At the age of 20, everyone thinks he's quite upright

Summer 2022-01-04 08:02:15



Destroy the protagonist's vain and dreams floating in the air.

This is almost the most distinctive and lasting feature of the Woody Allen movie, except for the New York Jewish Terrier, the occasional dispensable narration, and the cunning, humorous and ironic plot.

In Wu Dao's new work Cafe Society, the following points can only be regarded as moderate. The Jewish terrier is sometimes far-fetched, and the Bronx's strong narration is blunt and unconventional, like "dipping a doughnut into a dry martini"; only this characteristic as a needle to pierce vain dreams, The audience can smell it more and more. Maybe the director is getting old and putting himself more and more into the eyes of the protagonist.

Let me start by saying that these eight hundred characters have only one theme, the sentence at the beginning, and nothing else. Very thin. Because the film itself is very thin, apart from beautiful photography and unsatisfactory performance, there is nothing remarkable about it. The film is like an unfinished joke, and then the director shrugs at you with foggy eyes.

From his fame to the present, Director Wu's movies will always live in the 70s. From the title, narrative, and story structure, it looks like an old newspaper wrapped in two layers of nostalgia. The tone of Huang Chengcheng and the setting sun that repeatedly spread over the scene embody the term "golden age" in a literal sense.



The exquisiteness of this small film is better than before (the only thing that can be compared is probably the black and white "Manhattan"), the contrast of sunset gold and molan can be seen everywhere, and the frames are beautiful. I checked it and found that the photography of this film was Vittorio Storaro. You may have seen his name in "Apocalypse Now", "Family", or "The Last Tango in Paris". Even, Cafe Society may be too small to bear the sophistication and aura of Storaro. Watching this master Faner tell such a short story, I feel that the so-called "intention is better than words" probably means this.



This even makes people feel a little sorry for Cate Blanchett in the previous work "Blue Jasmine". If Kristen Stewart finally has the appearance of an actor in this drama, then it must be the photographer's credit. And if Blancchett, whose performance has always been impeccable, could also have a photographer like Storaro, through light and shadow to help show the anxiety and decline of the protagonist Jasmine, then "Blue Jasmine" must be even more regarded as a good film.

In fact, from the beginning of Cafe Society, "Blue Jasmine" came to my mind. Because, when Liu Ye came to help me record the podcast some time ago, he mentioned that Woody Allen didn't give any hypocrisy and pretend to end well. Speaking of it, he hasn't always been like this. Even in the past, he often gave the characters the chance to escape the world with cunning and even become famous. It seems that as long as he is smart enough, there is nothing wrong with speculation. In the last three works, all pretending tricks have been exposed, and the nostalgia has become more and more serious. The most recent Cafe Society is the most-not only miss the past and the old era, but even Hollywood snapshots and movies The golden age of China is remembered together. Perhaps this has something to do with what the director himself has experienced in the past few years.



In the end, unlike ordinary people pretending to be the bourgeoisie in "Blue Jasmine", what is punctured in Cafe Society is the inverted writing of desire, pretending to be noble. When the young secretary Vonnie took the fledgling, nervously hiccuping Bobby on a tour of Beverly Hills, the so-called scenery was nothing more than the residences of various big stars. The two stood at the door looking up and watched. They were full of praise. They really watched the "stars" with a star-gazing attitude.

Of course, it is also full of temptation to be a person who is not affected by the silt, but the balance between the two is bound to be louder. If you really want to say that the life church is for us, it is nothing more than: don't listen to what he says, see what he does.


In contrast, the murderous eldest brother Ben is much more comfortable switching his "what he believes in", even if he is treating his true faith rather than confessing his identity. At the end, I don’t know whether it is because the young people of literature and art have a long life, or it is precisely because these romantic ideas are all built in mid-air, and they are all mixed with too much impracticality in their minds and actions. It will inevitably be hit.

However, the false reality is not necessarily a bad thing. At least, even though "dreams are just dreams," at least the tears of the golden age are hanging on the cheeks.

View more about Café Society reviews

Extended Reading

Café Society quotes

  • Leonard: Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." But the examined one is no bargain.

  • Rose Dorfman: First a murderer, and now a Christian!