Why remake something so good?

I am enjoying a day off from working at the movie theatre by staying home and having a movie marathon. So far today : Forrest Gump, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and Little Miss Sunshine.

I hadn't watched The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo until today. I have read the book so the plot was no surprise, but it was still a new experience. I am left a bit unsettled and completely blown away by the movie, much as I was by the book. First off, the Swedish title Men Who Hate Women is a better title for this story than the somewhat trivial sounding The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. That is essentially what this story is about which is why it is so unsettling and disturbing. It does not hold back, and despite some criticisms that I have read, I did not find it glorified and of the violence against women depicted and described. The violence that is shown is frighteningly realistic and graphic but not celebrated. Although I am rather afraid it will resort to this in the Hollywood version coming up, but that is another whole issue.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is somewhat of a feminist story in its own way. Its protagonist is a heterosexual white man, but its heart is in the character of Lisbeth Salander. She is a strong, stubborn woman who has been mistreated and abused by all kinds of people who are supposed to be on her side. She has no sympathy for men who hate women. She gets revenge. She is not your typical Hollywood female character. Of course, this is not Hollywood. This is so much better.

In this movie, a murder-mystery storyline is deftly woven in with greater social problems like sexism, misogyny and Nazism. This is one that makes you think. It is a movie that deals with the dark side of humanity. The things we wish didn't exist in human beings, but the things we cannot ignore. The degree of evil that humans are capable of is shown here without being glossed over. It makes me wonder why we are capable of such darkness.

After watching this movie, I still have lingering feelings of being unsettled for a number of reasons. Many of which are related to thinking of how women are (mis)treated every day by society at large. By men who think it is ok to catcall on the street, to the media who seem to care more what female politicians wear than what they have to say, to men who think a woman's place is in the kitchen, to those men who think rape is "taking what they want or deserve." Sometimes our society can be incredibly frustrating. However, I like when a movie makes me think about my life, about society in general, about the problems we face. There may not be any answers offered but I like a movie that makes me think about the questions. We cannot ignore what we don't like and hope it will go away.

With that, I return to my movie day. My parting note on The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, I do wish the English version had kept its bolder Swedish title. Men Who Hate Women is too bold to look away from. You can't pretend it is a murder mystery and ignore the feminist undertones. That title forces you to confront the problem.