Recently I turned to the item of this movie and couldn't help but watch it again. This is the fourth time I have watched this movie. For people like me who don't like to watch a movie over and over again, this is an exaggerated number of times.
Therefore, I want to record the reasons why I am obsessed with this film casually. Explain in advance that these reasons are likely to have nothing to do with the film art itself:
1. DFW is extremely attractive to me. When I was most fascinated by him, I collected a lot of articles commemorating him from other writers on the New Yorker, and most of them were printed out and read. Although I have forgotten most of it now, my familiarity and intimacy with DFW have always existed. For me, he is not the kind of "classic" writer who will be included in the history of literature and therefore excites me, but simply the kind of writer who fits my way of thinking very well, and is more like a friend in psychological feelings (—— Yes, this is a bit weird). The experience of watching this movie is like holding a piece of iron magnet and gently scribbling across a piece of fine iron filings. The psychological aspects of DFW that I understand and the problems he is concerned about are presented in a three-dimensional manner.
2. The change of perspective. My understanding of DFW is actually mostly dependent on his novels and non-fiction works. The observation point provided by this film is the most appropriate and the most wonderful, completely winning the article on DFW by Jonathan Franzen. Of course, we must realize that all narratives are a kind of representation, and this movie is no exception, but the many elements that the director and screenwriter grasp are actually very consistent with my understanding of DFW, so I just take it all. In addition, the interview transcript taken in the movie has been published, but it reads plainly.
3. The first time I watched this movie was actually for the teacher. Juan Xi is quick and aggressive, but she shows dog eyes when she is stunned. I'm sorry, I really love it. In fact, I can see the elements of his acting skills, but I also love those little moves that are mean, anxious, and self-conscious. After seeing Teacher Juan, I discovered that I really like the nerd type.
4. Dialogue and loneliness. I like dialogue. Dialogue is like the quotation marks that stand out in a novel, which is both demonstrative and defensive. The dialogue between people involves trying to understand each other, but in many cases our self-defense consciousness proves the futility of this understanding, just like DFW repeatedly asked Lipsky in the movie: You don’t believe a word of what I said. right?
The fact is that we always misunderstand each other in our own way, and self-explanation is often futile, just like Lipsky’s counter-intuitive ridicule: The way you prove yourself unassuming is very hypocritical.
People who think they are smart always think that they have deeper insights into others, and they like to play this game to override the other's self-awareness. I am more pessimistic: people will eventually be confined to self-awareness, and mutual understanding is only a short-term compromise.
5. Cold, music, airplanes, books, writing and roads.
6. DFW will dance in the crowd. I don't know why, it makes me sad.
7. DFW used to be a towel boy and security guard. Sometimes I imagine that kind of life.
8. TV, movies, mall, American happiness, emptiness, suicide and death.
9. Fortunately, this is not a meta movie, so I can immerse myself in it.
10. This movie became one of my comforters. I created a sense of intimacy between myself and the actor and became addicted to a certain type of imagery. I'm just the kind of person DFW is talking about sitting in front of the screen for a long time to get spiritual comfort. I like his pursuit of reality. I eagerly pursued the same thing, but finally found myself blending with the illusion.
11. I also wrote a film review to prove that what I am obsessed with has some meaning.
View more about The End of the Tour reviews
