"Revolutionary Road" was adapted from the novel of the same name published by Richard Yates in 1961. Director Sam Mendes directed another similar film 10 years ago, "American Beauty," which was also a hit. Revolutionary Road is set in the outskirts of Connecticut in the 1950s. Bank teller Frank married amateur actor April after falling in love at first sight, and moved to 115 Revolution Road after April became pregnant, and has since embarked on the road of a model family. The time, place, and character structure of the plot are typical of American middle-class life, which is equivalent to China's well-off level in terms of social stratification. The characteristics of the middle class are: behind the appearance of bright and beautiful, abundant food and clothing, but it brings family and career highs and lows, stagnation and satisfaction, reincarnation and cycle. And when the seven-year itch and the mid-life crisis are slowly approaching with the passage of time, the perfection that has been painstakingly maintained is like a ticking time bomb, which is in jeopardy.
The routine of love and marriage
The beginning of marriage is when a lonely heart finds another, and they recognize each other as different and unique, and together they have hope and longing for the future. The story of April and Frank falling in love is no different from most people. One is a handsome young man who talks about the dream of Paris, and the other is a charismatic young girl. The relationship between two people who originally thought they and each other were very special, but the edge was gradually smoothed by life after marriage. They found that both themselves and their partners were ordinary people with flaws, their careers, their family of three, and their cozy cottages were no different from those owned by hundreds of couples in small towns. The discovery is devastating and disturbing. At this time, his wife April proposed the "Paris Plan". Feedback from contact with a range of people that the Paris Project didn't fit the mundane vision -- "This life is so good, why would you change it?" -- also made the pair special again.
What Paris stands for
Going to Paris is a subversion of the traditional family structure in which Frank is doing his job of making money and supporting his family and April is a good wife and mother. There April can leave the delicate house like a golden cage, go out to work, and get in touch with the society. And Frank can get away from the boring life day after day. They will not only leave the United States, but also leave the established framework and fixed mindset that society has given them. April found an outlet for being a housewife, free from her husband's economic control and oppression, and Frank's outlet was not to put the burden of the whole family on himself. It's an opportunity for April and Frank to stop living in conformity with society's expectations, and a panacea for what they hope will be a panacea for a host of marital feuds.
The new dream of sex as the bellwether of the relationship brings
a new light to Frank and April's bleak married life. Therefore, after returning from a visit at a neighbor's house, Frank and April's tender affection on the desk. This sex, from kissing to gently pushing, to climax, was done in one go in a short period of time, and even foreplay didn't matter - it should be their long-lost and beautiful sex, which happened when April worked hard every day to take care of the family and wait for her husband. The symbolic meaning of liberating the shackles in the kitchen at home is self-evident. The sparks and lubricants of marriage continue to flow in the hope of the "trip to Paris". It's because Frank and April are finally able to look forward together as they did when they were young, instead of looking at me, I'm looking at you, locked on the house and on the kids, as they've become accustomed to.
Infidelity is an individual's form of defiance
In contrast, the two stealing scenes in the movie have a colder atmosphere. Frank's affair with the company's little secret, which was seduced by Frank's open and honest seduction, and ended when he couldn't wait to leave in a hurry, was pure loveless sex. April's car shock with a neighbor is a simple vent for the lower body, kissing is absolutely unnecessary, although it is a dream come true for the neighbor who is caught in a sexual fantasy (hence the "I love you" declaration that follows) , but to April such a statement is ridiculous and superfluous - sex is just me saying "No" to my life right now, what are you serious about. The derailment incidents of Frank and April happened in succession at the beginning and end of the film. One was before the Paris Plan was formed, and the other was after the Paris Plan was broken. It is very similar to blame the starting point - a new way of sexuality is just a way to fight against the caged life. only way. But this is the same as spending money to get drunk. It is a doomed way. Climbing out of someone else's bed, the problem of marriage is still unresolved.
Uprooting an old tree is not easy
for an old tree to take root. If you want to uproot an old tree and replant it, you must pay the price of hurting your muscles and bones. The Paris plan was ultimately thwarted by events such as Frank's unexpected promotion and April's unexpected pregnancy. The word "adventurous spirit" often pays the price of the stability of the middle-class life, and what it has to resist is the conventions of many small events. The environment around April and Frank has set all kinds of rules of life for them, and how to continue after breaking the rules is a difficult problem for them. It was the husband who flinched first.
Metaphysical Miscommunication
The best scenes from the beginning to the end of the film are couples quarreling. From the powder room to the car, from the kitchen to the bedroom, from the inside to the outside. The most taboo thing about quarreling is that two people patronize and talk, and neither of them can hear what the other is saying. Or, no one wants to hear it. This stems from a very simple and primitive competitive psychology: whoever wins, who has the upper hand, and who leaves the other side speechless, seems to be a remarkable thing. People are accustomed to using their own eyes to judge other people's thoughts. In the eyes of unfaithful wives, the husband's words are full of deceit, and in the eyes of impulsive husbands, the wife is also unreasonable. The quarrel between husband and wife has gradually become a kind of inertia. It is no longer important who said what, what matters is the attitude of saying these words. The main actor Dicaprio also said: "A lot of what happened between Frank and April is the undercurrent of emotions reflected in expressions and actions outside the language." That kind of bad attitude, the communication between the other two is useless. In my opinion, poor communication and lack of trust led directly to the farce that ended with April's abortion.
The simple definition of the perfect partner
Many of my female friends have a pessimistic attitude towards love and marriage, as well as the pursuit of a stable life at this stage, after watching the movie. I don't think this is necessary. The horror of the "siege city" lies in its temptation to those outside the city and its oppression to those in the city. If you can see this clearly, be optimistic about what happens in your life and family, and then get to know and stay with your loved one, it should be a very beautiful thing. I used to describe the partnership I aspire to in this way: It's not about beauty, money, career, family or sex, it's about the time when one half finds the other and the world gets bigger. You will find that in such a vast and infinite world, the insignificance of two people is insignificant, and the insignificance of two people has infinite potential--to support each other and snuggle tenderly. Secondly, the perspectives of the two people complement each other's blind spots. Your eyes help me discover the beauty trapped in my own psychological blind spot.
The Atlantic crush has become a normal person
Finally, let's talk about the two main characters. It is said that the movie was almost formed when the novel was born in 1961, but it was delayed after twists and turns. In the end, it was Kate Winslet who recommended the script to the producer, and the film was able to start. Producer Scott Rudin told Kate Winslet that it was no coincidence that Sam Mendes could direct the film, and Sam Mendes was Kate Winslet's husband. The reason why old partner Leonardo Dicaprio chose to play is that this role is different from the heroic and bold spirit of the past, but a "product of the environment", an uncompromising ordinary person. It is said that the many scenes of discord between husband and wife and the turbulent scenes in the film have greatly depleted the spirit and feelings of the two, and even caused Dicaprio to delay the start of the next play by two months. The recombination of old partners, the sparks keep sparking - the unparalleled love that fought against class differences and the boundaries of life and death, sank and eternity in the deep sea, in "Revolutionary Road" is replaced by the increasingly dull after love at first sight, between men and women and real life A dull forbearance struggle.
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