It had just rained, and the night was unusually hot and humid. I sat on the ping pong table in the community and watched Jarmusch's "Broken Flowers" (Broken Flowers). The film is not sensational, and the label is also a comedy, but after watching the whole film, the heart is quiet to a state of almost loneliness and sadness.
The film tells the story of Tang (Bill Murray), who has spent his life in romantic affairs with all kinds of beautiful girls. He has no intention of starting a family. Let the people around him leave one by one, he just wants to enjoy the love that blooms for a season. One day he received a letter from an anonymous ex-girlfriend claiming that he and Tang had a 19-year-old son who ran away and was looking for Tang. With the encouragement of his friend Winston, Don embarks on a truth-seeking journey. I won't tell you what's next, and you can probably guess that this kind of plot is exactly the same as Haruki Murakami's "Tasakisaku".
This is the second Jarmusch movie I've seen, and without a doubt, it will be one of the top ten films of the year. Last year, his "Patterson" touched me with the same temperament and gave me a new understanding of the identity of the poet. This "temperament" is also reflected in "Broken Flower", with the director's distinct personal consciousness.
Take a look at these still life-like shots.
These long shots are very powerful, you can feel Tang's emotions from it, bewildered, lonely, lost, or maybe he is really tired, he has always been like this image from beginning to end, the process of finding his ex-girlfriend, those old lovers The good times of meeting and awakening can't change him. These fragmentary pictures make people's impression of Tang is dull, cold and ruthless.
If you look closely, he is not like that. Tang would lie on the sofa and watch Donald Duck; every ex-girlfriend saw him, the first expression and mood was relaxed and happy; even knowing that the letter could not be written by Michelle, she insisted on going to her Before the grave, put a bunch of pink flowers; the genius of Jarmusch is that he allows you to slowly build a tower of consciousness, and at a certain moment let you overthrow it yourself.
Many of the clips in the film are also presented statically, and you will feel that all objects are slowed down, planes can’t fly fast, cars can’t run fast, and people who walk are as small as snails. The shot is always moving slowly, and the scene transitions are only presented in a few clips. The rhythm of the picture is consistent with the rhythm of the viewer's breathing. I call it a "breathing shot" , and I often stare at this type of shot for a long time. , very attractive.
The movie "Broken Flower" has a lot of hints and references.
Strange letters are pink envelopes, pink letter paper. So during the journey, the sensitive Tang will pay attention to all the elements of pink.
The four target ex-girlfriends are all related to pink, but the pink flowers that Don gives them are all different. The passionate Laura is a pink begonia flower, the elegant Dora is a pink tulip, the empathetic Carmen is a pink lily, the wild Penny is a pink wildflower, and the dead Michelle is a pink chrysanthemum . Interestingly, if you look closely, in the episodes of the four ex-girlfriends, they all have a pink element on them.
Following Tang's travels, we understand Tang more deeply. This lonely old man is constantly searching for the past. Those people and things that he dare not face have also passed through. This journey of exploration is more like a redemption. Journey, reconciling with your past self.
While searching, I met a long-legged woman waiting for a flight at the airport, Lolita in pink underwear, a female assistant in Carmen wearing glasses, an understanding female clerk in a flower shop... Tang still remains highly sensitive to young women, These young symbols, like those ex-girlfriends of Tang, are beautiful when the flowers bloom, but can't keep them when they fall.
That's why Tang, after returning from his quest, said this to the unfamiliar "son" he imagined:
No relationship can be constant, and no one is inseparable from someone. Now that all flowers will break, remember what it looks like now. Not in the cold vase of memories, but in the hands of those who love you now.
Last but not least, I love the retro vibe. Many of the scenes in the shot are very delicate. Thinking of what a friend said, many movies in China would rather spend money on entertaining celebrities than set up the scene properly. Those special effects pigs running in the grass are really annoying. laugh.
View more about Broken Flowers reviews
