Do you remember Mimi's words?
"I'm just a fantasy and amusement in boring voyage." "I'm just a boring voyage
, that empty fantasy and pastime." After the
New Year's carnival, the hungover smells bleak morning, the fireworks on the ballroom floor, the low saxophone The wind blows out of the French Chanson "Ocean" casually, and the crew is cleaning the deck.
The best or most illusory night of life is over. Then will face the cruel today.
Romansky's films are always as deep and blurred as ocean waves. The boundless journey, I don't know where I will be taken. With wave after wave, I was gradually pushed to the top of the turbulent wave, and then I caught a glimpse of the blue bottomless canyon below.
Open IMDB, only 8,000 people rated, an average of 6.8'low score'. But there was comfort in my heart, as if the hidden treasure hadn't been discovered yet, and the secret in my heart hadn't been revealed yet.
This film is not difficult to understand. As long as you have been married for a few years, it's clear at a glance.
Regarding the
wailing phrase "We are all too greedy" by Oscar of'greedy' before pulling the trigger at his own mouth, it is undoubtedly the source of the tragedy of the whole film and the key to unlocking the characters' spiritual codes.
What does'greedy' mean here?
Oscar's greed is completely different from Mimi's greed, and the greed of men and women are completely different.
The central line of Oscar is "I abandon Mimi not for a certain woman, but for all women in exchange for her."
And Mimi’s central line is “You can scold me, beat me, and have relationships with other women, but please don’t abandon me, I can’t live without you.”
Men always greedily want to conquer more women. And women always want to take all of him greedily.
The war between two people has always revolved around this insoluble knot.
Oscar's story
Oscar is the most critical character in the film. His desire is a big background. All love and hatred are derived from this, and all grievances are attached to it.
Oscar inherited a considerable legacy when he was young, so he moved to Paris to focus on his dream: writing.
Writing is not a means of making a living for him, or, from the bottom of his heart, he does not regard it as a serious profession. The romantic nature of the act of'writing in Paris' fascinated him. He regarded writing as an elegant and free attitude to life and as a means of attracting the opposite sex. "Desire" is the starting point and core of all his actions. Although he is crazy about Mimi, this overwhelming love is still based on desire. This is alluded to at the beginning of the film. On the bus body where Oscar ran into Mimi, there was an advertisement for '36 15 ULLA' with a picture of a sexy woman. Then, this advertisement appeared repeatedly in the corner of the film, until Oscar finally went to the place, the audience knew that it was an advertisement for a brothel. This advertising poster casts a discordant shadow on even the most innocent passages of the film. This is actually an Oscar, or an allusion of male desire. Even in public places in broad daylight, this desire is also under the street. The undercurrent is raging.
Oscar may not have realized at the beginning that his love is based on desire. But as sex shifts from normal to sadomasochism, the hideous features of desire gradually emerge. In the two crazy sexual abuse, Mimi is always on the abusive side, and Oscar is the abused side. This reflects the stability of the relationship between the two. Regarding the emotional basis of sexual abuse, it is shame that causes pleasure in the East (represented by Japan). In the West, it is domination. In other words, in Western culture, pain is not the true source of pleasure. The abusive party’s pleasure comes from the physical control of the other party, while the abused party comes from strong obedience to the other party’s abandonment of autonomy. In their sexual abuse relationship, Mimi’s possessive desire was satisfied, and Oscar was always a'controller' in sex in the past, and now the fresh experience of the'controlled' also satisfies his curiosity desire, just like A bold expedition. The balance required by each of the two is the nourishment for the continuity of the relationship.
But after all, men are just new creatures. After experiencing all the climaxes, the enthusiasm and unsustainable gradually fade. As a result, lingering has become a responsibility, and staying together has become a bondage. He began to feel eager for the outside world, wanting to get rid of the shackles. The film shows that their love affair has entered a low ebb through the boring end of the sexual abuse game.
The most valuable quality of Oscars is honesty. His honesty makes it impossible to hate him, even if he inflicts the most ruthless torture, hurt, and abandonment on Mimi, his principles are always the most honest. Even, he felt that he was thinking of her, because "Mimi will be grateful for his abandonment and regaining a new life in a few days after breaking up." But the mistake is that he misunderstood a woman's attitude towards love, and didn't understand Mimi until he died.
Taking the breakup scene as a watershed, the second episode of sadomasochism began. Unlike the first episode, the abuse here is psychological and aimed at self-esteem. The reason Oscar enjoys it is that this kind of humiliation can satisfy his experience of male supremacy and bring psychological pleasure. Everything still serves his desires, but this desire transforms from the body to the psychology, from the pleasure of "seeking pleasure" to the pleasure of "abuse", and he is intoxicated in this fresh experience. So he left Mimi by his side by default.
His conspiracy to get off the plane temporarily can be called vicious, and the joy afterwards also proved his ruthlessness. But like the previous curve of sadomasochism, this was a climax of psychological abuse. After the climax, he even lost interest in the pleasure brought by this humiliation. He knew this, so he designed to completely abandon Mimi. Oscar's character is not procrastinating, as long as the climax has passed, he will declare the end. He only takes in the happy part and refuses to bear any responsibility and consequences. His attitude towards childbirth was heartbreaking. He just said, "Do you think I am like a father?"
For his paralysis, he certainly hated Mimi, but it was from this pain that he began to understand the pain that Mimi endured at the beginning. His endurance first existed as a kind of'atonement', and he understood Mimi's actions as pure revenge. Then, from Mimi having sex with friends in front of him, trying to arouse his jealousy, he suddenly realized that Mimi actually loves him wantingly, and from then on, a new kind of affection has emerged. It contains sympathy, self-blame and gratitude. This naturally led to the scene of the'wedding'. However, they can't go back to the past, and their relationship can only continue with "hate". With Oscar's cleverness, how can he not understand the tricks of this little woman? But with this new feeling, he indulged everything about her, pretending to develop along the route she designed, got on the boat, found a couple, satisfied Mimi's disguised debauchery, and finally helped her end her life. He finally understood the essential contradiction of'greed', but if everything was done from scratch, he would still follow this fateful trajectory, and he was powerless to change the nature of human beings. Their "hate" has also reached its climax. Only death is the ultimate relief. He couldn't imagine what would happen to Mimi without even "hate". He couldn't imagine where they could go, so he picked up the gun. This is not a kind of great courage, is it not a kind of deep and desperate love.
It is worth mentioning that the performance of American actor Peter Coyote in this film is very eye-catching. He successfully displayed two completely different temperaments, personable and desperate and violent.
Mimi's story
Mimi is a traditional woman after all. Everything about her is out of love. As the saying goes, the depth of love is the depth of hatred. Her purpose is only one: to possess Oscars. If you can't keep his heart, you must keep his people.
She devoted herself to the absurd and bizarre sex game in order to satisfy her desire for control; she provokes him to convince herself that he still loves her; she can stay by his side with all the humiliation to prove that she is right As far as he is concerned, there is surplus value, and it can bring him pleasure; she beats the child for him, so as to spoil him to continue to be happy and suave; she lives with corpses, so that she can return to him one day By his side; she destroyed his lower body, it is a kind of hatred and love that can be tied to her, so that he can no longer capture other women; she ruthlessly teased him and ravaged his self-esteem, which is actually a kind of self Torture, when her heart bleeds because of his pain, she felt the pleasure of self-abuse, because she really couldn’t lose his love. Once lost, she had to make up for it with the same hatred; she made love with others in front of him , Trying to provoke his jealousy is a dying struggle, proving that she needs his jealousy and longs for his care; she gave him a gun as a birthday gift, eager for him to kill her because of hatred, so her feelings This was complete; it was she who came up with the entire cruise ship plan, trying to provoke his jealousy and hatred to the climax, so that he could die in his hands smoothly. And he carried the mark left by her—the immovable lower body—and could never erase her from his life.
Women are simple and pitiful, because of a chance encounter on an autumn afternoon, they will sacrifice their lives without regrets.
Emmanuelle Seigner, who plays Mimi, also successfully demonstrated the two levels of Mimi's purity and depravity, but compared with Peter Coyote, it is a bit stiff.
Nigel's story
He is the most'normal ' character in the film, a middle-aged man who is suffering from gains and losses, with an ulterior desire to steal in his heart, but on the surface he appears to be both a wife and a decent man. Helpless, his careful eye, anyone can tell at a glance. His hypocrisy and sadness are a true portrayal of all middle-aged men in this society. Finally, standing on the rainy deck, he finally decided to face his desires calmly to the world. But when he returned to the real world of the cabin, he instantly lost his courage and put back his hypocritical coat. Suffering from gains and losses, in the end he was unable to maintain his image of a gentleman in front of his wife, and missed the physical pleasure.
It is amazing to have Hugn Grant play such a role. Because he can meet the director's requirements as long as he performs in his true colors, and even the worse he plays, the better. Speaking of'hypocritical masculine charm', who fits this definition better than his handsome face? Polanski's "streak intentions" in this casting is exactly the same as Li Ang's selection of Wang Leehom for "Lust Caution".
Fiona’s story
Fiona’s reversal at the end of the film is probably the most surprising part. She had always appeared as a conservative and reserved image of a British woman before, and at the last ball, she was blooming like a night lily, sparkling dazzlingly. This is also the most exciting and charming part of the film, which greatly enhances the importance of the Nigels in the film.
Fiona's transformation is not unrecognizable, but repeated in the film. Soon after the film began, Oscar stated that Fiona was'very rich in content', and then the reporter asked if Nigel had lost interest in his wife. Nigel secretly changed the concept with a social answer. Pay attention to this time Fior The change in Na's eyes. In the latter scene, another Oscar said that Nigel has not yet fully explored her wife's potential. These clips show a sacrifice of a woman after marriage, that is, she leaves her personality charm to her husband alone, and hides it from the outside. If the husband does not understand appreciation, then this kind of hiding is actually a waste. However, most women are either out of imperfection to the marriage relationship, or out of obedience to the male dignity of their husbands. Although they feel lost, they will give up a little of their dignity and endure this waste. However, if their husbands cross the boundaries they can tolerate, they will regain their feminine charm and dignity.
Fiona in the film is a typical example. She dances with Mimi and then goes to the rain for the following reasons: 1. Complete disappointment with her husband, unable to swallow her anger, and need to redeem her dignity; 2. To her husband For revenge, she had said'double return' before; 3. Contempt and demonstrate her husband's ability, but she can easily get what he can't get, which seems to be saying, "Take me seriously." Do you just accept it in the opposite direction?', re-show (or let him remember) his charm to her husband. 4. The selection of Mimi is of course not random. First, it is a battle against Mimi, and secondly, this kind of battle also contains an understanding: women's sympathy for the same disease. The cloud and rain of the two women hinted that they were completely disappointed and spurned by men.
Although Kristin Scott Thomas, who plays Fiona, doesn't have many scenes, his performance is amazing and full of charm.
Character relationship and ending
We can think of Oscar and Nigel as the same person, the inner world and outer behavior of a male; similarly, Mimi and Fiona are also the same person, the true heart and social image of a woman. This kind of contrast exists from time to time. For example, with regard to children, although Nigel is as unwilling to take responsibility as Oscar in his heart, he uses the reason of the crown: the world is too populous, and we don't need to add to the chaos. And Mimi and Fiona have the same love and pampering for their lovers.
Their relationship also reflects the two possibilities of the same state of marriage, that is, the possibility of'laissez-faire' and the possibility of'being under the shackles of traditional ideas'.
If you use the following picture to represent:
Nigel --- Fiona
l l
Oscar --- Mimi
The relationship below is emotional and honest, but not practical. The above relationship is rational and realistic, but it is hypocritical, just like most marriage relationships in real life. Ironically, honesty results in destruction, while hypocritical ones often survive. But the question is, is this kind of living more meaningful than destruction? Like Nigel, he can never experience that crazy and sincere love, but once anyone realizes it, he may take life as the price.
Since the reality is that we cannot choose to destroy vigorously, how to irrigate the withered marriage relationship? How to get a new life? Of course, a trip to India will not help. The solution that the film tries to propose is'It's better to have a baby'. Although this answer may make you smile, is there any other way? Isn't this what most couples do?
As for the future of Nigel and Fiona, we don't know, we only know that they will give birth to a child, and take this trip as a lesson in life. But how will they solve the'greed' proposition that exists in human nature? Marriage is still like that undulating night ship. The future will be full of smoke and waves, and there will be no shore around it. Only a bright moon in the sky, like a bright mirror, illuminates the bitterness in our hearts and remains unchanged forever. What does the
title
"Bitter Moon" mean? Of course not only refers to the grief caused by moonlight.
This is a word game, the antonym of "Honeymoon". Cruise ships are a popular item for newlyweds and honeymooners. But when the newlyweds are embracing and kissing on the boat, do you expect that one day after the passion disappears, the pain of consuming each other's years? The purpose of this journey Polanski led the audience through is to explore the "sorrowful moon" which is the opposite of the "honeymoon". This is a great test for every male and female audience who enters the dull period of marriage. This is a movie that is not suitable for lovers or couples to watch together. If you are little lovers, you should not understand it. Even if you understand it, it will frustrate your expectations and passion for the future; if you are a husband and wife, you will probably be relative after watching it. Silent, sleepless at night, because it is so cruel, it tears away all the little self-comfort you have left. This may be the reason why the film scores low: because people dare not face their dirty thoughts and the reality of failure.
Concluding remarks
I think this is Roman Polanski's best work and the best movie on the theme of marriage. The theme is condensed and profound, and the expression is delicate and elegant without losing the atmosphere. Although there are original works, it is commendable to visualize independent depth of thought and aesthetic interest.
Finally, the first sentence of the opening book of "Anna Karenina" is used: "Happy families are all alike, and unfortunate families have their own misfortunes."
We can also say that happy marriages are all similar, while declining marriages have their own failures. Some people give up resolutely, some use methods to keep them, some steal their lives in hypocrisy, and some save themselves in epiphany. But there is only one source. When you watched her white sneakers on the bus that afternoon, you planted the seeds of tragedy.
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