Therefore, when watching this film, I feel that although it is presented in the form of a movie, it is more like a drama.
Polanski perfectly directed a splendid performance in a nearly cramped space-in the home of Pauline and Gerardo.
Pauline looked flustered as she was preparing dinner. Paulina became even more anxious when she heard the news that her husband Gerardo had been appointed as the chairman of a newly established committee (mainly investigating human rights violations committed by the former fascist dictatorship) on the radio.
It was raining heavily outside. Pauline grabbed a few bites of food casually, waiting for Gerardo to return. At this moment, the sound of the car came out of the window, Paulina quickly got up, took the pistol and hid behind the door-it turned out that it was her husband Gerardo who got out of a car, said thanks and invitation, and returned home. .
Gerardo explained that he was so unlucky that the car broke down in such bad weather. Fortunately, I met kind neighbors who lived very close to them, but he hadn't noticed it. Dr. Miranda insisted on taking him back by detour, otherwise he still doesn't know what to do. Pauline didn't care about this, and asked Gerardo why he had assumed the chairmanship of the new committee without her consent. Jera multilaterally ate the turkey and said that he did not agree. He had to come back and consult Pauline before making a decision. Hearing this, Pauline picked up Gerardo's plate and dumped it into the garbage. She knew Gerardo was lying to him. Gerardo quickly got up and explained to Pauline. Paulina said why he was so dishonest.
Just when they were about to rest, the sound of cars came from outside the window. Paulina took out the pistol again nervously, and Gerardo comforted him to go and see. Gerardo opened the door and found that the kind doctor Miranda had brought him a spare tire. Miranda said that he remembered not putting down the tires until he returned home. Because his wife and children were all out, he decided to send the tires right away. Miranda apologized for disturbing Gerardo late at night. Gerardo said that he must invite Miranda into the house for a drink this time, otherwise he would be too unhappy.
Pauline hid in the bedroom. Gerardo and Doctor Miranda were sitting in the living room drinking and chatting. Gerardo motioned to Pauline to come out and say hello to Dr. Miranda, but Pauline pretended to sleep and refused to get up. Gerardo had to explain that his wife was tired and had rested.
Gerardo and Miranda discuss political issues.
Unexpectedly, Pauline got up secretly and drove away Miranda's car. Miranda and Gerardo chased out, but did not catch up. Very annoyed. Gerardo apologized again, and Miranda comforted that his wife would be back before dawn. So the two returned to the house and continued to drink. Doctor Miranda lay on the sofa in the living room to sleep, and Gerardo went back to the bedroom to rest.
Soon after, Pauline sneaked back home again. In the living room she found Miranda sleeping. Paulina leaned in front of Miranda's face, observed carefully, and with his breath and smell, concluded that he was the perpetrator who had hurt herself deeply.
Pauline took the rope and wanted to tie Miranda. After waking up, Miranda was knocked down by Pauline with a punch, tied to a chair, and sealed her mouth with tape. Pauline said that she found Schubert's "Death and Virgin" tape in Miranda's car and believed that Miranda was the one who raped and persecuted him in the past. Pauline played the "Death and the Virgin" tape on the tape recorder. The music awakened Gerardo. Gerardo was surprised to see what was happening in the living room.
Gerardo accused Pauline of not being able to do this. Pauline insisted that he was the murderer. Crazy Paulina shot Gerardo who was trying to untie the rope tied to Miranda. Gerardo was terrified.
Gerardo saw that Pauline could not easily agree to let Miranda go, so he had to do everything possible to persuade his wife not to kill Miranda, so that Pauline agreed to try Miranda in the house, and Gerardo acted as the defense lawyer for Miranda. .
...
Miranda defended himself in every possible way, saying that in the year Paulina was insulted, he himself worked in a Spanish monastery, and also provided a phone number and witnesses. He also threatened to resolutely accuse them of their actions once he went out alive, and said that Gerardo could not be an accomplice in this deliberate murder, which violated Gerardo's political beliefs.
Paulina flatly refused Miranda's request for verification. In front of her husband, she told the details of her insult. Gerardo was shocked because Pauline never said it.
Pauline said, you never asked me this, accusing her husband of never caring about her painful feelings.
Paulina said that as long as Miranda admitted to the crimes he had committed, he would be released. Dr. Miranda said that he had never done anything like this before and refused to admit it. The emotional Paulina again asked her husband to kill Miranda. At this time, the phone interrupted by the heavy rain rang, and the president’s voice came from the receiver. The president said that he would send someone to protect Gerardo, because news of his appointment as the chairman of the committee was leaked by the media. The visitor will arrive before 6 o’clock. The tone of Gerardo's apartment on the seashore cannot be questioned.
The helpless Gerardo had to persuade Miranda, as long as he was willing to admit that he was the one who had hurt Polina, he guaranteed Miranda to leave safely.
Miranda reluctantly agreed, because time is running out. Gerardo threatened that if he didn't do this, he would no longer ask his wife to release Miranda, and the angry Pauline would definitely kill him. Gerardo was also on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Gerardo persuaded his wife again. Pauline suddenly asked why Gerardo was outside looking for joy during the time she was suffering. Gerardo defended that he thought Pauline was dead. Pauline asked how many times he had been in bed with his lover, and asked Gerardo if it was out of love? Gerardo said he didn't know what love was!
...
They returned to the house, and Gerardo told Miranda what to say when she confessed. Miranda pleaded guilty in front of the camera. Miranda's confession was full of excuses, and it seemed that he was not hurting Pauline or even redeeming her by doing so. Paulina was angry, saying that this confession was all a lie, and that she never believed her husband anymore and took Miranda to the beach. She wanted to kill Miranda and sink her body into the sea. Miranda begged Gerardo to make a verification call to prove that he was indeed not present at the time and that he was innocent.
Gerardo couldn't stop his wife, so he had to call and ask. The phone confirmed that Miranda was indeed serving at the monastery at the time.
Gerardo rushed to the beach as if he had received an amnesty. Gerardo said he called to confirm that Miranda was indeed in a foreign country.
Pauline was confused. At this time, Miranda suddenly knelt down, admitting that he was indeed the murderer who hurt Pauline. He told the story in detail. He said his cousin was in a Nazi concentration camp at the time. His cousin asked him to help those sinners. Miranda said he didn't know what he was doing? Miranda said: "In the beginning I wanted to resist too, but slowly I fell in love with that feeling. I can dominate and play with them at will. Not only can they not resist, but I also want to thank me. I like being under the bright light. Rape them naked, I like the feeling of being above and above..." The fantasy of unbridled power, his "curiosity" or rather skyrocketing desire forced him to commit unforgivable sins. Because in that extreme environment, no matter what he does, no one will stop him, and he cannot be punished.
An angry Gerardo heard this and wanted to push Miranda into the sea like a mad, but Gerardo couldn't do anything.
Paulina looked at Miranda who was kneeling on the ground, could not say anything, turned and left slowly, and Gerardo also slowly left with his wife.
...
In a musical performance of "Death and the Virgin", the camera rolls from the musicians playing on the stage to Gerardo and Paulina in the auditorium below, and then follows Paulina. His eyes saw Dr. Miranda's family sitting in the box. Paulina and Miranda's eyes confronted each other, complicated and incomprehensible.
Someone analyzed the title of "Death and the Virgin", saying that it means "virgin" fear of "death", which is the virgin's loss of virginity. And analyzed that Pauline's detailed account of the humiliation process was out of sexual repression, —— from the perspective of Freudian psychology, but I think it seems to be far from the main point. Is Pauline's accusation merely sexual repression and fantasy? This is unconvincing. I think this film is still discussing crime and punishment. A virgin is a sin, and death is a punishment.
The dramatic conflict in this film is very strong. In an almost completely enclosed space, the performances of the three leading actors are very wonderful.
It completely complies with the "three-in-one" structure of classical drama, and it is done in one go, which is very stressful.
In a certain situation, people's criminal desires and fluke psychology are very difficult to understand.
The offender will always quibble about his crimes, but the victim's psychology is extremely complicated.
Paulina wanted to hurt Miranda deeply, just like he had done, she even wanted to use a broomstick to stab Miranda's ass. Miranda once took an electric baton into her ass. vaginal. She wanted Miranda to taste the taste of being raped-this may be the true psychology shared by all women who have had similar experiences.
When it was really possible to do that, Pauline gave up. Violence for violence does not soothe psychological pain. Thinking of her husband having sex with other women when she was suffering, this kind of injury is far higher than the injury of being raped. That's why Paulina questioned her husband, whether he was in love with other women when he slept with other women.
When Miranda confessed to his crime at the end of the movie, he said "I want to know how many times a woman can be fucked"-this unexpectedly reveals how absurd the reasons for a crime can be behind a crime. Guilty thoughts are due to our excessive desires and the urge to indulge this desire. Of course, in that extreme situation, the entire era is crazy, and the entire environment is sinful. Perhaps as a person, there are reasons to explain that we are driven by the era to commit crimes.
However, in the final analysis, just as the victim must struggle with the pain in the past, the offender must personally bear the spiritual shackles and endure the suffering and punishment of sin. No one can share the burden for you, and there is no time to suffer for you.
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