Let the Right One In, having established the core of the story as the relationship between the two youngsters and courted our interest with its flourishing, wastes a surfeit of time on Eli's quest for blood. Is too much emphasis placed on certain plot strands?

Time spent on each part of the story or each geographical location What is the mix of quickness and slowness? Is it too programmatic, episodic or set to one particular rhythm? Is the story being served properly? Is it being allowed to breathe the right air? Is it ahead of itself or behind? Is too much said too early or too late? Is there enough in the film to sustain the time given to it? The pace/build of action and plot progression This may only be felt as a barely perceptible twinge. Is the scene too short or too long? There will come a point where a scene will outstay its welcome or, on the other hand, stop when we wish it hadn't. Is the movement of the camera or movement within the frame demanding a cut? Is the action inappropriately truncated? Has an emotional arc, or a developing ambience been betrayed? Intrigue can flip to boredom at a moment's notice. One shouldn't underestimate the difference that a fraction of a second can make. One such is a mesmerising journey on a train at the beginning of Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks. Is the shot too short or too long? In a film that sets its heartbeat at 40 a shot that lasts for a few minutes may be perfect. So what are we discussing when it comes to tempo, rhythm, length and timing? Yes, we may talk about a film being too long or too short, or about it moving too slowly or too quickly, but little else besides. One of the elements least (consciously) acknowledged when we look over our experience of a film is what we could call the work's 'musicality'. These components cannot be fully separated once they have been put together. We must struggle, too, with the idea that films may be made out of different components but that they categorically do not work on us in that way.

It is easier to quantify, understand and communicate these bigger and more obvious components of a film, and much harder to pin down the smaller parts that give each film its unique fingerprint. We talk about liking the plot, the ideas, the look, the atmosphere, the music, the characters, the acting and all the combinations of the above. The tiniest things can make all the difference - even a pink sweater instead of red. F Why we like or dislike a film may rarely be in step with our conscious rationale of why.Īrt is an odd spell and few of us know which of its words make us fall into a slumber and which snap us back to reality.

Musicality of a movie