Little girl... - The Day (2012) Discussion

[–] mister12 12 years ago

She doesn't have "paranormal powers" she is skilled.
She wasn't thrust into this scenario she was born into it and since she was she learned how to track and hunt human beings,this includes moving with stealth, she also is cruel as she torments her victim before finishing her.
Her character and skills fit into the movie well.

We're after men. And I wish to God I was with them.

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[–] pedro14 12 years ago

It was a bit lame though but the ending made up for it :D

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[–] Gaimcap 12 years ago

There's moving stealthily... and then there's teleporting around... If you really believe people can sprint around fast and quietly enough in a foliage filled forest to stab you three separate times during broad daylight, without being spotted or heard at all... you may need to take a break from the video games...

The first time, sure. It's possible to walk quietly in a forest. But after that it became cheesy B grade slasher territory.

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[–] mister12 12 years ago

Have you ever read anything about the forest dwelling Indians of North America ?
How about Rogers Rangers or the Green Mountain Boys ?
Did you know that slashing someone and stabbing them are two different motions ?
Did you consider the victims mental and physical state when she was being attacked and how that would detract from her awareness and senses in this situation ?
And I have never played video games.

We're after men. And I wish to God I was with them.

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[–] howl457 12 years ago

The skills you are talking about take years to acquire. It's possible, but highly unlikely. Even if she did somehow have those skills, my issue with the scene was more about how it was shot than what abilities she possessed. Up until this point the movie had avoided the usual horror movie tropes like someone running past the screen to surprise the audience. It felt out place, and a little bit like a cop out.

Yes, there is a difference between a slash and a stab, but you can still understand what he is talking about so why don't you let it go.

Her mental state could be called into question, but I wouldn't put too much weight on it since she has been living in that kind of environment for some time now. I would also point out that she sane enough to unload Mary's gun just before that point in the story. Her physical state is a little more convincing argument, but I still have reservations about her not being able to take on a little girl.

Good! Video games are a nasty habit.

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[–] mister12 12 years ago

The skills you are talking about take years to acquire

read my statement about her being born into this scenario and therefore being taught those skills since early childhood

but you can still understand what he is talking about so why don't you let it go

actually that statement was to determine if he knew what he was talking about,not me.

but I wouldn't put too much weight on it since she has been

I would considering she had just seen her "family" murdered.

We're after men. And I wish to God I was with them.

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[–] Gaimcap 12 years ago

Yup... either stab or slash, that wasn't the point (I do know the difference but it obviously wasn't important to me or what I was saying at the time). Howl457 had my point exactly what he said they fell into lame horror tropes.

To be honest, videogames or not, it still sounds like you're talking from theoretical knowledge. Like I said, there is moving with stealth, that exists of course, and then there's teleporting. If she had quickly walked up behind her and cut her once, OK sure, fine; heck I could almost even believe a second. Speed, however, is the direct enemy of stealth. The quicker you move, the more you disrupt. That's why walking fast is one thing, but sprinting a complete other. No measure of skill or technique can overcome the laws of physics. That extra energy used to propel you has to go SOMEWHERE, and some of it directly into the spot your stepping on or else you won't go any where. And that twig or leaf you stepped on lightly and carefully so as to disperse your impact and avoid having it snap or rustle, will definitely do so if you try to sprint over it, no matter the technique. So three separate cuts while remaining undetected running around in that environment? Eh... Slasher fodder.

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[–] Jotne 12 years ago

Agree with OP, that scene was completely ridiculous. It caught me completely off guard, it was just so cheesy and over-the-top that it seemed like it was from a different movie altogether. I had enjoyed it so far, it was much better than expected, and then it went from "surprisingly good" to "why the hell do people keep financing amateurs with no skill so they can make more crappy slasher movies." It kinda stunned me, to be honest.

As for this discussion, it's almost as ridiculous. mister12 is either a troll or one of those people who is a self-taught authority in every field because of Wikipedia - nothing he says has any basis in practical reality.

Yes, she has been trained from birth (or near enough, though she looks a bit older than ten), and yes, it is possible to sneak up on someone - with the right skills, it's possible to move very silently and be near invisible in the woods, or any other environment. And he's also correct in pointing out that the victim less alert and aware of her surroundings that she would otherwise be, due to emotional trauma, lack of sleep, exhaustion, fear etc.

However, none of that is relevant. The little girl is portrayed as moving impossibly fast, striking and disappearing again without even being seen. She apparently makes no sound whatsoever, as her victim seems to be completely unable to locate her. She moves without being seen in an environment with limited cover, without any sound being made by running feet, by heavy breathing, by snapping twigs, by the piles of leaves everywhere... and she is not sneaking, it's pretty clear that she's moving at high speed all the time. Let's not even get started on how fast a small child is able to move or how we're supposed to believe the kid remains completely unaffected by the murder of her family and everyone she knew.

In other words, this conversation is pointless, any sane person who's actually been outside can see how utterly ridiculous this part is. There's no sense arguing with someone who actually thinks it's realistic: They're either insincere or stupid. Either way, it's a no-win scenario.

The scene is so far beyond believable that it obliterates any suspension of disbelief. With the addition of the tropes mentioned by another poster, it simply doesn't fit in, it would be more at home in a slasher horror, not in this kind of movie.

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[–] NexusP 12 years ago

Are you guys serious? This wasn't rocket science or magic. The women was up all the night and hysterical because she was by herself. She ran around and the women didn't know where she was coming from because of the thick bushes. The little girl is trained to be a adept at running and tracking in the wilderness especially in that area being that that is their hunting grounds.

She ran up on her quickly and I'm sure the women was expecting an adult instead of a short girl so she prob didn't see her properly as is. Just because you heard the girl running, doesn't mean she wasn't doing that for effect. She crept up silently for the leg cuts and after that, the women barely moved. The women was completely delirious,cut up, and loosing blood with no awareness of where the girl was coming from. The girl came from behind and quickly with the energy of youth, sliced her throat.

How difficult was that?

-----------------------------------------
The Key to life is to not lose your keys.

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[–] pedro14 12 years ago

Who gives a **** anyway?, at least the brat got what she deserved at the end, was fully expecting her to stab the woman just before the end credits.

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[–] steve_oooh 12 years ago

Well I didn't feel it detracted from the film, the young girl had seen her family basically murdered (regardless of the fact her family were murdering cannibals). Also the film is a piece of fiction, the setting isn't real so the writers and film makers can do what they want. How one minor scene, which in my mind made sense to the overall feel of the movie can ruin an otherwise good movie for someone is beyond me.
On a side note the comments on video games are absolutely ridiculous and irrelevent, I have played video games the majority of my life and it hasn't had any detrimental effects on me or the people I know. Video games are a hobby and profession for some not a habit. A habit is usually something people do through addiction or an overwhelming need.

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[–] ella_leona 12 years ago

I just thought that this was the way Shannon perceived it - she was the weakest and most emotional of them anyway and based on the number of times she got caught (and lack of sleep) her senses weren't that sharp. I never for a minute thought the little girl was moving at that speed.

I don't play video games - well haven't in a long while :)

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[–] zombieeducation 12 years ago

I play video games and I found that scene a bit hard to swallow. I get the subjective angle-- that is, that the character's sensibilities at the time may have warped her senses to the point where she's an unreliable point of view. However, the style and tone of the film was so careful and calculated it seemed horribly out of place. Overall, I felt the movie was strong enough to survive a lapse, considering it wasn't a large one and the film didn't make a habit of weird choices but usually made intelligent stylistic ones, but a lapse I still see it-- it is such a stark juxtaposition in style from the rest of the film, and it lacked a purpose to be that way other than possibly pacing (the three cuts instead of one obviously has a deliberate timing to it-- but this could have been portrayed without the swishie jumps that made the child look too ephemeral).

Again, I don't think it destroyed the film's credibility-- all films have flaws, even the top ones-- but that combined with some hokey CG were two things I could not approve.

The rest of the film? Careful, moody, extremely atmospheric, and with a strong focus on shot composition (in fact, I felt the photography of the film so strong that it made the flaws listed very forgivable).

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[–] RobtheMovieGenius 12 years ago

I agree with NexusP. That scene was ok with me. As stated, it was Hunter and Prey. The Prey was behind exhausted, and already terribly frightenened. The Hunter was youthful, experienced, and oh btw, had it out for her for the sake of revenge. If they were out in the open... i would of agreed with the OP... it a heavily woody forest, given the situation of her prey, i think the girl atleast had a chance for the kill.

"...insert corny quote here"

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[–] olencciasteri 12 years ago

First of all, "would have agreed" would have been a lot better, Rob (the movie Genius - say what now?). Second, to all of that, just no. This whole situation (in the movie).. it is obvious to me that the little girl is just as ruthless as those other people hunting the main characters. It's not just being adapted to the new world order, but having certain values sold from the very beginning. The last scene just shows it all. If you were paying any attention, there was a self made knife in her hand..

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[–] knight_visionn 12 years ago

It's ridiculous that people are defending this scene. As others have said, it was so incredibly out of place and completely broke, or at least majorly interrupted, all developed tone and style.

The scene takes place in a forest. Good cover, right? A forest floor is a lush place that can cushion footsteps, and, when combined with all the natural sounds of the forest, and the added shadows and reduced lighting from the canopy, one could, in theory, sneak up fairly easily on someone. The issue is that this movie seems to take place in the fall or winter, as most of the leaves have fallen off of the trees. There goes your lighting advantage - good luck hiding in the shadows when there is light streaming through the canopy. Also, because of the season, the ground is going to be full of dry twigs and leaves. They're going to be everywhere. If anyone where to know they were being followed in this condition, they could just stop and wait and listen, regardless of their condition. The forest wasn't thick - sound would carry and you'd be able to see any movement. Which leads to my second point: THEY SAID THEY HADN'T EVEN SEEN A BIRD IN TWO YEARS! The entire place would be dead silent. Forest are great for stealth because of all the noises and shadows that come along with them, and, when you take away those two factors and add in a crunchy, loud forest floor, then I don't care who you are, you're not sneaking up on anyone UNLESS they're unaware of you in the first place, in which you have the element of surprise.

My biggest issue wasn't with that original stabbing - the lady in the forest was panicking, distressed, and exhausted, and I'm sure the last thing on her mind would be "what is this noise?". After being stabbed once though, the idea that anyone would be able to sneak up again, and then a THIRD time, when the target is aware and diverting all their attention to seeing/finding you, is just crap. It's just poor writing. I get that they wanted to show that this girl has been trained and that she is superior to her brother, but this wasn't the example they should have gone with. They made her seem physically dominant, yet mentally handicapped. What kind of tracker approaches their target on foot? You risk spooking your prey. Easy rewrite: the girl locates the woman, circles ahead, and either sets a trap and/or waits to ambush her. Gliding like you're god damn Dante in Devil May Cry is not a strategy they teach you at cannibal camp.

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[–] thegodsplinter 12 years ago

Well said, NexusP...I wholeheartedly agree and I was watching the same scene in the same movie. The girl immobilised a terrified, unarmed and isolated female who could go nowhere in her state. It really wasn't rocket science, or magic. It was all on the screen, for folk to see.

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[–] heart_in_ohio 11 years ago

I have to agree with NexusP. It sounds like a lot of people are attacking this scene just so they have something to complain about in an "otherwise very good film".

It was clear to me that the woman was tired, barely holding on to her sanity/consciousness, bloody, beaten, and bruised. It was also her first time ever having to defend herself without her "family".

Couple that with the obvious hunting skills of the girl, and the training she must have been put through everyday to learn how to catch, kill, and consume humans, it is very easy to see how this scene was indeed possible.

Also, as others have said. Many mountain tribes, forest tribes, and indigenous forest people all over the world are known to hunt swiftly and stealthily in a way that almost seems "unnatural" to others.

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[–] hexrei 8 years ago

None of that accounts for it. The woods were not that dense. She should have seen and heard the girl coming. The scene was nonsensical.

Shannon's mental state is the only thing that could account for it, I suppose, but that suggests the girl isn't particularly adept, the woman was just in a state of blind hysterics.

What a lovely way to burn...

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[–] avatassos2004 8 years ago

i thought it was great....
you are right bout her disillusioned, i didnt feel it was out of place

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[–] 8 years ago

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[–] hitokiri_sen 12 years ago

i think the scene was just shot messily thats all....but i do think it was a crucial scene in the film. i believe the whole point was to convey that even children can be vicious killing machines in a post apocalyptic world , no one is innocent..... and the ending was awesome :D

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[–] memoric 11 years ago

"She was the only one with this so called ''skill''?"

She might have been, yeah.

"Everything you said in defense of this scene was contradicted by all the other
scenes before it! Did you even watch the movie?"

Well, did you?
About an hour into the movie we are watching little girl's father saying to her:

"Your brother is going to be very strong one day.
But you my darling... are going to be so much stronger!"

So there you go, even her father supports the theory that the little girl was
skilled & special.

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[–] Tyler-A-Arse 11 years ago

I thought the scene was somewhat legit on the part of the girl. (somewhat) What I thought was stupid was how Shannon handled it. Clearly the girl knew what she was doing in small spaces. Just keep running until you get to an open area. She would lose all effectiveness then. Very cheesy.

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[–] avnrulz 10 years ago

As stated earlier, yes, she was suffering from a multitude of "pin-pricks"; hunger, emotional exhaustion, lack of sleep, blood loss. I suppose she was expecting to confront an adult, and tried to keep her back covered using the trees, but it was classic "big prey, small hunter", when the girl stabbed her in the hamstrings to cripple her before slitting her throat.
However, the final scene did show more damage than her knife should have inflicted.

BOHICA America!

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[–] Just_Jimmy 10 years ago

I'm pro "this was a good scene" person on this one.
for those that argue that she couldn't sneak in because it was loud, well you are right, if you watch the scene you could hear things, however the woman had no idea where it was coming from as she was physically and mentally and emotionally spent. The camera angles and hand held action making it jumpy, fit into the scene and it was a fitting scene...and the b!tch had it coming too hahaha.

Overall a good movie and I enjoyed that scene.

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[–] 10 years ago

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