As we all know, the essence of the camera is to record and communicate, and every act will become history and may be widely disseminated. But this danger did not become an obstacle for the characters, but stimulated their desire to talk. Just as a person talks to himself in front of a mirror, on the one hand, the reflection he sees in front of the camera is his own image—he is a confession to his heart; on the other hand, he faces countless possible viewings He knows that "someone is looking at me" and subconsciously wants to be spied on by others, and this possibility makes them happier and thus better present themselves. The camera seems to be more objective and pure than the psychiatrist, without personal criticism, but it actually represents a stronger social and moral orientation behind it. The redemption that people hope for is not the redemption of their own souls, but the identity of a normal person in the eyes of others/society.
What emerges here is especially the women photographed by the male protagonists, who are made accomplices by the camera, who, like men, treat their sexuality and bodies as a spectacle. And the rather feminine (impotent) Graham finally sat in front of the camera like a woman, and the only male protagonist John did not get the pardon of the public power represented by the camera.
View more about Sex, Lies, and Videotape reviews