharge, and the discharge in her body is blood, she shall be in her menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening.

Lisbeth also uncovers other victims with similar methods of murder:

f. Leah Pearson - Died in 1962.

g. Eva Gustafsson - Died in 1960.

h. Lena Andersson - Died in 1967 (the timing here is crucial; E and F are red herrings, but G, Lena Andersson, holds important information, as Mikael and Lisbeth conclude that Martin is the killer due to Lena wearing the same school uniform as Martin; however, the cunning Fincher muddles this with the red herrings).

10. Lisbeth and Mikael realize that the victims share the same names as biblical figures, are all Jewish, and are connected to Harriet's disappearance and the Vanger family's involvement with Nazis.

11. Mikael identifies a young man in the tourist's photo taken from Harriet's perspective during the parade. The focal point of the photo is a young man wearing a school uniform. A close-up of a clock is also visible.

12. Mikael finds the location where Martin's father, Gösta, fell into the sea and was shot.

13. Mikael obtains a landscape photo from Cecilia's father, an ex-Nazi, which contains a blurry image of Martin as a young man. The man in the photo resembles the one Harriet was afraid of, wearing the same school uniform as mentioned in points 6 and 11. It's implied that this man is Martin.

14. Lisbeth discovers information about Gösta, a Nazi, through archival documents, suspecting him of being one of Harriet's notebook victims, excluding Lena Andersson.

15. Mikael compares Lena Andersson's photo with the blurry image of Martin obtained from Harriet's notebook and Cecilia's father's photo. He finds that both individuals wore the same school emblem, leading him to conclude that Martin is Lena's murderer. Simultaneously, Lisbeth, by comparing photos of Martin from the parade and the meeting, concludes that he and Lena were classmates.

With this, the serial murders are essentially solved. However, Harriet's whereabouts remain unknown. As mentioned earlier, the current Anita is actually Harriet, while the real Anita died in a car accident 20 years ago. Harriet has been living in London under Anita's name. Finally, Harriet is found, and the audience, along with Mikael, unravels all the mysteries.

It's not necessary to remember all the names and their connections to the case from the film, but even reading this text can be confusing. As mentioned earlier, I'll provide a summary of the names involved in the case, which is crucial for understanding the movie and solving the mystery. In addition to names, other important elements include time and photographs.

Names and Relationships of Individuals Involved in the Case

In fact, this film could be described as a "case within a case within a case." The most recent and outermost layer of the case is Bjurman's assault on Lisbeth, which is directly presented by the director and doesn't require further investigation or legal consequences. Next is Martin's crimes against Harriet, Lena, and Irena. The innermost layer involves Gösta's crimes against Harriet's list of five names and other victims before 1965. Mentioning all these names can be overwhelming, so I will attempt to clarify the relationships between the characters and explain their roles in the film. Fincher's relentless use of names in the movie, some serving as clues while others seemingly serve no purpose, is designed to create confusion, much like the confusion you may be feeling right now. Therefore, I'll try to clarify the character relationships and their roles in the movie as best as possible.

The Role of Time and Photographs

If you are willing to watch the film again, I suggest that you pay close attention to all the details related to time in the movie. Doing so will allow you to find immense enjoyment and clarity in understanding the events. Focusing on the details of time in the film will help you grasp the sequence of events and uncover the real culprit.

The film repeatedly introduces the concept of time, sometimes directly and sometimes indirectly, which becomes pivotal in understanding the case. Henry mentions the date of the disappearance as September 21, 1966, when Harriet was 16 years old. It's important to note that the film includes an inconsistency, as Henry initially suggests that Gunnar was 19 years old at the time. Harriet mentions her first rape at the age of 14 in 1964. Gösta's death occurred in 1965, and it was Harriet who killed him. Martin also committed his first crime around this time, with Harriet being his first victim. This leads to the conclusion that all the victims before 1964 were killed by Gösta, except Lena Andersson. As for how this conclusion was reached, it's not entirely clear, but it appears to be derived from Lisbeth's reading of Gösta's biography. Lena Andersson is an exception as she died while Mikael was visiting Martin, and Mikael heard strange sounds from the basement. Martin claimed it was a cat, but it was actually him capturing Irena.

Time also plays a crucial role in exposing Martin's lies and reconstructing the events of the day Harriet disappeared. In the film, Mikael points out a crucial piece of information. When Mikael and Lisbeth visit Martin, he mentions that he took the 4:30 train to the town on the day of the disappearance. This time is significant because, as Henry and Mikael previously mentioned, there is only one train from Stockholm to Hedeby at 4:30. This detail is essential as it conflicts with a photograph taken by a tourist during the parade. In the photograph, Martin is seen in town at 1:45, with a close-up of a clock. Additionally, Henry mentioned that Harriet returned home after the parade, which would have been around 2:00. Anna, the housemaid, saw Harriet for the last time at 3:20, with a close-up of the house clock. Henry discovered Harriet's disappearance during dinner, which occurred in the evening. By connecting these time-related clues, it is deduced that Harriet attended the parade after lunch, saw Martin at 1:45, returned home around 2:00, and hid in the basement until the evening. Finally, she escaped in the trunk of Anita's car.

The role of photographs in the movie is crucial for Mikael's investigation. First, he uses them to distinguish between individuals and their relationships. Then, he accidentally discovers a photo of Harriet at the parade. From photos taken during the parade, Mikael identifies a tourist who took a photo from Harriet's perspective. In the photo, a young man wearing a school uniform is seen, and there's a close-up of a clock. This ties back to Martin. Furthermore, from a photo provided by Harald, one of the Nazis, a blurry young Martin is identified, matching the person in the tourist's photo and linking him to the school uniform. Lisbeth, on the other hand, identifies Martin and Lena as alumni by comparing photos from family archives that show Henry and Martin at the meeting. In the end, it is proven that Martin murdered Lena.

Flaws in the Film

The film has a runtime of two and a half hours, but I'm sure Fincher's initial cut was much longer, resulting in some unresolved suspense points that were abandoned in the final edit. These unfinished threads are disappointing, as they leave viewers wanting closure. For example, the scene where Mikael and Lisbeth discover the cat dismembered at their doorstep and Lisbeth takes a photograph is left unexplained. Additionally, the sudden sexual relationship between Mikael and Lisbeth seems out of place and doesn't serve a clear purpose in the plot. It's difficult to justify this development given their limited interactions and the timing of their encounters. It raises questions about whether the film prioritizes erotica over suspense.

Undoubtedly, the Best Editing

David Fincher's films are incredibly rich in detail and meaning, with each shot and detail meticulously thought out and serving a purpose. To fully understand this film is an impressive feat, and Fincher's filmmaking prowess is undeniable. When it comes to attention to detail and source material, David Fincher can only be paralleled by David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive." However, in terms of cinematography and editing choices, David Fincher stands alone. As for the film's Oscar snub, it could be attributed to the jury's preference for classical sentiments and nostalgia, or perhaps they had already seen these tricks in Fincher's earlier works."