Recently, a new movie "THE VANISHING" was released in the UK, also known as "KEEPERS" and "THE DEVIL TO PAY", which is generally translated as "The Tower Man" on the Internet. The official classifies it as a psychological thriller, which means that it pays more attention to digging into the inner world of the characters and expressing psychological conflicts. Only by grasping this point can we truly understand it.
The film is adapted from real events. Frannan Island is a small archipelago off the coast of Scotland, UK. It is located on the main local shipping route and has a lighthouse. In December 1900, after a storm, a passing ship found that the lighthouse's lights were not on at night. The next day people went to the island to inquire, but failed to find the three tower guards, but they mysteriously disappeared. The investigation by the relevant parties was unsuccessful and the case was quickly concluded, making it an unsolved mystery. The film made its own explanation for this.
The incident itself is a bit like a murder in a secret room, but also a bit like a ghost. It is indeed an excellent theme for the adaptation of the movie. The film captures some of these basic factors, and thus has a good start. However, it is not easy to tell the story well, and it is even more difficult to make a high-level movie. It can easily become a cliché such as extreme space challenging human nature, exposing human greed in front of gold, or a bloody case caused by a box of gold. After all, there are too many movies of this kind, and you must have something of your own to come up with new ideas.
A careful and in-depth analysis will reveal that this movie is very careful. While trying to reveal the truth of the incident, it also pays more attention to the inner changes of the characters, thus strengthening the tension of the narrative. The so-called tension is understood as the tension formed between the narrative elements. The greater the tension, the more intense the conflict, the more reasonable it is. The subtle relationship between the characters, the layers of contradictions and conflicts, and the long-lasting moral torture make this small production film full of tension, drama and taste.
Let's look at the character setting first. The old man is really "old", with old age, seniority, rich experience, calm and sophisticated, working for 25 years, waiting to retire. The big man values affection and righteousness and loyalty to his duties, but he is a bit too straightforward and gets a clear distinction between good and bad. Little bad guys are not really "bad", but mischievous, cynical, selfish and reckless. The three people combine old, middle and young, and their personalities are both contradictory and complementary, forming a balanced symbiotic relationship. If the island is a boat, the old man is the captain (he did do as captain), the big man is the first mate, and the little villain is of course the sailor, and no one can do without. The three people's character structure is stable and uncertain, which makes people feel that there must be some drama behind.
Let's look at contradictions and conflicts again. The old man, the big man, and the little villain each have a fragile nerve. For example, the old man deeply blames himself for losing his wife and children, the big man never forgets his wife and children on the mainland, and the little villain suffers from being looked down upon. These hidden emotions are the fuse hidden in the harmonious relationship in a peaceful life, and are the internal motivation of the conflicts and conflicts of the film or the development of the story. When the three are in peace, they can help each other lick their wounds and survive the short and tormenting time on the island, but once these factors are touched or even amplified, they will inevitably cause pain and have a chain reaction. In fact, it is the amplification and strengthening of these factors that make the characters take their own actions according to the corresponding logic.
Then look at the plot development. At first, the old man was confident and in control of the overall situation, but the development of the plot pushed him to the edge of the storm, making him almost a bystander, waiting to bear the weight of the final result. The big man had nothing to do with the world and devoted himself to work, but because he was contaminated with blood, he was sinking deeper and deeper into sin, so he chose to commit suicide by throwing himself into the sea. The little villain could have been a serious person with a proper job, but he insisted on going his own way and making mistakes again and again, leading the three of them on a path of no return. The more the old man works hard to maintain the relationship between the three, the sharper the contradiction between the big man and the little villain, and the more inevitable the conflict. When the three of them sat together for the last time, they were ready to reconcile themselves. With the death of the little villain, the relationship between the three fell apart.
The ending of the story is very brilliant. According to general understanding, the three mysterious disappearance, the possible circumstances are nothing more than being killed, fleeing, or even suicide. In either case, the preset goal can be achieved smoothly through reasonable plot settings. However, the ending of the film is open-ended, so that the theme of the film has been sublimated. The little bad guy swallowed his own evil fruit, died well enough, died without suspense and worthless. The big man redeemed himself, shining with the light of human nature, and died tragically, making people sigh with regret. The old man was embarrassed. He couldn't kill anyone he wanted to kill (none of the four people who died was his handwriting), he couldn't save anyone he wanted to save (little bad guy), and he had to help people commit suicide in desperation (the director was enough to abuse him). He finally chose to escape or commit suicide, which became a moral choice.
It is worth noting that the film is very symbolic and can be analyzed in different ways from multiple angles. Such as image analysis. The sea represents an unpredictable destiny, in which human beings cannot control their own future. The island represents the dark heart of mankind, and it is extremely hard and unfathomable. The church represents the faith of mankind, and it also means repentance and redemption. The lighthouse represents illusory hope, can guide the direction, and can be lost. Gold represents human greed and desire and is the oldest source of evil. Such as psychoanalysis. The old man is the superego. As an experienced person, he always has a clear judgment on the situation and consequences, and he is able to refuse temptation and adapt to changes. The big man is an ego, an ordinary person who bears social and family responsibilities, suffering from the heavy blows of mercury poisoning, wooden stick attacks, and manslaughter of children. And the little bad guy is the self, stupid and naive, willing to be tempted to get rich overnight, believe nothing, and don't care about anything. Such as conceptual analysis. The old man represents arrogance, the big man represents anger, and the little villain represents greed. The old man thought he could control everything with his authority and wisdom, but the situation was like a wild horse and lost control. The big man wanted to keep himself safe, but he couldn't help himself and became an unforgivable sinner. Not to mention the little bad guy, his possessiveness not only harmed himself, but also harmed others, and he was a pitiful, hateful and sad little character to death.
Movies bring people a lot of thinking. In addition to warning us to stay awake in the face of temptation, not to be greedy, paranoid and lose ourselves, it also tells us: in the sea of life, we must always be in awe of the law, morals and beliefs. exist. PS In 2016, there was a British film called "THE LIGHTHOUSE" (THE LIGHTHOUSE), which was adapted from another incident of the disappearance of a tower guard in the United Kingdom in 1801. It can be compared and analyzed. I believe there will be many interesting findings.
Another post: The Lighthouse (2019), a bit of surrealism. This subject looks really fragrant.
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