The recent sci-fi drama "Ring Story" released in April is a high-scoring drama that I will share with you.
It is adapted from a book drawn by Swedish illustrator Simon Stallenhager. The style of the pictures in the play also follows the author's quiet and ethereal style; therefore, the scene not only has the texture of a beautiful documentary, but also The unrestrained sci-fi feeling is naturally integrated into the whole picture and plot.
Because it is to explore the impact of advanced technology on human life and emotions, it also triggers our thinking on the philosophy of life, human weakness and other aspects; ” has both similarities and distinct differences.
If "Black Mirror" is full of depression, irony and darkness, each independent story is global, radiating people and things from different classes, and it is a science fiction drama that focuses on expressing the relationship between technology and human beings;
Then "Ring Story" is full of ethereal, mysterious and poignant beauty. Every story with a small connection happens to the residents of the small town. It is a science fiction drama that expresses the exploration and decryption of technological mysteries.
In contrast, the story of "Ring Story" is limited to a small place, which seems to be insufficiently atmospheric, but it is not.
All the characters and stories in the play tell the deepest human emotions and human nature at a slow pace. Especially when an ordinary day encounters an accident, whether family, friendship or love is caught off guard.
So what have they experienced in the small town?
There is an experimental physics center called "ring" in the town, and many residents work there; just when everyone is inadvertently, the research in the experimental center has quietly changed some people in the town, some things……
01. Indulge one's selfish desires, and cut off not only family, but also friendship
This is a story about friendship, and the most depressing and sad story in the entire show.
Jacob is an academic bully, but shy and a little weak, giving people a weak sense of presence; but good buddy Danny is just the opposite. He is sunny and fit. Although he is a scumbag, his cheerful and playful personality is very popular. welcome.
Accidentally one day, they found a spherical technological waste in the forest. When Jacob curiously drilled into the exploration, an unexplainable sci-fi phenomenon swapped their consciousness into each other's bodies.
The playful Danny asks to experience each other's lives for a day, and Jacob reluctantly complies. However, he never imagined that because of a temporary compromise, the fate of himself and Danny would be rewritten from then on.
Danny wants to work at "Ring", but he is not qualified because of his poor studies. However, "Ring" is Jacob's family business, so in order to get rid of his unpromising quarrying job, he is now "Jacob". Danny, "of course" asked to replace Jacob himself.
In the end, because of Danny's greed and selfishness, they failed to change their bodies, and accidentally caused Jacob to exchange consciousness with the robot - Jacob became a robot, and he could only wander for the rest of his life; and Danny's body also became Vegetables, let biological parents into despair.
Moreover, when Danny found that the workers were dismantling the spherical waste, Danny, who couldn't be brave, didn't even have the courage to stop, and instead fled in a hurry.
In this way, after Danny became "Jacob", did his life go smoothly?
No, because with him there is only guilt that cannot be eliminated, and self-blame that cannot be redeemed.
Especially when he saw "Danny" lying on the hospital bed, his parents who were desperate for life, and his family of origin, which had been worsened by hospitalization fees, he regretted it, but he couldn't do anything about the endgame, because at this time he was already "Yaaaa". Kobu", just an outsider.
Since the family of origin can no longer be returned, has he integrated into the family of "Jacob"?
Only then did he realize his stupidity. Although the new parents didn't find him to be a fake, the guilt restrained him from integrating into the new family, so he turned his cheerful and playful self into the taciturn Jacob— - He made himself an "island"
However, the situation was already like this, and he didn't have the courage to tell the truth. He could only hide in the body of "Jacob" while blaming himself and just living by.
◆ He not only let down the affection of the original family and the new family, but also let down the trust and friendship of his friends.
02. They use instruments to cheat, how sweet they are in still time, how ironic it is to return to reality
Mei, who already had a boyfriend, met Ethan, who made her heart flutter, at someone else's wedding, so she cheated.
Then, after May had fixed a device that could stop time, she couldn't wait to share it with Ethan, saying "this is the way to get us together".
So, on the days when time stopped, they recklessly reveled in the town and did a lot of bottomless things-such as cheating in public, there were obviously many witnesses, but they "turned a blind eye".
Such a special and exciting experience fueled their madness and "love".
However, when their relationship was at its sweetest, their conversation exposed the fatal flaw in this violent "love":
Ethan: "Our relationship will be weird when time returns to normal, but we can stop time again whenever we want, right?"
Mei's face was filled with indescribable embarrassment and disappointment. It turned out that Ethan didn't care whether she broke up with her boyfriend or not. He only regarded her as a playmate who could have fun when time stopped.
Moreover, when the instrument malfunctioned, he naturally showed that he was "living alone" without caring about Mei's words and deeds, which undoubtedly inspired her bad mood;
Therefore, when Mei accidentally found out about her cheating mother, it not only became the fuse of their quarrel, but also ripped apart the illusion of their love.
◆ The loneliness they are isolated from the world makes their relationship not experienced twists and turns and lacks trust. Their so-called "love" is just a sense of excitement brought by temporary derailment.
The "love" in this partitioned space is like Eileen Chang's "Blockade". When everything returns to normal, Mei, like Cuiyuan, finally understands that this kind of relationship can only end without a problem.
So compared to May's total devotion, Ethan only fell in love with her briefly.
In fact, when Mei cheated at will, her irresponsible and immoral attitude and behavior cast an indescribable shadow on this " cheating love" - Ethan would not show her sincerity.
Although Ethan said to her "I promise not to leave you", this promise seemed to still haunt his ears, but when the time flowed, he only left with a guilty conscience and embarrassment.
03. When the affection becomes weak, it is because they have not hugged each other for a long time
Recently, there is a phrase that often appears in our ears, that is, "reconcile with yourself", and the first story in "The Ring Story" happens to be related to it.
This is the story of a mother and daughter: Lolita's mother works in the "ring", and she is often neglected because of scientific research, leaving the young Lolita to be independent and lonely, go to school and cook by herself, and she is the happiest At the moment, as long as the mother plays a game of chess with her, it is enough.
However, on this day, when she got good grades and excitedly went home to share it with her mother, she was shocked to find that her mother and the whole family had disappeared out of thin air, leaving only a strange stone that could float in the air.
Mom abandoned herself, why? This was the only realization in Lolita's mind.
Then, in the process of looking for her mother, Lolita met herself who had become a mother when she grew up; the adult Lolita also learned from her childhood Lolita how her son felt about her, "I think my mother doesn't like being a mother. Mother".
At this time, the adult Lolita suddenly woke up: neglecting her son for work, it turns out that she has lived as her mother used to be.
◆ The unexplainable science fiction phenomenon caused such an adventure, I think it is Lolita's luck.
When the childhood self met the adult self, when she learned that her mother had really left her, when all the confusion and unwillingness were explained, at this time, she could finally face up to her obsession and let it go.
Adult Lolita gave her son a tight hug and let him know "I will always be with you";
This is not only to make up for my son, but also to make up for my childhood self. After getting rid of obsessions, I know how to cherish the people in front of me. This is the true meaning of "reconciliation" with myself.
04. Extended Interpretation: Human Abandonment and Control of Technology
The stories in "Ring Story" all carry different degrees of sadness. Starting from friendship, love and family, we can see that when human beings come into contact with technology, technology induces the "dissatisfaction" in human nature - everyone thinks that they can Take advantage of it, but the result is often an unexpected tragedy.
The whole play has never revealed what the mysterious "Ring" is researching, but the ubiquitous technological products appear in the form of being idle and abandoned, silently affecting their lives under the neglect of residents.
In this way, looking at humans from the perspective of those technological wastes, they seem to be silently accusing something:
When needed, humans create them to meet their needs, as in "Black Mirror", human life is very dependent on high technology.
Some of them are implanted with consciousness and made into housekeepers or security guards that fit the owner's mind; some are used to make up for the ecological environment that has been destroyed by humans. If there are no bees in nature, then "artificial intelligence bees" will be created.
But once it is no longer needed, the technological waste is randomly discarded in forests, rivers or suburbs, and left to fend for itself, as happened in "Ring Story".
So they were dissatisfied and fought back. After the precipitation of time, they have the power to make humans suffer the consequences:
Such as Lolita's mother, she stole the stones used in scientific research because of her selfishness, so she "disappeared";
For example, Danny, the sphere that has been destroyed because of personal harm to his friends, makes his regrets unable to turn back;
Rumei, she used an instrument to cheat, but was abandoned by Ethan in the end.
In fact, in sci-fi movies, as long as human sensibility and technological rationality collide, we can not only see profound contradictions, but also profound irony— because the purpose of human pursuit of science and technology is not only to grasp the interests, but also to Want to control all beings.
Therefore, to humans, technology is like a "Pandora's Box", and greedy humans can't wait to open it, which leads to all kinds of disasters.
This is best explained in "Westworld":
"You were originally free, but you created a god, but it was not a god who was created. Now the gods are here, and they are angry."
When human beings claim to be "creators", they smugly think they can control them forever;
As everyone knows, humans have pushed themselves into danger - they are waiting for an opportunity to counterattack!
View more about Tales from the Loop reviews
