The first thing the director wants to tell us is: In history, the winner of this war is the North, because the North is indeed more advanced, smarter and more powerful. So in the film, no matter how you fight, Pierce Brosnan is always better than Liam Neeson. This point is in line with historical facts, because the final result of the Civil War was the victory of the North, because the North represented the advanced bourgeoisie, and the South was the backward slave-owning class.
The second point is: war is war. All the cruelty that occurred during the war was extreme treatment in a very period of time, and it is excusable. At this point, the director actually wanted to whitewash and defeat Fang Zengjin's atrocities, so he used Pierce Brosnan to create an image of a kind-hearted soldier in nature. Although he trampled on kindness and innocence with force and violence, he immediately took off his military uniform and returned to the mountain forest after discovering that he had done something wrong. And every move in the film reveals his kindness and wisdom.
The third point is: whether the South or the North are part of the United States, the North and the South should move forward hand in hand. This idea is fully reflected in the end of the film. Pierce Brosnan forgave Liam Neeson's sorrow, and gave his life to the other party with a broad mind. And Liam Neeson was finally moved and convinced by Pierce Brosnan (in fact, I think it is more appropriate to use "conquer") forgiving the other party's vengeance of murdering his wife and child, and went hand in hand with him to the front and the hope of survival.
In short, this film can be said to be telling history and looking into the future. The director wants to use this film to tell everyone that history is over, and the family should not talk about two things. Since Liam Neeson can forgive Pierce Brosnan's hatred of killing his wife and son, what else can't be forgiven? All this is the past tense of the United States of America, and today everyone still has to unite to live and survive.
There are not a few well-known films depicting the Civil War, such as "Gone with the Wind" and "Cold Mountain". They mostly focus on love and humanity. "Seraphim Falls" takes a different approach, using the "war" between two men after the war is over to express the connotation of this violent national war. Although the director and screenwriter are both subjective, the film is not lacking in philosophy, so it is still a film worth watching.
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