In "Miyang", which was released four years later, Li Cangdong once again told a story about the tragedy of fate with the solemn and meticulous lens language. The film shows the consistent strong tension in his work and his control over the narrative structure in attempts to innovate and break through.
In the films previously directed by Li Cangdong, narrative variations have always been talked about by film critics. Whether it's "Mint" or "Oasis", it was a traditional linear narrative at first, and then turned into a rigorous flashback, which gave his film a rich, full, vertical and horizontal layering in structure. However, in "Miyang", he gave up this familiar structural language. The film keeps moving linearly from beginning to end, without interruption, no flashbacks, and no flashbacks. However, he is driven by a woman's mentality because of the impetus. A potential domino-like circular narrative structure is clearly visible, and Li Cangdong calmly conceals his examination of the protagonist's fate on this level.
On the surface, this is a tragic story caused by the impermanence and accidents of fate. 33-year-old Shin Ai took her son to Miryang, the hometown of her deceased husband, and started a new life. She opened a small piano school, sent her son to the kindergarten, and tried to be friends with neighbors. Everything seemed to be fine. Heralds a good start. However, one day, her son Jun was suddenly kidnapped and killed, and her life fell into the abyss once again. Under the guidance of the faithful and neighbors, she believed in God and obtained temporary relief. However, when she decided to forgive the murderer who killed her son, she found that the murderer had been forgiven because she also believed in God. She was in extreme anger. The revenge against God began.
In fact, the root of the tragedy is the heroine's stubborn efforts to stand up against the failure of fate. The scenes of daily life may seem inadvertent, but in fact they are intertwined and become a key factor to promote and guide the direction of the story. The gossip of the female clothing shop owner in the barber shop seemed like a basin of cold water poured on her head, making Shen Ai who was immersed in the beautiful longing shivered. It turned out that in the eyes of others, she was just a nervous and problematic woman. This woman who was struggling to escape from despair, in order to integrate into the mainstream of this small town, told a little lie. It was just a little lie unintentionally. On the one hand, she immediately helped her gain the affirmation of her identity and status in this little town. She is independent, full, successful, and glorious. Who wouldn't accept such a person? On the other hand, just when she thought that she had cleared the obstacles for her new life, and sang songs with her new friends and enjoyed the release that had been depressed for a long time, the lie brought about the kidnapping and death of her son.
In essence, Shen Ai is not a strong woman, kind-hearted, weak, knowing that her husband had an affair, still deceived herself to maintain her love for her husband, gave up her youth, dreams, and broke contact with her father for this love. When her husband passed away one day, her fate suddenly became very thin and empty. She is also stubborn and stubborn, stubbornly holding on to her love for her husband and son, and she wants to live on her own by relying on this love. It's just that this kind of expectation is like the sky and the sun overexposed at the beginning of the scene, there is something disturbing concealed-she has been walking on the edge of despair, but she is trying to stay away and go deep into the heart of a warm and peaceful life. She concealed her weakness with her powerful appearance, and in the end, she would inevitably endure the tragedy caused by this unfortunate vanity. The death of her son made Shen Ai's salvation instantly lose its support, and her way of salvation lost its direction. She also completely lost the ability to reflect on and contemplate herself. She was at a loss, licking the wound again and again in the shadow, exiled herself in despair, and howled.
In extreme pain, Shin Ai converted to a religion that had been suspected and rejected before. This is essentially an act of embracing the Buddha's feet. She didn't step into the faith step by step, but made a violent move and fled into the temple of God in a hurry to gain inner sanctuary. "The happiness like falling in love with God", Shin-Ae's knowledge of religion itself hides a huge crisis-love is such a worldly, impermanent, dangerous, and unreliable thing. In an overly intense love, everything seems to be shining unreal, and it brings surreal happiness in dizziness. She found a moment of stability in her love with God, but to her, faith seemed to be an analgesic for her. While driving, she saw her enemy’s daughter being bullied on the roadside and then left indifferently. This time, she realized that the anxiety and pain of her soul was because she had not truly forgiven the murderer of her son in her heart. And the most thorough way of relief is to muster the courage to express your forgiveness to your face.
A weak and kind character determines that she has always been in a very weak position in the face of the cruelty of fate. The stubbornness and perseverance of the character does nothing but deepen one's pain step by step. A disadvantaged person needs a sense of superiority to gain the strength to transcend pain. She had fabricated a lie before because of this psychological motive. At this time, she still needs to forgive the other person personally to gain a sense of superiority, whether it is out of moral superiority or she has forgiven this person from the heart. Crime, this is the only way for her to get rid of pain. However, God preempted her to forgive this man. God’s role in this scene should have belonged to her. He made a person who should have been full of guilt in his heart full of glory, but he kept himself in great pain and haze. The God who favors and protects himself is in such a huge The gap fell to pieces in an instant. At this time, Shin Ai's despair culminated in the film.
When people are completely desperate, there will be an irrational force to retaliate, destroy or destroy. In this process, she has been in a state of nervousness and confusion. At the end of the film, after experiencing revenge and madness, she calmed down, walked into the barber shop, wanted to clean herself, but encountered the enemy's daughter. The girl did not do well, dropped out of school and entered the juvenile correctional institution. Shen Ai's attempt to restore peace was suddenly pushed into a sharp contradiction that she wanted to sympathize but couldn't forgive. She ran away.
Shen Ai, who was entangled and uneasy, passed by the clothing store she had given advice to. The female boss was full of joy and gratitude, just like the bright sunshine in a newly decorated clothing store, she shining unobstructed into the devastation of Shen Ai's heart. She gave a long-lost smile. After returning home, Shin Ai picked up the mirror and saw herself in the mirror. This was the first time she looked at herself seriously in the film. It turned out that the kindness that I had unintentionally conveyed had already illuminated others unknowingly.
This is an ending where warmth and coldness coexist. Those warm and humble existences in life, like the ordinary Zongcan who has been faithfully guarding her, always emit a faint light where people can't see it. But this light is too weak to penetrate the barriers and prejudices between people, just like he has never been able to change the trajectory of her destiny, but with compassion in his eyes watched her fall into the abyss again and again, and then take her again. Salvaged ashore in one go. Until one day, the dim light of Miryang penetrated into the corner of reality, and the domino fell where it started. It's just that at this time, everything is completely different and irretrievable. (Five-section mang/text)
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