The shot pans down a street with stopped traffic. *HER. Enigma: What happened? A partial answer is given to this question when a man in a dented car informs a police officer that he is ok. **ACT: Policeman lights a flare, a man whose vehicle was bumped explains that he is ok, and people stuck in traffic up and down the street get out of their cars and look out of their windows to see what is going on – all of these actions suggest an accident has occurred. ***REF: The police car’s lights are flashing and sirens are sounding in the distance – both of these are common place after an accident has occurred. ****SYM: The flare lit at the beginning of the shot is red, as are the tail lights of the cars in the shot – red is a symbolic color that appears throughout the film.
Cole and his mother sit in the car during a traffic jam.*HER. Enigma 2: What is upsetting Cole? Fraud: Cole’s mother suggests that he his mad because she missed his play. Suspended answer: A long silence stretches between mother and son. Promise of an answer: Cole tells his mother, “I’m ready to communicate with you now, tell you my secrets.” Blocking: Cole diverts the conversation from what is bothering him to comment on the accident. Partial answer: Cole tells his mother that the lady who died in the car accident is standing outside his window. Disclosure: Cole tells his mother that he can see ghosts, that they want him to do things. She accepts his statement and they embrace. **ACT: A camera shot shows us the dead woman from Cole’s mother’s point of view, although she clearly can’t see him. Cole nods his head in affirmation of his own claim that he can see dead people. ***SYM: The conversation moves to Cole’s grandmother. Comments concerning his mother’s past, his grandmother’s brooch, and his mother’s question to his grandmother elicit obvious grief.
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