【First impression】
HBO shows rarely let me down because of their daring. The programs of this cable station have always dared to challenge all kinds of bottom lines, moral, political, ideological, cultural, religious. HBO has always dared to shoot in areas that ordinary TV stations dare not touch. And HBO shows are good at producing the intense, sensitive sharpness beneath the placid and graceful surface. At first after watching 3 episodes of this drama, I didn't think much about it. Then I realized that there was an interview with the writers and actors inside the White Lotus at the end of the film. After listening to the actors' brief analysis of their respective roles, I suddenly realized that the deep meaning that the screenwriter originally wanted to give when creating a drama may not be able to convey to the audience well, because many times it depends on The class of the audience itself, whether it can resonate with the characters, whether the details of the performance and design of the acting skills can be captured and understood by the audience, and so on. My first impression of this drama is that the characters are well established. In the fourth episode, a series of hidden contradictions were pushed to another climax, and various contradictions surfaced one by one in a calm sea, among races, between genders, between different economic classes, between same-sex, Aboriginal and visitor, between family members, mother and daughter, father and son, serving and being served, etc.
This show deserves a second look. The first time I played it, I thought it was a dark humorous entertainment drama. If you look back, you will find that every actor has put a lot of effort into understanding the screenwriter's intention in shaping his character, and maximized through various small actions. And small details to express the character's personality and body language. For example, when Rachel had a face-to-face conversation with Nicole for the first time, Rachel's hands were clenching her small fists, and she was very uneasy and cramped doing some small movements without knowing it. Nicole's eyes were sometimes uncertain. When asked if he had signed a prenuptial agreement, his eyes drooped unconsciously, and the corners of his mouth turned up a little embarrassedly. Compared with Nicole's sitting posture with both hands resting and very stable, a confident, wealthy and A career woman with a certain taste vs. a beautiful and slender woman who is not confident in her career has been established directly. There is also the interaction between Shane and Armond, every time there is a sense of undercurrent and surging tension, you can feel the inner thoughts of the two under the face.
The first three episodes of entertainment, the fourth episode of sharp topics began to appear in sequence, the fifth episode of contradictions escalated, and the sixth episode to clear the sky. It's a mini-series, but it doesn't feel like it's deliberately procrastinating or overly condensing details. Time control, character building, and plot structure are linked one by one. It can be felt that the creative team and actors are all attentive, but they are not too hard.
【Filming location】 The filming location of this drama is the Four Seasons Resort in Maui. The average room price of this hotel ranges from USD $1,300 ~ $2,500 per night. The three main families in the play are all very wealthy, white privileged classes with considerable economic strength.
【White Lotus】
White Lotus, generally symbolizing "beauty, grace, purity of mind, wealth, knowledge, fertility, and faith", is even called "Womb of the World" because "it is believed to denote purity of the mind, serenity of human nature and spiritual perfection". White Lotus also means rebirth and spiritual enlightenment.
Below is a screenshot of the opening song. Does that holy white lotus flower look like every one of us sleeping in the womb who came to this world at first? In the end, we, who left the palace and entered the dust, could not avoid being disgusted and stained with different colors.
【Title】
The show's opening song consists of a series of wallpapers and drawings. Among them, animals and plants with Hawaiian characteristics occupy most of the pictures. The only picture that represents human beings is the Maori, the inhabitants of this primitive land who have lost their initiative.
Monkeys represent the beastly and wild self in the human heart. Nicole's husband, Mark, described himself as a monkey at that moment when he described his infidelity with his son Quinn. Although he will regret it later, he can't restrain himself when he has sex.
Yellow-bellied Sea Snakes is a venomous snake that exists in tropical waters other than the Atlantic Ocean. These sea snakes generally do not live on land, and can only survive by releasing neurotoxins in warm waters to hunt marine fish. Generally, there are no sea snakes in the Atlantic Ocean, because Panama, which connects the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, has a land bridge, which blocks the channel of sea snakes across the ocean. In addition, the oceans at the bottom of South America and Africa are cooler, and sea snakes don't pass there into the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, generally sea snakes will only survive in warm Pacific waters such as Asia, Australia, and North America.
(To be added)
【Writer Writer - Mike White】
One of the important reasons why I admire quite a few European and American drama filmmakers is their talent and hard work, and they will not limit themselves to the area they are good at or specific. TAs are often multi-tasking and have a variety of skills such as music, sports, language, singing and dancing, literature and so on. They will keep pace with the times, strive to absorb new things, and improve their strengths. Comparing with the situation of "people are stupid, have a lot of money, and come quickly" in the past decades of making quick money, buying hot searches, and rushing traffic in the past few decades, it really needs to be diligent and reflect on such values and cultural poisons. Eclipses should no longer be condoned and acquiesced. The public should support those conscientious but unknown art professionals who have no capital, but have both character and talent.
Mike White is not well-known in the show business, but he has several positions such as screenwriter, actor, and producer. The 51-year-old is bisexual, and his father admitted he was gay when he was 24, so it's a bit similar to Mark's experience on the show. This drama is a 6-episode miniseries, but the response in major film and television reviews is generally positive, which is not easy. "The Guardian" directly wrote an article titled "The White Lotus is the best satire of wealth privilege on TV right now". "VanityFair" also wrote a very generous article titled "It's Gonna be a Hot Mike White Summer, Thanks to the White Lotus". Tanya's Jennifer Coolidge directly said "Mike White is a genius".
【Anxiety / We are not HEARing each other】
The Hawaiian island of Maori, which is like summer in all seasons, should be a luxurious and pure land of leisure and relaxation, but every character in this play has always been filled with a kind of anxiety. Every character emits anxiety as if releasing hormones, even those of the rich and powerful who don't worry about money. The characters in the play, whether single, newly married, or family, should be the closest family members, but they can always feel their loneliness. Not being heard, not being understood, not being cared about, incomplete self, self burden, self unhappiness, may be the source of anxiety. Everyone is expressing their depression, depression, pain, and loss on their own. Everyone also thinks that they are reasonable, but no one agrees and understands.
【Sea Lens】
I don't know if you noticed when you watched it, there was often a scene in the play jumping from the bottom of the sea to the surface. The sea is stormy and the sea is calm and peaceful, just like these shots in the title. The undersea is always in the jungle, and you will die. Human beings on the sea are maintaining peace and happiness, but disputes and contradictions are always on the verge of breaking out.
【Connie Britton — as Nichole】
The 54-year-old CFO of Search Engine firm is known as one of Tech World's ten outstanding female executives. She believes that her achievements are because of her hard work and hard work, not because of nepotism, not because of her gender, color, or because of the light of the Me Too movement, which holds equal rights and women's rights. She has a strong desire for control and action, which is evident from the fact that she repeatedly adjusted and moved the huge furniture by herself in the third episode, just to be able to exit the country perfectly in the Zoom meeting. She is a woman who loves herself very much and knows what she wants. It took her husband 3 years to pursue her. When she doesn't want to be in love, she simply refuses, ignores her husband's self-esteem, and because her husband has cheated many times, she is rejected. Thoroughly see men and feelings. She reminded Rachel whether she had signed a prenuptial agreement and whether there was a way to ensure that she still had a way to make a living. It could be seen that she had no extravagant hopes for marriage and love. She valued a more pragmatic and reliable guarantee, that is, one that she could create with her own hands. In addition, she knows her value, she is the breadwinner of the family, the function of her husband, to put it cruelly, may be a sperm provider for childbirth, and a roommate who has a companion in the same room. I think even if my husband does get prostate cancer, she will not be sad for too long and will take care of herself and her children more realistically in the future. Cold, decisive, self-discipline. The only thing that can make her anxious is the success or failure at work, so even when she is away on vacation, she is very active in checking work emails, paying attention to changes in the company's situation, and at the same time not forgetting to communicate with customers via video, and try her best not to let customers Sensing she was on vacation and slack off business.
[Alexandra Daddario — as Rachel]
Rachel was filled with a sense of restraint and tightness from the start. She was so beautiful, young, and in good shape, yet she seemed so timid and obedient. From the very beginning of the play, I have been thinking about her unconfident inferiority complex, from her restrained walking posture, slightly hunched back, and overly cautious opening. The answer was naturally picked up by Olivia while chatting. She is too simple. In front of people much younger than her, she has no chance of winning. She doesn't know how to skillfully deal with topics she doesn't want to answer. She can't refuse to appear impolite, but invisibly reveal her small vanity. She is completely the type of little white rabbit who can be easily crushed by everyone in the play. At this point, Alexandra's acting skills are still very good (I don't know if there is any special guidance), whether it is her cautious and timid attitude when she walks towards Nicole, or her flattering way of thanking all those who serve her, Still in the face of disputes, I always hope that Shane will be able to calm down without more troubles. She has reflected the characteristics of this character one by one. She is really a little white rabbit who is too simple to imagine how she survived. When she was talking to Nicole, she talked about the dilemma of her family, and gave it to many people who didn't care at all, and she didn't need to deliberately. Exposure to weakness and distress. Whether it's out of nervousness in the face of idols or her inherent stupidity, she shows the characters' characteristics well, and the atmosphere is well grasped, and Nicole's faint embarrassment is also well captured.
She wants to keep her job, she wants to keep the self-esteem, independence and freedom of her life, she wants to create some achievements of her own value, but every time Shane and Molly say it, she doesn't know how to refute. TAs can't help but talk about how worthless her own work is. She is speechless and dismissive of TA's, because she also thinks that she is not capable and admits that the industry is very competitive. She didn't want to lose the only belonging and self-esteem she had, but she didn't have the ability to defend it firmly or tactfully. On the one hand, she felt that she could be a little relieved by marrying into a wealthy family. But on the other hand, she is silently afraid that she will be bored and replaced one day, because she signed the prenup, although it is a generous condition, but once divorced, her financial damage will definitely be greater, so she wants to open up one more for herself. A solid back path. After being questioned several times by Nicole's mother and daughter, she still felt insecure about her marriage. When she felt that Shane had a stronger sexual desire than ordinary men, and that he could chat with young girls who were unfamiliar in front of her, she was even more concerned about the reasons why her husband was in love with her, the marriage itself and her decision. There are worries and doubts. She minds that Shane is with her because of sex and her appearance, she is afraid that apart from the appearance of easy aging and out of shape, she will no longer retain her husband's capital. The relationship was unequal from the beginning, but she still naively thought that maybe her love and marriage would be different. Her mother-in-law Kitty deprived her of the autonomy and freedom to hold her own wedding from the very beginning. The whole process was a high-end wedding that met their family's specifications, but her mother-in-law never did it herself, so she had no impression of what happened on the wedding day. Shane's casual remarks "(your parents) can't even afford the plane tickets" thoroughly revealed his contempt and contempt for her family's weak economic status. He has no basic respect and concern for her. According to his stubborn personality, and the moment when she will eventually explode, this is one of the reasons why the new marriage of the two must not be long and stable.
In the sixth episode, Rachel was thinking over and over and confessed to Shane why she made a wrong marriage decision, but in the end, she returned rationally from emotional vacation to rational reality at the end of the film. During the vacation, she was actually very soberly aware that the problem of this marriage lies in herself; the secondary problem is also in him; in the final analysis, she and him have completely different thinking styles and life attitudes due to the class gap. . She realized that the source of her unhappiness lies in herself, because what she ideally wants to be is too far away from her tragic self in reality. She always wants to actively achieve a certain goal, but she is always denying herself. Such contradictions can be felt in her thoughts and inferiority complexes in her conversations with Nicole, Shane, and Kitty. She has ideals and goals, whether it is for herself or the future, but she is extremely lacking in self-confidence, so in the end she chooses to stay in this marriage safely, because of insurance, safety, and because she does not worry about food Wear and live luxuriously. I don't want to be a trophy wife, an appendage to Mr. XXX. What is my invisible self-esteem, loftiness, and ideals compared to my real life and interests (and the damage of divorce)? Therefore, she may always have a painful and long tossing between ideals and reality. At that time, the courage that jumped up and wanted to cut off everything and start from scratch will always be repelled by Shane's censure and her own inferiority. Yes, the reality is full of difficulties, and maybe I really have no talent (the conversation with Nicole was the first direct blow to her, and then Shane and Kitty's), why bother with these illusory things, it's better to stay in a safe place Handsome, rich, and doting on your husband's arms. After all, not all women can be completely ruthless and uncompromising to themselves. After all, that kind of life requires too much effort.
【Jake Lacy — as Shane】
【Molly Shannon — as Kitty】
Shane's mother, Rachel's mother-in-law, although there are not many scenes, but the characters are extremely distinctive.
The nose that makes one have to suspect that he has done a nose job,
【Natasha Rothwell — as Belinda】
[Jennifer Coolidge — as Tanya]
[Steve Zahn — as Mark]
【Murray Bartlett — as Armon】
【Fred Hechinger — as Quinn】
【Sydney Sweeney — as Olivia】
[Brittany O'Grady — as Paula]
(Other roles, to be added)
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