Police lights are flashing in the review mirror. Ree nervously suggests that Teardrop pull over to "see what he wants". Teardrop, looking a little forlorn and small in the front seat of his pickup, now is slightly more alert as he pulls to the side of the road. There is a transition in Teardrop's demeanor as the Sheriff approaches the pickup and peers inside the bed of the truck. Teardrop is ridged in his seat. His arm moves for his riffle as the Sheriff asks him to step out of his vehicle. With an unblinking, maniacal calm, Teardrop colorfully declines as he stares down the Sheriff in the side view mirror. This close-up shot of Teardrop in the side mirror strongly suggests this is the closest thing to direct eye contact he wants with this man, the Sheriff. It speaks volumes of the anger and unwavering stand he is taking against this man. He knows the Sheriff is the reason his brother is dead and now the Sheriff knows that he knows.
Teardrop's approach to gathering information or acquiring knowledge is as apparent in this scene with the Sheriff as it has been with every character throughout the film--Intimidating. He is an angry man with what appears to be a calculated kind of crazy. He knows he intimidates people and therefore, uses it to his advantage; it's his personality. It's not for show, it's who he is. In this particular scene he is undaunted by the legal authority that has pulled him over. He slowly pulls his gun across his chest, in full view of the Sheriff and asks in a cold voice, "Is this going to be our time"? The dark chill of this scene is felt with this one perfectly intense question. It is the Sheriff that backs away, not Teardrop. The Sheriff now knows that he is on the wrong side of this wildly unpredictable man.
I found it interesting that you chose Teardrop to focus your post on. Most of us including myself chose Ree to write our blog. It would seem that despite all of Teardrop's actions appear cold and unpredictable but what about his softer side? He came to Ree's rescue after she was beaten by the women. He also gave Ree money in the beginning if the movie when she went to him for information, even though he was really nasty initially. At the end he brought Ashley and her brother the 2 baby chicks to raise. Teardrop unselfishly refused the banjo that Ree tried to give him as a symbol of her appreciation. He also decides to "take care" of who murdered his brother in the last scene of the film. Teardrop definitely is a rough character but has a softer side too.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to include that I really liked how you wrote your post. I think your close read of that specific scene is spot on.
ReplyDeleteI liked your title and I think it goes well with the character Teardrop. In this scene I think you took out exactly what needed to be taken out to get your point across. I agree with you that Teardrop is a huge intimidator and that’s how he obtains all his information. I also feel that he is the character that has had the biggest change in this movie when it comes to showing his softer side. The example of the sheriff and Teardrop having a big effect on him in the intimidation factor is a very strong point to your post. This also shows how Teardrop won’t back down. You did a great job and I enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDeleteGreat analysis! I was considering writing about Teardrop myself, but could not pull he information together the way I wanted to. You did a great job. Teardrop had a great transformation in this film. His reputation and intimidation aided in his knowledge acquisition. In the barn after Ree was beaten, Teardrop's truck is heard pulling up and the one man even leaves, not wanting to be around when he's there. You picked a great scene and put the pieces together perfectly.
ReplyDeleteI’m glad that I was not the only one who wanted to write about Teardrop. He kind of became my favorite character from this movie. I really like that you called him a ‘calculated kind of crazy.’ That is a great way to describe him, and one that I did not really think about. I saw him more as the quite/silent but deadly kind. I guess crazy really works for him as well. I will say that I don’t really feel like he’s always trying to be intimidating, from watching him I always got the impression that he did not want to be so much but he did not really know any other way to live. In a sense, I feel like the environment he lived him made he have to be scary in order to not be stepped all over.
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