It wasn't just a finger wound that E.T. healed—a story of a 'boy's rebirth' depicted by Spielberg

*Contains spoilers for "E.T."
*This article was created by AI based on the following conversation

I watched "E.T." for the first time in a while.
I think this is about the fourth time I've seen it in total, but it hasn't been five years since I last watched it. Because I rewatched it with the details fresh in my mind, I found myself paying more attention to the direction and the tone of the visuals rather than the story itself.

What I felt anew is that this film is surprisingly "dark."
There are many night scenes, and even indoors, it's not a bright living room, but rather spaces with little light, such as closets or rooms lit only by lamps.
Only the children know of E.T.'s existence; the adults are depicted like shadows, and the government agents are initially mysterious watchers.
It even carries an atmosphere reminiscent of a horror movie or "The X-Files."

That is precisely why the sense of liberation in the climactic bicycle escape scene is so exceptional.
Amidst the sunlight piercing through the darkness, the boys race across the sky.
It is the moment when all the previous unease is blown away and the world opens up.

An encounter with an "other" that cannot be accepted

Even now, E.T.'s design can hardly be called "cute."
It is said that at the time, people thought it was "too gross and would be a failure," but in the end, that became the core of the work.
Starting with the rejection of an alien existence and gradually changing to affection—that process itself becomes a "fable of discrimination and acceptance."

The children who accept E.T. are alsochildren who are not accepted by the world.
Elliott, in particular, cannot join his brothers' circle and carries loneliness even at home.
Through his encounter with E.T., the bonds with his siblings and mother are gradually repaired, and eventually, he is recognized by his friends as well.
This story is a double or triple tale of acceptance that depicts "understanding others" beyond differences in appearance or standing.

Light, shadow, and the "rebirth" guided by music

What runs through the entire film is a gradient of light from night to morning.
The domestic space wrapped in darkness gradually regains its light through the interaction with E.T.
It is John Williams' music that guides this change on an emotional level.
He arranges the same motif into anxiety, hope, and joy, guiding the audience emotionally.

Regarding the famous bicycle flight scene, Spielberg himself said, "I re-edited the footage to match the music."
In other words, in that scene, rather than the visuals,the music is driving the story.
The scene crossing the moon is used symbolically, but the actual climax is the sunset.
It is the "sunset" as a symbol of the bridge from night (loneliness) to morning (rebirth).

The memory of the "frontier" remaining in the suburbs

What colors the climax of "E.T." is the idyllic streetscape of the suburbs.
That landscape, which retains a hint of a Western, is also an idealization of the California suburbs in the 1960s where director Spielberg spent his childhood.

Gentle slopes, tree-lined streets, houses with garages, and the paved roads the children race through.
It is remembered as America's "dream landscape," but at the same time, it is alsoa symbol of the frontier that was being lost.
Spielberg depicts the boys asmodern pioneers (frontier kids).

The climactic bicycle chase is reminiscent of the horse and carriage pursuits in Westerns.
The police and scientists are the "pursuers on the side of order," and the children are "fugitives seeking freedom."
That composition regenerates the tug-of-war between "pioneering and control" and "freedom and order" depicted in old Westerns as
an escape drama driven by children's friendship and wisdom.

The suburbs are an "intermediate zone" that exists between the dreams of the former frontier and the stagnation of modern society.
It is no coincidence that the story of "E.T." unfolds in this space.
It is the last place where miracles can still happen, and it is
themodern frontierfor the boys to take flight into the sky.

The moment flowers bloom and the "unexplained" bond

The flowers used impressively in the film are not merely symbols of superpowers.
They are a metaphor connecting E.T.'s life force with the restoration of family bonds.
The moment the wilted flowers bloom again, it was not E.T. who was healed, but the humans.

And the reason why E.T. and Elliott "link" is not clearly explained.
The moment they share chocolate and touch fingers, they resonate beyond words.
The empathy between lonely souls created an "emotional synchronization" that transcends science—that ambiguity is what makes it poetic.
The audience also comes to share their emotions through that "unexplained sensation."

The mother's gaze and the repair of the family

The mother's presence is intentionally kept "out of the loop."
She works desperately to protect the home, but she cannot step into the children's hearts.
The void in their hearts caused by the divorce—that is the root of Elliott's loneliness.
What E.T. healed was not just Elliott's fingertip, butthe very fracture of the family.

The mother doesn't understand E.T. because she stands on the side of 'adult reality'.
Even so, in the final moment, she protects her children not through logic, but through intuition.
That step was the only 'understanding' needed to reconnect a broken family.

The gaze of the boy Spielberg

A 'boy' is always projected into Spielberg's films.
Having grown up amidst discrimination and family discord, he sought to save himself through film.
That is why in his works, no matter how dangerous the situation, children do not die.
Even that scene in 'Jaws' where the shark passes right by the child is, for him, a 'line of hope'.

Spielberg's boys do not fire guns.
They change the world by believing, protecting, and empathizing.
That stance resonates in some way with Japanese tokusatsu heroes—for instance, the 'courage of kindness' found in Toei productions.

'E.T.' might just be 'another hero story' drawn by the boy Spielberg.
An alien and a boy meet, part ways, and each grows just a little bit.
Perhaps the one healed within that story was also himself on the other side of the screen.

Conclusion

Watching 'E.T.' again, I am struck by its depth not just as a moving film, but as a
story of a lonely boy reconnecting with the world.
What E.T. healed with his finger was not a wound, but the hearts of Elliott, his family, and the audience itself.

That is why, even after he has left, the flowers continue to bloom, and I believe the warmth of that 'glowing finger' remains within us as well.