"Non-Strong Aphrodisiac" is a mediocre story movie. But we might as well find some of Woody's usual worldview in it, as a reference for studying his film art.
In "Non-Strong Aphrodisiac", Woody chose another novel dramatic way of expression. He expressed the inner drama of the hero Lanny through the singing form of the Greek choir. These virtual choir characters will even appear in Help Lanny make up his mind in the real world. Woody has used this surreal technique before in "Alice". Alice has a dialogue with characters in drama and novels to interpret her inner thinking. The Greek choir also touches on the subject of fate. For this reference, please refer to Steger’s interview.
Stieger : "Fate is a key element of Greek drama and the moral of this comedy."
Woody Allen : "Destiny is something you can't control. You think you can control your own life, you can dominate your own life, but this is not the case. You only have control in some very minor aspects, but in more important ways. The important issue is that destiny is always in control of you. In the movie, I thought I was in control of that woman’s life, I thought I was pursuing the truth, but in the end I completely lost control. She was pregnant with my child, but I didn’t know it. In fact, no one can control our own destiny. We always brag about our ability, but in fact we don’t have it at all."
Woody's movies are discussing existentialism from beginning to end. Of course he himself is a supporter of the theory of fate, and everything is caused by luck.
In "Non-Strong Aphrodisiac", whether the call girl or the boxer or Woody, the love is fruitless. Her life seemed to be over. Suddenly a helicopter landed in the sky, and the pilot found that there was a problem with the engine. So the two fell in love. Woody has been enlightening her in the movie, but it has no effect. Most of the time, a person is saved only because of luck.
The combination of luck is the result of destiny. Woody’s film interpreting luck and fate as the ultimate theme is "The End of the Match". I will talk about this film again in the future.
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