What I look forward to most every year in Cannes is to see some strange movies with a big brain. These movies are not destined to be released in China. It is very hard to wait for resources. It is extremely unforgettable to watch these movies on the big screen. Experience. This year's first controversial heavy-tasting work came from a focus unit, the Swedish director Ali Abbasi's "Border". Some large-scale shots in the film caused the audience to scream, and even many audiences left midway, which was full of gimmicks.
"Border" tells that Tina is an extremely efficient customs officer, she has an extraordinary sense of smell, as if she can smell people's guilt. But when Vore, a seemingly suspicious man, appeared in front of her, her sense of smell seemed to have failed for the first time in her life. Tina knew that Vore was hiding something, but didn't know what it was. To make matters worse, she even faintly felt that she was attracted to him. She entered into a special relationship with Vore, not only finally discovered his true identity, but also realized the truth about herself: like Vore, she does not belong to this world. Her whole life was based on a lie, and now she must make a choice: either continue to live a false life, or face the terrible reality that Vore showed her.
From the beginning of the film, it showed us the "natural talent" of the heroine Tina. As a customs officer, she leads a boring work life every day. Let us first see what she looks like. Please be psychologically prepared.
Do you think she looks a bit "anti-human"? One day, when a passenger was about to pass, Tina seemed to smell something and stopped him.
Other customs staff believed in Tina's sense of smell and decisively began to check. The man was calm and could not see any panic. After inspection, no suspicious items were found.
At this time Tina suddenly asked to see his mobile phone. The man began to panic and refused to accept the inspection. At the request of the staff, he could only reluctantly agree to take the mobile phone out of his arms. Tina took the mobile phone and sniffed it carefully. .
She finally found what she wanted, and found the prohibited item in the back cover of the phone. The man snatched it in a panic and wanted to swallow it, but was immediately subdued. I was afraid that he would never have imagined such a thing in the customs." "Fantastic Character" appears.
And Vore, the man who made Tina couldn't help being attracted, looks like this, isn't it a bit too similar?
The two people were in a state of "love and killing" from the moment they met. Tina can clearly sense that Vore is her kind, but she refuses to accept such a reality, which is an extremely painful cognitive process.
Watching "Frontier" is easy to think of "Raw Eat" which was also shown in Cannes the year before. Both films have a lot of shots that challenge the physiological limits of the audience, but the themes are very warm. "Raw Eating" is based on girls eating raw meat, expressing the ignorance and pain of growing up, and the slightly deformed love of relatives for girls. And "Frontier" itself is more like a weird show, the two protagonists themselves are deformed, not to mention how abnormal and terrible their so-called "talents" are, but they are such two "aliens". The expression and understanding of emotion surpasses many so-called human beings.
However, the director's intentions are very "streak". In order to enhance the audiovisual effect of this weird show, he deliberately enlarged the uncomfortable elements in the film. Full of interest, more nausea effect. Even if the heroine is bathing naked by the picturesque lake, she still can't feel the slightest sense of beauty. The bloated body and scarred skin are presented in front of the audience. This extreme contrast is exactly the effect the director expects. .
One of the most talked about scenes is when the protagonist is having sex, the protagonist suddenly grows a male genitalia shaped like a tail, which is shocking. I can’t find such an amazing similar scene in the film archives. A scene in the film also plays a vital role in connecting and connecting. From this moment on, the heroine has gradually awakened from the animal nature, and hermaphrodite further inspires her doubts about who she is, so the story turns from two strange people to a female. The process of the Lord’s exploration of self-identity is an almost distorted fusion. There are both folk customs, adult fairy tales, and romantic and sad dramas. Although very weird, it is indeed fascinating and extremely Satisfy the audience's curiosity.
The taste of "Frontier" is definitely not what the mainstream media likes, and a lot of controversy arose after the film was screened, but it is undeniable that it has attracted many B-grade film fans. Tina’s experience is also reflective. She has spent nearly a lifetime accepting that she is different from others. Her ugly appearance and weird features are destined to make her only live in her own world, only when she takes a bath nearby. Talking to animals and being close to nature are her happiest moments, which also doomed Tina's almost tragic life.
Director Abbasi succeeded in criticizing in multiple senses in the film. For example, Tina and Vore symbolize minority ethnic groups. They gradually lost themselves in the process of fighting and urgently need to explore again. Various unexpected elements are intertwined, as if one A stage play, but as a movie, the sense of rhythm is still too bad. The director cuts Tina's life into fragments, making her story fragmented in the movie, and it is difficult for the audience to resonate.
Another important issue is that the director wants to express too much and cares for one and loses the other. For example, the line of opposition between Tina and her elderly father was also added in the film. In several scenes, the force was too strong, which dilutes the most important conflict between Tina and Vore in the film, causing the audience to sometimes lose their heads. The director does not yet have the ability to control a long narrative, wasting an excellent idea.
In general, "Frontier" is still a very unique work this year, and it may not be successful in Cannes, but this bold way of presenting the survival crisis is still worthy of praise, and it is also a summary of this year's Cannes film. The dull atmosphere brought a different kind of bright color.
Phoenix net score: 6
At first glance, "Frontier" tells the story of a woman who has been ostracized all year round. It seems to be a typical fairy tale routine of the ugly duckling turning into a swan. However, the plot of "Frontier" unexpectedly embarked on the story of no one of us. In the place, he just completely transformed a fairy tale into an adult fable full of dark colors. Although many plots are strange and even a little bizarre, the director Abbasi can always use abundant and real character emotions to turn the plot that is almost derailed. Pull back on track.
—— Eric Kohn, "Indiewire"
Discovering the true self amidst many unspeakable difficulties, Ali Abbasi’s "Frontier" combines bizarre fairy tales, folklore, detective mission dramas, love tragedies, and existential dramas, and other genres and elements. It is an exciting and imaginative masterpiece.
——ALLAN HUNTER
The "Frontier", a mixed genre film of "International Screen", gives people the most direct feeling-thrilling beauty. Iranian director Abbasi merged supernatural folklore with modern social realism, and created this fable that explores the profound themes of tribalism, racism, and human exclusivity, and put it in every country in the world. It all possesses considerable epochal importance and insights.
—— Stephen Dalton, The Hollywood Reporter
This alternative thriller "Frontier" tells the story of a Swedish customs officer who has a unique ability to always accurately identify smuggled goods and faces the ultimate test of what is justice and what is evil. It presents a wonderful and full of wisdom to Cannes. Hodgepodge. It combines romance films, Nordic crime films, social realism films, and supernatural horror films into one, which is a bold challenge and subversion of the film genre.
——Alissa Simon, Variety Show
Text/Twenty-Two Island Owner
Original reading: Cannes Catch a Shadow④: A gimmicky and bizarre cognitive show in "Frontier"
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