MovieChat Forums > Mr. Nobody (2013) Discussion > The Elise hair cutting scene... [SPOILER...

The Elise hair cutting scene... [SPOILERS]

posted 11 years ago by lamensterms
10 replies | jump to latest

Hey guys,

Just wanted to get a few thoughts on why Nemo backspaced and re-wrote the scene where Elise is cutting her ex's hair (can't remember his name) and when he goes to pay her... Nemo backspaces and re-writes the segment. I thought maybe the first time the client went to pay with a credit card, but that meant that Elise might recognise him... So he changed it to a cash payment.

That is not truly in keeping with my interpretation of the rest of the movie though, it seemed to me that Nemo was aware of all the realities as a spectator or participant, rather than dictating what happens in each.

Pretty confused in general I guess.

[–] mver 11 years ago

It was my feeling that Nemo couldn't decide how much the haircut should cost, and finally settled on 20$. :)

"Love me less, but love me a long time."

[–] TxMike 11 years ago

He first wrote it as $10, then thought about it, and re-wrote it as $20. To me the whole point, including the small "jumps" in the video, was to show that he was the architect of life, he was not just seeing what would happen, or what had happened, but in fact was the one who would make it happen the way it did.

TxMike
Make a choice, to take a chance, to make a difference.

[–] sunnykiss 11 years ago

I thought the reason of re-writing was gonna be more significant than the hair cut cost, like she would recognize him, but she didn't..

[–] imdb-20212 11 years ago

You're correct... because the architect of these timelines was in fact the 9-year old boy faced with an impossible decision. Catching the train or not presented these 2 possible futures in his mind, so Nemo was in fact the architect of either one.

This scene showing him in the audience, watching it unfold, while simultaneously showing older Nemo typing out the scene itself, is a direct reference to that idea.

[–] puzzle_queen 11 years ago

I could have sworn it was $20 both times.

[–] PrashunChakraborty 11 years ago

This really bothered me too, maybe a part of him was bitter that Elise had no reciprocated his love and even after all these years she was still in love with Stefano. Maybe this was his way of not giving her a happy ending or maybe the movie implied that Elise was so infatuated with 20 something Stefano that she couldn't even see the reality of aging.

[–] CuddleBunny909 10 years ago

I am watching this on subtitles:
Elise: "$20 please"
(Nemo rewrites)
Elise: "$20 please, sir"

So the question would be why Nemo felt it important to add in "sir"? I'm thinking it's to stress that she really is so obsessed with this guy that she dated for a spell in her teens, that that is all she will recognize him as even though now he is older and overweight. It's funny how Anna and Nemo ALWAYS recognize each other when they meet up again many years later.

[–] zero1733 10 years ago

Yeah, she didn't recognize him. She seems obsessed with a desire she once had (or a moment in time) rather than a genuine love for another person. It's interesting that he could imagine marrying her, and yet also imagine that kind of future for her.

[–] backwards_pi 9 years ago

That scene confused me, mainly because I didn't know which Nemo was writing it? Was it him after he burnt the car and she left?

[–] jgiglio 9 years ago

Did he change anything?

It looked to me like the typewriter jammed, and he had to fix the jam and start typing again. You guys must have never used a typewriter if you think you can "backspace" on one. They also jam if you type too fast.