This article can be seen in Deep Focus: Who is preventing me from coming out?
Fengying Movie: Come out! Everyone deserves youthful vigor
The gap in understanding of LGBTQ subject matter and the dilemma of creation
As we all know, most of the LGBTQ movies have long received comments like " social significance is greater than the movie itself " or " extremely common if changed to heterosexual ". As far as 2017 is concerned: works emphasizing LGBTQ identity awareness such as "120 strikes per minute" are naturally unavoidable from the fate of being so evaluated; and " Call Me by Your Name", which is hailed as transcending the label of " comrade" , has attracted many viewers It also lacks persuasiveness; even "Ordinary Woman" cannot transcend the barrier of understanding with "ordinary".
This gap seems to be moving towards (or will eventually) be eliminated, but at present it still makes the comment areas of many related movies look like a closed carnival of LGBTQ groups. The cultural dilemma implicit in it is so intricate and difficult to sort out. A very "gay" movie has a relatively narrow audience and it is difficult to enhance understanding between different groups. A gay movie that does its best to eliminate the "comrade" color inevitably implies that the objective social environment for gays is ignored or even certain. Degree of betrayal. Of course, a gay movie that is perfect and pleasing to everyone does not exist and does not need to exist, but how to achieve the maximum resonance of film art and social benefits in this contradiction has increasingly become a must for creators. problem.
Love, Simon seems to have gone one step further in breaking this barrier. On the one hand, we absolutely can not be gay identity movie characters directly excluded - because this man is the foundation of object behavior; on the other hand, we will not because the identity of the hero and a sense of distance - leveraging youth film movie The type makes Simon and his partner so close and real in front of the audience.
Why are youth fairy tales real?
There is no doubt that the story of Love, Simon itself is a contemporary fairy tale: a story of coming out in an American middle-class environment with a superior life. However, the film captures the realism of the "lightness" of this fairy tale. The core of the film lies in the protagonist's floating psychology in front of the line of "coming out". This process of "in the cabinet" and "coming out but not out" and finally "going out" has been quite delicately presented.
In the beginning, the secret of sexual orientation was just a pea in Simon's "normal" life: he would not pay too much attention to it, let alone risk shaking his "perfect" world for it-but he often I can feel its presence through heavy soft care. In this state, there is a lot to think about self-Simon's attitude: perhaps still uncertain sexual orientation, this behavior might be questioned "out" themselves, perhaps for fear ...... interpersonal movie so in a This kind of light but closed "uncertainty" of adolescence unfolds, and the subtle incompleteness and abnormal movement in this beautiful shell become the basis of the delicate sense of reality.
The appearance of Blue provided him with a possible tiny exit-this was only a very cautious seam, but it was this private seam that opened up the possibility of communication and interaction. The closed space of youth is slowly opened through the channel of social network, showing the joy that Simon has gradually accumulated in communication, while also sketching out the floating image of Blue piecemeal. This process of sketching is also a process of showing the richness of change and the sense of reality through the relationship between the supporting actors and Simon.
When all these delicate and complex youth thoughts have been laid out, even if Simon's coming out of the closet seems to be shocking, it is actually a matter of course. The inertia of life is still maintained mechanically, but it gradually becomes different because of the trivial matter of "coming out". Amidst all odds and circumstances, he finally chose to uncover the veil in front of him, looking for the blue that he had never met in the ups and downs of the Ferris wheel's life. Regardless of whether the ending is complete or cruel, the crucial leap of youth has been completed.
Multi-faceted portraits of youth
The charm of youth films not only traces back and connects with the audience's most direct memories, but also lies in the ambiguity of the character's attributes from the perspective of youth. All straightforward judgments are in a suspended state, and most of the characters have a vague sense of fluidity. Love, Simon builds a multi-faceted relationship and vivid connection with the advantages of the youth film. Coming out has thus become one of the many common and infinitely magnified troubles of adolescence.
The most prominent supporting role in the film is undoubtedly Martin, a straight man. Unlike the one-sided dwarfing of the term "straight man" that prevails in today's online public opinion environment, while ridiculing the stereotyped straight man, the film also focuses on depicting Martin's selfishness, sincerity and bravery, which is slightly weird but difficult to completely deny. .
When Martin threatened Simon to pursue a girl, he explained that his need is not to "remove" himself, but to make the girl she likes like who she is now. In contrast, Simon's first reaction was to externally transform Martin with "high-end aesthetics"-this can even be seen as a subconscious externalization of Simon's repression of his own sexual orientation (and thus adopting a "reforming" attitude toward others).
Martin has done a lot of disgusting and "hateful" actions throughout the film, even selfish enough to infringe on Simon's personal autonomy. He shouted embarrassingly with Abby in the muffin shop. He confessed to Abby in front of the school on the court. He finally hoped to "rescue" Simon's "confession" under the Ferris wheel... These behaviors may be stupid and arrogant, but they are Permeated with youth-specific sense of release and courage. Objectively speaking, Martin is also a factor that can not be ignored for Simon to come out.
Corresponding to Martin are people who show concern for Simon. For them, the so-called "understanding" is just a preset "correct" position, and there is not much real and in-depth communication.
Simon's father is one of so many "outsiders". His concern is by no means false, but this kind of "care" is empty but "true" but not "true", because it is difficult to reach the depths of Simon's changing heart during adolescence. From time to time, he opened up with him the old-fashioned stuff that he had already preset (the son is heterosexual). He thought the wedding anniversary video he made was very moving; even after Simon came out, he wondered "Which girlfriend is it?" Let him bend"... All of this comes from the mindset brought to him by his perfect "successful" life: life is bound to be like "I" thinks. And the amiable vice-principal, even if his office is "open" again, even if he wanders in the crowd of students every day to try to increase understanding, Simon's unnoticed mind is seemingly diverse, but still lacks an environment for easing channels. It will not automatically express to him.
The relationship between the friends who grew up with Simon is more complicated. Even if they lived together for more than ten years, they couldn't see through their "cosmos in their hearts" ("Big Buddha Plus"). Instead, it was Abby, who had just come to their life circle. Because of the instability of her own life experience, and because she did not have a pre-determined impression of Simon for twelve years, Simon had a stronger desire to talk- this is enough to be seen, like a fairy tale The peaceful and harmonious interpersonal relationship has become much of Simon's restraint.
In order to maintain his secrets, Simon even chose to deceive his friends for more than ten years, even binding or betraying their relationships against his will. In addition to Simon's most direct self-protection, is this also a kind of helpless rejection and resistance to life? Whether it is Simon or his friends, they are all caught in the illusion that the years are quiet, which just highlights the meaning of coming out: it is an accidental collision event. It gave Simon a new life in the crowd, not only reaching a closer bond with friends, but also further enriching his relative independence.
The realism of the film is thus constructed through multi-faceted events and characters. Even if there is a partial symbolic tendency, the audience can still see their inner transformation, which is a recognition of human possibilities across ages, a kind of "youth" power that jumps into the ocean.
Simon walking out of the "karaoke hall"
In the film, Simon and his friends rehearse Bob Foss's "King Hall" dance. At first glance, it is inevitable that Bob Fox’s quirky and grotesque "The Cabaret" does not match the film's temperament, but in fact the political innuendo of "The Cabaret" is consistent with Simon's living conditions.
On the one hand, the protagonist in the karaoke hall contains the unbridled vitality and pure emotions of city life, and Bob Foss puts infinite warmth in it; but on the other hand, the karaoke hall is a place where the middle and upper classes in Germany drunk their lives and dreams on the eve of World War II . Even in the real world, the Nazi Party has gradually expanded, and the nationalist sentiment of the people has been incited more and more vigorously. Bob Foss used extremely complex fragment editing and rich camera shots to integrate the flowing dreamy feeling in the karaoke hall with the hidden sense of tragedy.
And Simon’s life is not like this: a worry-free American middle-class family, an enlightened and kind school leader, a colorful campus life... He can continue to live the life of a beast in the cabinet-after all, this is perfect enough and comfortable enough. . However, when you think about it carefully, all the perfect settings are not without cracks, such as:
Why is Ethan the only boy who came out before Simon in such a multicultural middle school campus?
Why are such knowledgeable middle-class parents able to watch adult movie clips with their children but are unaware of Simon's sexual orientation for a long time?
All these seemingly contradictory situations exist in the film so plainly, and unobtrusively become part of the protagonist's attempt to break through. Precisely because they seem illogical, they stimulate us to think from a deeper level about the reason why Simon has not come out : Is this really just Simon's own psychological effect? How did the environment have a subtle impact on Simon? It is precisely because this does not conform to the reasonable axis of the drama in the audience's imagination, but it is closer to the dilemmas under the glamorous appearance of life. The light song and the man dance's brushwork with hidden cracks created the "karaoke hall" in which Simon was located.
The state in the "karaoke hall" is not only one of the processes of youth, but also a comfortable scene where youth chooses to break through. "Coming out" has therefore transitioned to a broader meaning of youth:
It should be an impact and a breakthrough to the established norms of life, not only a resistance to external forces, but also an autonomous internalization and growth.
It should continue to pursue the enrichment and extension of life, and open its arms to more people who are equally high-spirited.
It goes out of the shackles of social norms, and also out of its narrow "self", towards a colorful and flowing reality.
In the end, Simon walked out of the "karaoke hall", out of the "cabinet", and toward the rushing life. And Love, Simon, the theme of "coming out" with absolutely gay characteristics has further broadened his horizons and has become a brilliant poem dedicated to all vigorous youth.
Text/Hanzhi Quejing 4.21 Draft 4.23 Revision
View more about Love, Simon reviews
