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So Shane sees Ilya at the top of the stadium and goes to check in. Since the back of Shane’s shoulder covers the right side of the screen, we the audience thinks Shane is much closer physically than he actually is. This parallels how Shane feels much closer emotionally to Ilya than he actually is, because Ilya barely offers any information about himself. The one time he tries to imply his home life is bad, Shane’s both too drunk and too naive to pick up on it. And then Ilya shuts down or deflects when Shane asks questions later on.
But we also get the same shot from Ilya’s point of view! Shane looks much closer to Ilya than he actually is because the back of ilya’s shoulder covers the right side of the screen. ilya’s far more aware of the distance between them, both physically and emotionally, and yet he still wants that closeness with Shane. Shane’s the only one asking if Ilya’s okay, the only one who is concerned for his wellbeing. We don’t even see Svetlana or Sasha doing that, and they’re Ilya’s childhood friends.
Then Shane steps forward, trying to close that distance between them, and Ilya rebuffs him. Ilya denies any connection between them. Ilya tells Shane to go away. Shane steps back, and does.
And we get this wide shot showing just how physically distant they are. I was shocked the first time I saw this because the previous shots really made me believe the two were standing pretty close together. Shane and Ilya have this connection that makes them feel close to each other, but there’s this huge gulf between them because in actuality they barely know each other. And yet they keep feeling drawn back together, and keep reaching out to each other across that gulf.
Also, Shane and Ilya are small in the composition. This is the most of rink we’ve seen so far in the show. Those two things underscore how hockey dominates both their lives and their relationship; hockey is how they connect and what’s keeping them apart.
Also also, notice how Shane’s been wearing his Team Canada jacket the entire time he’s in Sochi. Yet we never see Ilya in any Team Russia gear. And as is pretty common with their costumes, Shane is in white while Ilya is in black. Shane is Canada’s golden boy while Ilya is/will be Russia’s black sheep. Canada is Shane’s home while Ilya doesn’t really have one.
Shane leaves, and Ilya’s alone and small in the shot, watching the figure skating down below. After a beat, he watches Shane leave. He pushed Shane away and still wants him there. We see Ilya pull up Shane’s text after literally pushing Sasha away as well to really underscore how Ilya wants that connection with Shane for more than the sex Sasha offers.