at the dock with body bags question - Deja Vu (2006) Discussion

[–] gozila5 9 years ago

At the time I thought it was just the directors way of showing that inside the bags there are people who were recently alive with people who care about them. You know to raise the shock/sadness of the scene but thinking back it might be some sort of past failed time travel where it is Doug or his partner inside the bag and they are trying to call them to the crime scene.

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[–] the_notorious_bid 9 years ago

It is not thoroughly (nor partially) explained. For the most part, the dialogue and action is somewhat complete. There don't seem to be a lot of "throwaways" where the dialogue or action is unexplained.

I assumed that it was just a phone call which he didn't feel was a priority. Let's look at the time: It's after 12 noon the day of the bombing. He's back in the office by 1 (or so). Who would be calling him? It's established that he has nobody. "Mother/Father gone..." And he didn't leave Claire his cell number until after he got back to the office.

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[–] shawnc101 9 years ago

The ringing phone was in a body bag, not in live Carlin's hand.

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[–] MsSpiderGrrl 8 years ago

We know that. We're talking about it being Doug's alternate body in the bag, or his partners, etc.

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[–] Bye_Felicia 8 years ago

Does no one read the frequently asked questions on this site? It states that it is Doug's future forms dead body in one of the body bags as he has time traveled twice before.

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[–] the_notorious_bid 8 years ago

If so, I would see that as a "plot hole." I've discussed it on other topics.

Doug would have had to go back with a cell phone and the cell phone would have to survive the trip in working condition. I find this doubtful. And who's calling him on that cell phone (with has what should be the same number)? Shouldn't both phones ring if someone dialed either one of them? It could be anyone's call on anyone's phone...

In other topics, we have discussed the possibility of Doug having made the trip multiple times but even "the first trip" could have been planned better.

This is what I would have done, keeping in mind: What if you had to tell someone the most important thing in the world, but you knew they'd never believe you?

Follow: I woulda found MYSELF Tuesday morning and convinced myself that I knew whereof I was speaking. How could I NOT believe myself when looking myself in the face? Thereafter, I could then mobilize a small group of very trusted individuals. It makes sense but would not relate a nice, tidy ending for the movie.

As for this topic, specifically, I believe that it's just a case of people trying to contact a loved one whom they knew to be on the ferry. I imagine that if you respond to events such as this, it is not completely "unusual" to hear cell phones ringing from body bags. This might be why there was no direct explanation. As for Doug (2.0, from the future and/or other Dougs), he might be there in a body bag but the cell phone idea is a red herring.

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[–] the_notorious_bid 8 years ago

Actually, Felicia, I just read the FAQs. I don't agree with everything there but what COULD make complete sense is if Larry Minuti's phone was ringing. They (everyone) had been trying to contact him all morning AND... Larry was allegedly one of the victims and his vehicle was there at the ferry.

Larry's phone should have been ringing!

Although, many other cell phones could have been ringing as well for any number of reasons...

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[–] jamari34 8 years ago

This is exactly what I thought as well.

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[–] jaipex 8 years ago

Like someone else mentioned, the first time I watched it I just thought it was the director's way of really driving home the fact that there were people in those bags.

But as I watched it again, I thought hey, maybe that was his missing partner Minuti since he's missing at that point and we later find out he went to the dock. However, I also disagree with the FAQ in that I think the body being fed to the alligators WAS Minuti, meaning he was not dumped in the water to look like he was just another victim of the bombing and therefore would NOT be in a body bag. Though I have no real explanation for burning the body before feeding it to alligators, Oerstadt actually seems to support this idea during the interrogation. He claims he couldn't shoot Kuchever because he needed her to look like just another victim, but he shoots Minuti.

So as I sat and pondered it more, I decided it must actually be himself from a previous loop. For example, when his former self dies in the water at the end of the movie before his current self shows up. And this would have made sense to me except someone else pointed out that he would not have gone through the time jump with a cellphone (because they told him no electronics because it would get fried and they also told him to get rid of everything but his underwear anyway). Furthermore, even if he did get his cellphone through, it would be the same number and in theory should have rang simultaneously with his current timeline cellphone.

All this to say.. I still sort of have no clue.

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[–] the_notorious_bid 8 years ago

There are a few thoughtful/hopeful "deep" explanations which all seem to fall short.

Sometimes, a cell phone ringing is just a cell phone ringing...

So, it COULD be Minuti's phone but not likely because...
It COULD be future Doug's phone but not likely because... The cell phone can't make the trip to the past and continue to work

My thought, which I had mentioned previously, is that for first-responders, it is not unusual to encounter a lot of cell phones ringing from body bags where folks are checking on loved ones. Doug is (maybe) both affected and unaffected. It's "sad" but not new. I took it as (perhaps) layered nuance and a look into Doug's day-to-day job with no "deeper meaning" nor plot-enhancement.

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[–] black-hood 8 years ago

Don't believe it was a future Doug's phone as future and present Doug would almost certainly have number so both phones would ring.

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[–] Marhleet_DR 7 years ago

When Denzel meets Val Kilmer on the bridge, he says his partner is on holidays.
Val says, not anymore, everyone is being called in.
As a part of the time line, 1st or 2nd, (shh, now I'm confused again) his partner is now on the ferry, and dead. (The sending of the note putting him on the ferry). But, as he is on hols, he is being called, soon after. For the ATF to have staff on deck.

So, it's possibly Minuti being called back from holidays for the bombing investigation.

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[–] alx9 (72) 7 years ago

The movie does suggest it might have been Doug the time traveler in the body bag, since it seems an odd coincidence that a phone with Doug's identical ring happens to go off while he is walking by. Doug being at ground zero of the explosion could not have been Doug's body since him and his phone would be in hundreds of pieces all over the river.

Maybe the best explanation is that it was a poignant reminder of the survivors of the victims of the attack. Of course I don't remember fire and waterproof phones from that era and why any phone would ring that was in the explosion, but poetic license and all that.

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[–] Tulipchild (1) 10 months ago

The actual answer is that Minuti dies going on vacation on the boat when it make
explodes. It's reasoned that when Doug is calling him the phone is ringing and that is Minuti's device. We know that Doug makes a time change in the timeline that causes Mnuti to then die at the bombers house instead. However, by that logic it's also clear that it's Minuti on the boat because he was going to die regardless if it was on the boat day of as we learn Minutis car was brought over from the ferry terminal or when he intercepted the note Doug left himself. Minuti and the other passengers died, but then Doug went back and made changes that allowed him to save everybody's life except Minuti.The question is more psychological as to why he doesn't want to know or check the phone in the body bag in the beginning. Inevitably it's clear that Minuti could not be saved he was always going to die.

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