【Regulations and Accidents】
Before watching the film, I saw a film commenting: This film explores the relationship between "norm" and "accident".
The McCann family symbolizes "norm", whether it is preparing travel step by step like a travel manual, or organizing kitchen supplies in alphabetical order, and other details can be seen; while brother-in-law and Miao Li symbolize a kind of "accident", unexpectedly Encounter and live freely in an enclave.
The film begins with the contents of the travel manual, which also runs through the whole film, mobilizing the atmosphere at different moments, but the whole film is McCann, the travel manual writer constantly turning his back on his written experience and seeking an "unexpected" life. the process of.
【Images and Symbols】
At the beginning of the film, the "dog" barked outsiders and bit his owner, McCann, etc. It actually symbolized McCann's own inner knot: losing his son, leaving his wife. And what Miao Li did at this time was not only to tame the dog, but also to help McCann solve his inner confinement.
[The last ten minutes of the film are extremely connotative]
1. Through the mouth of his wife Sarah, the choice of the marriage life between the younger sister and the brother-in-law was given: the brother-in-law moved to the younger sister’s house so that it was convenient for the younger sister to take care of the two older brothers. On the one hand, it is the reconciliation and fusion of "norms" and "accidents". On the other hand, it also comes from the brother-in-law's active pursuit and change of life.
2. Sarah asked McCann if she fell in love with Miao Li because of her child. McCann gave a negative answer! Because he already knew clearly at this time that the irreconcilable contradictions and imprisonment between himself and his wife Sarah, as well as the connection between himself and Sarah, all came from his dead son. So we can see that in the end, the director arranged for McCann to throw away the suitcase, abandon the "norm", and formally say goodbye with the "son" (the French boy next to the taxi), and then McCann really got rid of the self. Of bondage.
3. A good life requires active pursuit, and active pursuit will be taken care of by God's will. After McCann's active pursuit, life also gave him good luck: McCann was on the rental car and happened to meet Miaoli who was about to leave the hotel.
[Return or lay down]
Finally, back to the title. If you pay attention to the role of wife Sarah, you will find that her experience is actually very similar to that of the heroine Binoche in the film "Blue". Sarah initially wanted to gain real life and freedom by letting go of everything around, but found that the fun of life lies in the trivial things like "going to the hardware store"; just as when Binoche in "Blue" could patiently watch the party When the sugar is soaked in the details of the coffee, she can be regarded as the real relief and enlightenment. Sarah's "return" approach may not mean that she misses the lives of her old husband and wife, but that she misses the details of those lives.
But our male protagonist is the opposite. He takes a line of "letting go" of the past and rediscovering the self in order to welcome his new life. Finally abandoned his wife, son, and travel bag, and chose Miao Li.
Obviously, the director prefers the latter.
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