'Murderer's House' - University of Victoria
'Murderer's House' - University of Victoria
'Murderer's House' - University of Victoria
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evocation <strong>of</strong> the Holocaust through the fairy tale segment, but can also be applied to the<br />
creation <strong>of</strong> the film itself. This connection between the image <strong>of</strong> the ring and tangible<br />
pro<strong>of</strong> <strong>of</strong> one‟s story is evident in the last scene <strong>of</strong> the film. In the concluding scene, Lene<br />
pushes her daughter away from her, locks herself in the bathroom and attempts suicide by<br />
turning on the gas from the water heater. Unable to see or hear her mother, Anna pounds<br />
on the door repeatedly and begs Lene to open the door and to come out. The camera<br />
lingers on the back <strong>of</strong> Anna‟s head in a close-up shot, which has the effect <strong>of</strong><br />
strengthening viewer identification with the child. Lene finally does emerge from the<br />
bathroom, presses Anna‟s head into her stomach, and strokes the child‟s hair. This shot<br />
is from the perspective <strong>of</strong> someone <strong>of</strong> Anna‟s height who is standing behind the child and<br />
therefore the frame only captures Lene‟s midsection, arms and hands and Anna‟s head.<br />
As Lene moves her hand up and down, her golden wedding band is highlighted. The<br />
voice-over <strong>of</strong> the adult filmmaker explains, “Es dauerte sehr lange, bis Lene die Tür<br />
aufmachte, und manchmal denke ich, sie ist immer noch dahinter, und ich bin immer<br />
noch davor, und sie kommt nie mehr heraus zu mir, und ich muss erwachsen sein und<br />
allein. Aber sie ist immer noch da. Lene ist immer noch da” (Sanders-Brahms, Film-<br />
Erzählung 113-14). 98 At this point, the camera pans up Lene‟s body and a close-up shot<br />
on her face shows that her eyes are glossy with tears. After a few seconds, Lene slowly<br />
looks down at her daughter and the camera glides back down to focus again on Lene‟s<br />
hands stroking Anna‟s head. In the last shot <strong>of</strong> the film, Lene‟s golden ring is centered in<br />
the frame and it glimmers with her hand movements. Finally, she moves her hand<br />
downwards into the darkness and the screen fades to black. It is replaced by a blue<br />
98 “It took a long time for Lene to open the door. Sometimes I think she is still behind the door, and I‟m<br />
still standing in front <strong>of</strong> it and she‟ll never come out and I have to be grown up and alone. But she is still<br />
here. Lene is still here” (Sanders-Brahms, Film-Erzählung 113-14).<br />
132