We don't have to take the slightest effort to judge that the director's focus is not on the thrilling internal police struggle. Scenes such as gunfights and fights were handled rather perfunctorily. In fact, the whole storyline is more like a framework, and the core contained in it is the collision of two lifestyles. The interaction and friction between the modern people represented by the police and the Amish represented by the mother and son is what the director really wants to express.
The Amish are a group of Protestant Anabaptist Mennonites in the United States and Ontario, Canada. They are a traditional and rigorous religious organization composed of descendants of German-Swiss immigrants, living in isolation. Their biggest feature is their rejection of modern facilities such as cars and electricity. In the film, you can see that in the modern American society where cars are rampant, Amish people are still driving leisurely on the road (this is a veritable "road" "), it seems out of place, and the time and space of putting the Buddha into a mess. In addition, they all lead a simple life and regard it as a virtue. Pay more attention to moral self-discipline and faith piety. The nature is so peaceful that it is a little weak. Because of their special living conditions, many people regard the communities where the Amish people live as tourist attractions, making noisy photos and even provocations. In the second half of the film, several gangsters acted unscrupulously against each other's refusal to fight back. In the end, Booker, who came from modern civilization, couldn't bear it. (Recommend this article on the inner world of the Amish http://www.psytopic.com/mag/post/amish-inner-world.html, Which introduces the current situation and history of the Amish in more detail) The
director views this special ethnic group with a complimentary perspective. A scene of building a barn fully illustrates this point. In the sunny weather, people came from all directions to build a granary for their neighbor, a newly married couple. It was completely voluntary, regardless of remuneration. The men work together to prop up the frame, the children play and help a little while the women knit and prepare food. The whole work process seems to have become a big party in which everyone participates. Compared with the fierce police conspiracy outside, the relationship between people here is simple and pure. They do not have the material enjoyment of modern technology, but they are also far away from the general anxiety and confusion of modern society.
In some respects, the United States is a very divided country. It can achieve the ultimate in sexual liberation, but it also has considerable conservative forces. For example, it is the only country in the world that agrees to impose the death penalty on children under the age of 16 (He Fan-"The Justice Has the Finale"). This split can be seen in the issues of homosexuality and abortion that the Democratic and Republican parties have been arguing every year. However, from another point of view, this division is precisely the advantage of the United States. It enables any political forces to have counterbalances and can prevent mainstream thought from going to extremes. Once everyone in a country falls into the same kind of fanaticism Emotionally, it is not difficult for us to foresee the occurrence of cups. The foundation of this division and opposition is social tolerance. As the classic Justice Warren verdict on the Amish said: "We must not forget that in the Middle Ages, many important values of Western civilization were preserved by religious groups that were far from secular influences under tremendous hardship. There is nothing. The reason is to assume that today’s majority are “right”, while Amish and others like them are “wrong”. If a different or even strange way of life does not interfere with the rights or interests of others, it cannot be just It is condemned because it is different from others.”
Therefore, I have always felt that the so-called freedom does not mean obligatory liberation or breaking through traditional taboos, but the right to choose a life that suits one's own life, and this choice is not subject to others. Interference deprivation. A free society should be pluralistic and all-inclusive, and everyone can find their own place and value. In terms of how to live, there are no constant guidelines or artificial benchmarks, Just to be yourself.
At this point, it seems to be separated from the film itself. However, I think that the purpose of the director is also to cause people to think about two completely different life concepts and ways.
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