Question: What does the "hurt locker" mean?
Answer: It's a term similar to "a world of hurt". It's both outside of you and within you. The outside definition is that a hurt locker is anywhere you go to find pain. In the film's case, war-torn Iraq is the hurt locker. Inside, your hurt locker is the place you bury your anguish.
Question: Why wouldn't Shmuel escape? It would've been very easy. He could've done it the same way he let Bruno in.
Answer: Samuel knew the dangers of the camp and knew that trying to escape would result in death. He knows Bruno is likely to be allowed IN to the camp as he is a German and Germans are running the camp. Plus, if Shmuel did escape, where would he go? He's 8, on his own and alone in the woods.
Question: Why did Fletcher stop up the water pump at Faraway Downs?
Answer: So they'd be unable to water their cattle. Which has two benefits for Fletcher. The first being that they'd have to take their cattle to the watering hole on the border of their property, making it easier for Fletcher to steal the cows. Second, and more long term, their cattle would be of poorer quality due to lack of proper care. The ranch would lose money as a result, and they'd be more amenable to selling the ranch to their competition, whom Fletcher works for.
Question: At the trial, first, we are told that all the women died in the church, but then a woman survived - we are not told how - and she appears to be quite old; then we are told that her granddaughter wrote the book about it. Was the granddaughter in the church, as well, and survived somehow? I'm confused.
Chosen answer: There were two survivors: a woman and her daughter, who was named Ilana. It was Ilana's memoirs of her and her mother's experience in the camp that were published. Ilana, the daughter, may have helped with the actual writing based on her mother's memories (since Ilana's own memories could be bleak, as she was just a child).
Question: When Tuvia executed Arkady for his defiant mutiny, why did Tuvia have to turn his body to pull his weapon, instead of just drawing his gun and shooting him dead on the spot right there?
Answer: For two reasons: one, to let him think Tuvia was going and let down Arkady's defenses; and second, Tuvia was quickly and truly debating whether or not to shoot.
Answer: He was surprised by the announcer's statement.
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