This is kind of like a director's commentary..
First you see someone logging onto a forum as "Julie". This is really a man. Then you see him click "post reply" and you can see "suicide support" in the top right-hand corner of the screen. He is replying to Emma, who's name you can see in the bottom left corner. You then see his message being typed, which is followed by a shot of him actually typing on the keyboard. At the moment there is no sound except music, and there are titles in between each shot. He submits his post.
The dissolve takes us to a different location, where Emma is reading the man's response, who she thinks is "Julie". She types her message to "Julie" saying how she wishes she could talk to her all the time (implying they talk a lot) and that things are getting worse and she doesn't know what to do (implying she is feeling emotionally exhausted and upset).
We then jump back to the "den" and the same shot that was in the opening few shots with no sound, is back, but this time it has a man's voice-over, telling the audience that "Julie" is in fact, a man. At this point, the man's face hasn't been revealed.
Emma then asks how she can ever repay Julie for all the help she's given, to which the man laughs, saying "Yeah that comes later darlin". This implies he is going to do horrible things to her, presumably sexual things. This is the first time the audience see the man's face, and it is reflected in the mirror. You can see a Jack Daniel's whiskey bottle and glass nect to the computer, and the room is dark.
Some conversation happens, and Emma says how she wants it "all to end", implying she is suicidal. The man says outloud "Bingo", implying this is the stage he has been working towards. His message to her contrasts because he is trying to encourage her, "Things will get better, I promise." She doesn't reply to this. He thinks she's killed herself already. This is the first time the second man is shown, which shocks the audience.
Emma then asks if "Julie" can come to her house to help her emotionally. While she is typing this message, there are cut-aways to the men's faces, showing they are waiting in suspense to see whether or not their victim is ready. Straight after she types her message, we cut to the men printing out her address. We didn't feel we needed to show him saying "yeah what's the address" and her giving it to him, so instead we showed that on the page he is printing out. You can also see on the left hand side of the screen, both their names, thus clearing up any confusion over who "Julie" was.
We use parallel editing here to cut back to Emma crying, using a sound-bridge of the printing noise (diegetic) to link the shots.
The main man stands up with the print-out in hand and says "Got it, let's go". This cues the other man to pack the briefcase full of weapons at torture tools. We see him pack a chain, gaffa tape, matches, plyers, condoms (the far end of the briefcase, in black wrappers) and even sharped knives.
The opening sequence ends with a close-up of the briefcase clasp being shut, and the film title appears afterwards.
This sequence contains some very subtle details that are almost unnoticeable the first time you watch it, however this is very typical of thrillers, and the details would be repeated/explained later in the film.
Name: Amelia Conway
