the uncleanness described in the Bible, and appears frequently in the film: gonorrhea (Rev. 15:2-12), madness (Rev. 13), crows touching dead bodies (Rev. 2-12) 11:24-40), and moths (Rev. 11:24-40). Death (corpse) is the punishment for original sin. From this, we can see the main line of the Bible in this film and the positioning of the devil as evil in the film.
Evidence that the Japanese are the devil: 1 - The greatest proof is that the real body finally appeared in the cave: red eyes, nails, ears. 2 - Witnesses seen eating raw meat. 3 - The Immortal Body (In the words of Qian Wuming, he is immortal). 4 - Hyojin's father checked her body and asked her if she had ever seen a Japanese person, she said yes, and then asked for details, the girl avoided her face and showed evil that did not belong to her, and asked: What is important? (This is more like the devil's torture will say later) 5 - After going to his house to kill the dog, the black goat's intestines flowed out and hung on the door.
The authentication of this identity should be unchanged. This can be explained from the point of view that he and Wuming, the woman in white, have always been in opposition: the woman in white pointed out in Zhong Jiu's dream at the beginning, and at the end, in the dialogue of not letting Zhong Jiu go home, they were obviously opposed to the Japanese. So there is no such thing as a turnaround. Especially after he finally came back from the dead, he was more certain that he was not human (including the exorcist). Japanese legends about him from the very beginning: eating raw meat, molesting and raping women, to the pictures in his room (I will expand on this later), to the black sacrifices on the altar, to the resurrection from the dead, to the presence of the altar To show his true body, it is undeniable that he is a devil.
[Wong Daxian White Shaman Sunlight] - The Devil's Human Accomplice
First of all, the director has already said that Sunlight's setting is that he was a gang from the beginning. Of course, there is also evidence:
1 - The biggest evidence is that the last Nikko took the photos that were once there with the Japanese. The Japanese say they burned it themselves. This fits with the female nameless accusation that he and the devil are in gang.
2 - Wearing the same "underpants", this either means they have the same profession, are both exorcists, or have the same belief. When watching the movie, we always think that their common point is their profession, that is, they are all exorcists. This is the director's trap to deliberately lead the audience to think wrong. In fact, when the Japanese resurrected from the dead, they have already denied that he is a human being. Even an exorcist cannot be resurrected. Only the devil does not die, leaving only another possibility: the same belief.
3 - About why Nikko drove away and came back. Wuming, the woman in white, scared Sunlight, but she just let him leave without hurting his reputation. Sunlight fled in a panic. At this time, he wanted to run away and turn his back on the devil. So what made him change? moth. Since the woman in white let him go, she wouldn't block his way with moths, let alone let him crash into a car and hurt his life. The moth symbolizes the devil's messenger (every winged, four-legged insect is your abomination - the Bible), slamming into the windshield and calling him allegiance to the devil. He stopped the car and went back to finish his mission of assisting the demons.
The director said: "There is a story I heard from a real shaman and layman. The word "virtual master" was mentioned in the movie. The shaman and layman prayed to see God every day, and prayed that God would enter into his body. The laity sensed the arrival of God and thought that God had entered his body, but in fact it was a wild ghost who entered. Later, his behavior became strange and he died. "
In fact, Nikko is such a shaman. Even prayers who are loyal to God will be used by the devil, whether to laugh at the stupidity of human beings or lament the sadness of faith.
[Photo] - Souvenirs of Success
Here I will talk about the devil's behavior. Mode: The devil is to tempt people to disbelieve in the Lord and devour their fears. In my impression, there are living people and dead people in the photos, and it does not mean that the target is locked first (I remember that there are no victims there Xiaozhen’s photos are mostly photos of death or murder in which the victim has completely lost their minds), and the common denominator in the photos is fear. This is the energy that the devil relies on to survive: in the Bible, the devil uses the discovery of the darkness in the human heart as a means Corrupt people's hearts, commit evil deeds, and fall into hell to be summoned by demons and eat souls and fears to eat fear.
The photo leaves human death, despair, fear. These are more like the devil's collection, a memorial to each of his successes. In the end, Huang Taixian Sunlight put a box of photos into the car. There were various seemingly solemn objects to suppress evil, and even a Buddha statue, which took up the space of the whole car. Are these religious objects good? Are these embodied beliefs good? In fact, apart from the evil of a box of photos, there is nothing good about it. This comparison mocks human beings. Is what they see real? What is important? You don't know anything.
【Twice Jumping God】- One sin and one deception in the parallel world
1. Black Jumping God: The devil summons the dead to come back to life. Black chicken, here is really capable compared to another white dancer, so the Japanese choose carefully in the market. This ritual was to revive the corpse to be manipulated by the devil (a special trick of the devil), but was disturbed by the woman in white. After waking up, the devil immediately ran to check to make sure the corpse was no longer there. But it is not very easy to use. It may be because of the destruction of the woman in white, or because of the firmness, anger and unity of the villagers.
2. White Shaman Nikko's Dance God: This is actually what the director has already said in the interview: It is intended to lead the audience to think that the sword of exorcism is aimed at the Japanese, but it is actually aimed at Xiaozhen. The way the sword can be pointed at either side. My understanding is that the white shaman exorcism is aimed at exorcising Xiaozhen, but it is not to make Xiaozhen good, nor to accelerate her deterioration, but to put it simply, the white jumping god of exorcism is just a kind of In terms of form, there is no magical power in terms of effect. Simply put, it is just for fun. Xiaozhen felt uncomfortable and suddenly recovered. It gave people the illusion that it was because of the connection between the Nikko ritual, but it was actually because of another Japanese black ritual and was later destroyed by the white woman. The Japanese fainted, the devil was suppressed, and Let Hyo-jin get a brief respite.
The proof is: In the end, Sunlight put the idols, the exorcism things in the car, and also the pictures of the devil. If those gods really have magical powers, how can they let a devil's assistant use them freely and put them together with the pictures? Ridiculous human stupidity, believe in embodied objects, believe in a god statue, believe in a talisman, perform an exorcism ritual, as if these objects can save your lost beliefs, in fact, you are blinded, unable to see the truth, wishful thinking Find a way out of your fears, which are your weaknesses that the devil has found and exploited.
【What is this movie about? ] - The reality in front of you and the reason for existence
do not tell the director's idea of making this movie, basically I can't go on.
Here, I will quote two interviews with the director:
"I want to show some aspects of Christianity and the Bible in the film, but what I want to tell is the story of the victim, the important thing is that the victim is a victim What I want to understand is not that the victim was victimized because the perpetrator did something for a certain reason in a certain state of mind, and the victim was victimized, but why was the victim victimized? And this But it is unknowable, which shocked me, and this question even made me think about the reason for human existence. There is clearly a reason for human existence, but there is no reason for the disappearance of existence, which makes me very puzzled. If There is no clear reason for disappearing, so is there any reason for existence? I think the existence of human beings and the existence of gods are very closely related, so I want to ask gods, such as, oh god, your good and evil are being treated by people Doubt, the reason for your existence is being doubted, I think you should stand up to prove your existence and explain these events. I think the role played by Qian Yuxi is such a person who asks the question."
"And the role of the cave. It is separated from the chaos of the outside world, and at the same time brings out the line of the stigmata. In the cave, the Japanese stared at the red eyes and recited the Gospel of Luke to the assistant priest. At this time, I want to ask the audience, what is the Do you choose to believe or question what you see in front of you?" The
last scene in the cave, the dialogue with the woman in white and Zhong Jiu in the dark, is the essence of this movie.
1. The dialogue between the devil and the apostle in the cave - whether the reality in front of you is real
The apostle said to subdue the devil, and the devil asked back, if I said I was not, would you leave without doing anything? And exposed the stigmata on his hand (a symbol of purity, which is actually a trick of the devil), deceived the apostle, tempted him to doubt himself, and finally the apostle lost in doubt, believed in the falsehood in front of him, and lost his judgment that the devil is the devil. Firmly, he said "If you say you are not me, I will leave", and was even more occupied by fear in being photographed. At this time, the devil showed his true body and ridiculed the poor servant. It is also in the director's heart, human beings. The greatest sorrow: Faith is constantly challenged, we do not know the Lord, we do not have the wisdom to discern hypocrisy, there is fear in our hearts, and this fear is often used by sin to make us even more lost. Is the reality in front of you real? The whole film makes us doubt overthrow and overthrow again and again, just like the hero Zhong Jiu, and finally fell into the devil's trap and the abyss of despair in panic and fear.
2. The conversation between the woman in white and Zhong Jiu in the dark - why the victim is the victim
Zhong Jiu asked Wuming in white: why me? The woman in white gave an obviously wrong answer: "Your daughter's father suspected others and wanted to kill them, but he ended up killing them.": Because you have the intention to do harm to others and do what you want. But this cause and effect is obviously wrong, as Zhong Jiu said, "Not at all! They hurt my daughter first!" This is exactly the director's question: the devil uses bait to tempt me, it's my fault if I do something wrong, then the devil The chosen bait, what did Hyojin do wrong? If a person becomes a victim for no reason, is eliminated, if there is no clear reason for the disappearance of existence, is there a reason for existence? If there is no reason for our existence, is there a reason for the existence of the Lord? If the devil is allowed to try us, and the stupidity and fear of human beings doom us to failure, what is the point of the trial? So how do you judge the good and evil of the Lord?
【Zhong Jiu】 - The human tragedy of being fished by the devil
The devil is trying, Xiaozhen is the bait, and it is Zhong Jiu who finally catches it. Zhong Jiu, a father and a human, used 2 hours and 30 minutes to prove that within these two limitations, he couldn't do better. This is the greatest sadness: human fear and attachment to the embodied life that makes us doomed to fail in the trials of the devil. In the face of saving the daughter, the god of dancing is the death of the daughter (Huang Daxian Sunlight is the devil's ally, so he is not trying to save Xiaozhen), if he does not dance, the daughter will die. If you kill the Japanese, the daughter will die. If you don't kill, the daughter will die. Xiao is really a bait, she is destined to not be saved. The object of the trial was Zhong Jiu, when the devil asked his father through Xiaozhen's mouth: What is important? Actually asking: what is important? Faith in God? Or the attachment to the daughter? Zhong Jiu couldn't answer. The Lord wants us to believe in faith in the face of the temptation of the devil using our close relatives, but human beings instead ask the meaning of the Lord's existence, the meaning of trials, and the meaning of faith? In Zhong Jiu's last mind, what he couldn't let go of was the happy past with his daughter. In his heart, these are far more important than loyalty to the Lord and attachment to what is right. This is the limitation of human beings.
Before or after the three rooster crows, the difference is whether Zhong Jiu can deny the Lord. It's not whether he can save Xiaozhen, whether he can save Xiaozhen or not. If Zhong Jiu didn't go back, it was he who recognized the Lord and saw through the trial. Even if his family was destroyed, he knew that it was the Lord's test of loyalty to him, and he could still find strength and peace. On the contrary, he failed, lost his faith, and his world was left with only doubt and pain, and "The Cry" is exactly this theme. (The story here is that the Lord of Job in the Bible allows Satan to test Job's loyalty and rob him of his cattle and sheep, kill his children and Peter for denying Jesus three times, just go to the brain and know what I'm talking about) The
director said, " Jong-kook is a survivor, and of course the ones who survive are more miserable than those who have died. I hope the movie can send them a message like this: I saw your desperate efforts, despite the results, we are in the past I saw your dedication in 2 hours and 30 minutes, it's not your fault, you're right."
[Woman in White Unnamed] - The apostle of the Lord, or a helpless female ghost
Anonymous's role in it is the most difficult to determine. In the director's words: "I think the existence of human beings and the existence of gods are very closely related, so I want to ask God, for example, oh God, your goodness and evil are being questioned, the reason for your existence is being questioned. Being suspected, I think you should stand up to prove your existence and explain these events. I think the role played by Qian Yuxi is such a person who asks questions." So I also guess from this starting point.
First sort out the known:
1. This woman has always been the opposite of the devil. From the first telling Zhong Jiu in a dream that she saw it, to the later dialogue with Zhong Jiu in the dark, she has always been the opposite of the devil. There were several scenes of the Japanese chasing her in the forest (it was more certain that the Japanese were chasing her, because there were shots of her looking back), and what they felt was the demons driving her away, or capturing her.
2. Attention, inspiration, and admonition to Zhong Jiu, but not holding his hand to change fate. From telling Zhong Jiu at the fire scene in the dream, to watching Zhong Jiu push the Japanese down the mountain on the cliff, to the last dialogue in the dark, holding his hand and letting him stay until the rooster crows three times.
3. Nameless compassion for life. Anonymity can hurt Sunlight, and she also knows that Sunlight is a servant to help the devil, but for him, it is just to drive away.
4. Wuming's wrong answer to Zhong Jiu's "why us": "Your daughter's father suspected others and wanted to kill them, but he ended up killing them." The items made Zhong Jiu, who had some belief, finally abandoned the nameless and ran home. Why is a clearly wrong answer? And this answer stimulated Zhong Jiu in a certain sense.
Anonymous can be God or an apostle of the Lord, but the problem is:
1. The director explained that Wuming, played by Qian Yuxi, is a person who asks questions and hopes that the Lord will stand up and prove the existence of the Lord and the good and evil. So why are you still an apostle of God?
2. If it is an apostle of God, telling Zhong Jiu that you did not resist the temptation of the devil and committed the crime, this kind of explanation will stimulate Zhong Jiu and make him even less believe in her existence as a kindness. This is a bit counterproductive, isn't it?
3. If you have read the book of Job, you will know that Satan challenged God to test Job to prove that humans do not believe in faith, and this test was approved by God... (I am also drunk). This shows that God's first emphasis is not on human happiness but on loyalty.
In my heart, Wuming is a good female ghost.
1. As a person once, with an innate pity for life;
2. After all, ghosts are changed by people, and uniforms can be made by human sunlight, but they are only interference to demons, and they are incapable of beheading evil demons.
3. For those who are still alive, it is inspiration, dream, admonition, maybe Wuming has seen too many broken souls in trials (the objects of three former victims around her), she wants to make human beings aware of the existence of the devil . But suffering from the fact that she is also a female ghost, she is not a messenger of God and cannot show divine prophecies, so there is always no strong argument for people to believe that she is good, and she always fails on the road to saving people. (If it is an archangel, it should have the ability to stop the devil, and this village will not have such a series of tragedies)
4. The most important point: the question of why the victim is a victim. She didn't answer correctly, precisely because she was not a god. She has the same myth as human beings. If human beings do not resist the test and bite the devil's bait and suffer, they cannot explain why what we care about will be arbitrarily used as a sacrifice used by the devil to test loyalty. This is the deepest question in the film.
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