I watched "code 46" at night, and the ending was a bit unexpected, so my whole heart seemed to be filled with a sad atmosphere. I watched this film because of most of the scenes in Shanghai: The Bund, Nanjing Road, and Pudong Airport. It's just Shanghai in the lens, which is both familiar and unfamiliar to me. It's as clear and hazy as this film gives me.
The story takes place in the distant future. At that time, humans lived in cities and most of them were clones. Due to the deterioration of the external environment and genetic defects, people must need a permit. If there is no pass, it will be difficult to move, and will be excluded from city life. William lives in Seattle, has a beloved wife and a lovely son. He has a special function, which is able to understand the person's heart by describing something about himself. At this time, a pass forgery occurred, and William was sent to Shanghai to investigate the mastermind of the incident, so he met Mary. He knew that Mary was the one who stole the pass and made a profit, but he hesitated. Maybe it's because he was infected with sex poison, maybe because the way she smiled made him uncontrollably infected. In short, he turned his back on his company and indulged Mary. It's just that he followed her wickedly, Shanghai's crowded subways, Shanghai's chaotic bars, and Shanghai's pale apartments. On the night of Mary's 25th birthday, she fulfilled the dream that she would have on her birthday every year. And he indulged himself on the snow-white sheets. The next day, he had to leave, even though she wanted to stay. There is a truth, but not everyone knows it. When you cannot choose, you have actually chosen.
So William returned to Seattle and returned home. It's just that his heart didn't come back, so facing his tender wife, his excuse was very tired. He inquired about Mary's past through his company, where she traveled. Because Mary said that it took her 10 years to get the pass to the city, the purpose of stealing the pass was not for money, but the pain of knowing that those people could not get the pass. William's boss began to suspect him, because after his investigation, there were three more irregular passes, and three more died for this. So William had to come to Shanghai again. As a result, he discovered that Mary was taken outside the city for treatment. Through his special function, he learned that Mary, as a clone, had the same genes as his mother, so their combination violated code 46. As a result, Mary was wiped out of all memories related to him and her pregnancy was aborted. It was only the strong feelings that caused William to take Mary away. They secretly went to Mary's hometown. They hoped to live happily. Only when Mary was erased from her memory, she was also injected with the corresponding virus. Although she knew vaguely that she could go with this man, the virus controlled her to make an informant call. After a car accident, William was erased from his memory and returned to a peaceful life in the past. Mary was deprived of her pass, regained her memory and deported to live in the desert.
The ending of the film is in a desolate desert. Mary walked alone, with a peaceful expression. However, the memories reminded her of the happiness that two people had once, and the inexplicable pain can also be temporarily suppressed. The voice-over said in a low voice "I miss you, I miss you.". Maybe her life will pass faintly in loneliness, but maybe all the meaning of life is to recall the sweetness of being together. Even though you are in the boundless desolate desert, isn't it enough to have the memories you once loved deeply? The most important thing in life is the memory of love. Perhaps this is what this movie wants to tell us.
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