According to the "Bible", Leviathan is a monster created by God, like a dragon and a snake, and is the embodiment of jealousy. It swims freely in the sea, and the waves go against it. It breathed fire from its mouth, smoke from its nose, sharp teeth, and a strong armor. It has a ruthless personality and is ruthless and easy to kill. It roams the waves in search of prey, making the surrounding creatures change the color of it.
This film has some very typical characteristics of American horror films, such as the detachment of the police (in order to distinguish it from the crime-solving film), the isolated living environment (creating a terrifying atmosphere and isolated scenes), the closed character relationship (communication despair) and horror atmospheres are mostly constructed with audiovisual elements, etc. Under the combined effect of these characteristics, the protagonists of horror films often seem to be cursed, falling into despair from which they cannot escape. And her/his horror experience seems to be a hopeless fate, and it is this deliberately created "sense of fate" that ensures the empathy effect of the audience during the viewing process, not just because of the bloody pictures. Feel nauseated .
However, it is precisely because these horror elements only exist in form rather than in-depth dramas that American horror films will never reach the influence of Japanese and Korean horror films on the audience, which often makes people feel like they are just scratching their heads. In order to be terrifying and terrifying, it is necessary to add some scenes and music that make up mysteries and have no practical use, especially at the beginning of this film. Close-ups of bloody photos keep jumping and cutting, dark environments, heroines alone in the middle of the night, ethereal soundtracks, text messages that break the silence, when you thought Jesse would open the bag and see a severed palm, it turned out to be just a rose . This panting-style horror package shakes out as a token of love. It appears repeatedly in this film, constantly forcing the audience to express the emotion of "you're fucking teasing me".
Although on the surface, everything in this film is bugs, everything is unreasonable, and everything is nondescript, but in fact, after thinking about it carefully, I found that although the changes to the ending of the American version make people physically uncomfortable, but In fact, it is in line with the characters and the rules of the play. Roman and Dazhen are different people, and Roman and Jesse's feelings are also completely different from Dazhen and Enshu's feelings, and this tragic ending is also an inevitable result of the characters' personalities. It's just the changes in these characters' personalities that are dazzling. Covered up by the useless gimmicks, lightly escaped the eyes of the audience.
"Do you want one?"
"No, you know I promised Ryan's."
The first (office) and second (home) scenes of the film introduce the relationship between Jesse and Roman, but do not give any substantive information. Roman was sentenced for hurting others, and Jesse was his lawyer. Immediately afterwards, we found out that Roman was the younger brother of Jesse's husband, but the relationship between the two did not seem to be very good.
On the ferry on the rainy night, Ryan and Jesse staged a sweet and greasy newlywed couple's love scene. There is one detail worth noting, when Ryan and Jesse smiled at each other across the street, Ryan had just stepped down the steps, a speeding box truck passed by, with Jesse's surprised expression, you thought Ryan was going to be killed. , which turned out to be just a hilarious gimmick. This seemingly foreshadowing detail is also one of the elements that creates a sense of fate.
The fourth scene is the only scene in the whole film in which three people confront each other. It is a pity that in this precious performance of three people on the same stage, the real actors are only Roman and Jesse, who know each other well. Roman's monologue at the end reveals that Ryan actually knew Roman's feelings for Jesse. In this scene, if some clues can be revealed through the conversation between Ryan and Roman, it will be more convincing in the plot, and there will be more reasons for Roman's departure.
"If I listened to him, I wouldn't have failed like this, and the two of you will never know each other." Roman said a total of two lines involving the history of the three people, this is the first line. At the beginning of the film, Jesse is checking Roman's case file. The document states that he was sentenced on February 14, 2005 for hurting others, and he was imprisoned for 60 days and suspended for 3 years. Then Jesse's phone screen told us that today is November 16, 2007. The paper marriage is the one-year anniversary. It turns out that Roman was sentenced to act impulsively because he did not follow the advice of his brother. He first met Jesse, who is his lawyer, and this was the connection between Ryan and Jesse. And Roman, who fell in love with Jesse earlier than his brother, has always regretted his wrong impulse.
Although the director put Roman's files at the title and presented them with close-ups, but because of the effect of music and lighting, the audience ignored his true intentions. This kind of diametrically opposed mistakes are all pitched in the film, too many to enumerate.
Roman kept provoking his brother with his actions and words, but Ryan smiled and didn't respond. After Ryan left, Roman became more and more brave and asked Jesse if he wanted to smoke. Jesse refused decisively - "You know I promised Ryan." It can be seen that Jesse used to smoke, but because Ryan quit, Maybe Jesse and Roman once smoked and talked and laughed together, but now she, and the past, and the possibility of Roman, have all quit. After the car accident, Jesse finally agrees to take Roman home. Jesse smokes another cigarette while waiting outside the hospital. At this time, she and Roman seem to have come to a new beginning. Roman became a gentle and kind person, Jesse returned to the days without Ryan, and it was only a matter of time before she accepted Roman.
"Which one is my husband?"
Throughout the film, what the director wants to express is actually: Roman is jealous and regrets that he has contributed to Ryan and Jesse's love, he has been watching them secretly, and hopes to start over once The opportunity that came, to his life, to his love. Although the film is told from Jesse's point of view, the real protagonist should be Roman. Part of the reason for the choice of narrative perspective is the need to hide some clues and create an atmosphere of suspense.
Jesse's fate was doomed from the moment she met Roman. Roman is a violent and neurotic person who has a desperate love for her that cannot be repaid, but the one who grabbed Jesse was his brother who was very tolerant and caring to him. . This innate violent neurosis and long-term jealousy work together, and even if it wasn't for an accidental car accident, one day Roman would kill Ryan and carry out his own plan. The US version adapted the car accident in the original version into a collision between two brothers. It can even be said that Roman, who was crazy retrograde in the fog, caused the car accident. In order to prevent Roman from leaving the state during the probation period, Ryan went from a certain To a certain extent, it was also killed by Roman.
Jesse never fell in love with Roman, or even trusted him in the slightest. Roman overhears the conversation between Jesse and Ryan wanting him to leave, and decides to quit himself, but Jesse says he's playing tricks. After the car accident, Jesse only cared about Ryan's safety and looked after his brother because "Ryan wouldn't want me to kick him out". After losing Ryan, Jesse was at the most vulnerable moment when she was on the verge of collapse. On the one hand, she blamed herself, and on the other hand, she longed for someone to accompany her. At this time, Roman could take advantage of the situation. Even though Jesse accepted Roman on her second wedding anniversary, she still called out Ryan's name during sex.
When Roman's ex-girlfriend came to find Roman's theory, she shattered the statue, Jesse's reaction; Jesse was suspicious of the necklace after hearing the words of the obstetrician and gynecologist, and resisted when facing Roman; after the police came to question, Jesse Lifting the tarpaulin from the truck; she checked the previous Roman record again, which showed that she always had doubts in her heart. It's not real love, she just needs a "Ryan" by her side.
This need is determined on the one hand by her weak and selfish character, on the other hand, because she is in the trauma of a great change and desperately needs a kind of comfort. What she needs is not a person who loves her, but "Ryan". At the same time, through the conversation between Jesse and her best friend, it can be found that she believes that she caused the situation today. So she accepted Roman. On the one hand, it was a physical, stressful behavior from the survival instinct - like a drowning person seeing driftwood; on the other hand, Roman's "return" seemed to give her a fresh start The opportunity gives her a chance to "atone for her sins", become a better wife, and make up for her inner guilt.
At the end of the film, what Jesse said while sitting by Ryan's bed echoed her mentality. She reiterated her desire to "start a new life, have new hope, and be a good wife". This declaration It seems to be a summary of the last time she deceived herself to accept Roman and killed Roman. But she seemed to have forgotten that what supported her this time was the strength of a mother - but the child in her womb was Roman's.
"People can change."
"Change is also a choice, right? Roman."
Violence and bloodlust seem to have been etched in Roman's bones, as opposed to the gentle Ryan, which also seems to foreshadow that he and Jesse are destined to have no future: Jesse loves Ryan's tenderness, and ruthless Roman's tyranny.
Roman had no feelings for his ex-girlfriend Casey, and immediately slapped her away. After the car accident, Casey said to Jesse in the ward, "You are so nice, just like Roman said." Roman even made no secret of his admiration for Jesse in front of Casey, all his tenderness was given to Jesse, and all his cruelty was given to Casey. From the very beginning, Kathy discovered that these were just dramas written and directed by Roman. She questioned Roman with the content of the conversation between the two. She did not arouse Roman's sympathy, but only drew out his murderous intention. When Roman discovers that Casey's existence may threaten his happy life, his deep-rooted cruelty is awakened, killing Casey and destroying his body.
Jesse's tragedy seems to be pushed forward by an irreversible torrent, while Roman's tragedy is completely the tragedy of his character, he cannot get the woman he loves, he is imprisoned for violently hurting others, he chooses to pretend to be his brother after a car accident, He kills Kathy, and even after being discovered by the hostess, he might have killed Jesse had it not been for Jesse to stick a screwdriver into his artery. The tyrannical character and the catalysis of jealousy seem to hide the monster Leviathan in the sea, but the gushing flame devours the world and himself.
Another change that is different from the Korean version is that Roman was able to make a perfect imitation by peeking at Ryan's love letter to Jesse, not from his long-term observation. It can be seen that Roman did not want to change his character at all, he just possessed Jesse in this way. The two people seem to be happy and loving, but in fact they are just fake love, which is different from the real love between Dazhen and Enshu in the Korean version. Jesse, who has always loved Ryan deeply and regards Roman as Ryan's substitute, will never be moved by Roman's love once he finds out the truth of the matter - in fact, can this feeling be called love? It's more like being driven by innate original sin.
When Roman found his plan revealed, he said a monologue: "It's interesting isn't it, love, stronger than us, will always find a way to survive. Once you get it, you can never let it go. I'm afraid this is torturing Roman Because I think he loves you and he thinks I stole you from him - just because he saw you first. So he's been putting up with it, staring at us, torturing himself. I can't Blame him, the two of us are so lucky."
Before the last sentence, Roman looked at himself in the mirror, but Ryan's face was reflected. On the one hand, he has hypnotized himself into Ryan, on the other hand, these words may be the director's words to express Ryan's thoughts through Roman's mouth. Indeed, this passage makes sense whether it comes from Roman's or Ryan's mouth. And the last sentence is completely Roman's voice. I can't blame anyone. We are too lucky to be here today, and luck is not infallible.
His brows and eyes were smiling, and his articulation sounded like honey, but his words were all deceptive, and only the action of wiping the sharp knife in his hand was the true reflection of his heart.
It can be said that the adaptation of a romance film into a horror film in the American version was completely decided at the stage of script creation. The characters’ actions fully conform to the characters’ characters, and the history is also very clear, and it plays a certain supplement and influence to the plot. The changes in the ending are also in line with the characters. The audience's sense of discomfort is partly due to the preconceivedness of the Korean version, and they do not realize the impact of changes in characters' personalities on the plot. On the other hand, the shortcomings of the script itself and the problems in the director's handling also make the originally logical plot become Not so smooth and reasonable. If another version of the ending were to be used, the characters would undoubtedly be inconsistent, and a completely different approach would have to be taken from the middle of the film, around 50 minutes, when Roman and Jesse discussed whether to dismantle Ryan's machine in the hospital corridor. Even so, the many details and foreshadowing in front of it can not help but make people feel uncomfortable.
A good script must conform to the rules of scripting, but a script that conforms to the rules of scripting is not necessarily a good script. The name of the Korean version of poisoning also perfectly echoes the theme. Dazhen and Eun-sook are both poisoned by love, and the two are able to continue the play. The Korean version of the script also conveys more themes than the plot itself, which is moving. But the plot and themes of the American version have nothing to do with the title at all. The director searched the search engine for the poisoned clips that Jesse had inserted in the middle in order to get to the point. Intentional, but incomprehensible. Such superfluous little details abound in the film, and it is precisely because of these blunt treatments that an otherwise reasonable script becomes puzzling and unacceptable.
In fact, this is a horror movie, but we have to see it as a romance movie.
As said in the short comment, Li Peisi is really not suitable for this role, because as long as he leisurely leans on the pillar and smiles at you, the plot is completely unreasonable. No way, Romain is topless and wearing baggy and dirty overalls, but his butt is still upturned; the sun draws a halo on his hairy head, and he pats your head with a smile that is brighter than the sun Said, I never realized that you were so short; he sat helplessly and helplessly on your bed, and told you pitifully that if I didn't sleep with me tonight, I would die; when he was dying, he frowned with tears in his eyes. Looking at you affectionately. Even when he was insane, he gently wiped the sharp knife in his hand, and what ran into his mind was just the strange sentence "Death under the peony flower, it is also romantic to be a ghost". In contrast to Pepe's perfect acting, the heroine's stylized expressions with huge eye bags and fine lines on the corners of her mouth are always perfunctory, which makes me think this ending is pretty good too.
On the anniversary day, the rain was raging outside, the car was ambiguous and warm, Jesse's hand stroked his perfect face, and the golden light enveloped him like a gentle Michael, even if the next second he opened his eyes and turned into a Leviathan, even if he It was not the land of moonrise that took me, but the land of cruelty. All I can say is that I am willing to say three words.
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