director is unknown, and the starring role is a complete newcomer. The story is completely talked about in the modern gay version of Romeo and Juliet on the street. It's hard to imagine that a pure love movie can still be famous in the gay film industry today, and it is even shortlisted for its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, which is a time-tested film.
The appeal of the story lies in the historical background of the Palestine-Israel conflict. The love of taboos in the hostile camp is already eye-catching. The Middle East is even more commendable. In the 21st century, you can still see the drama of Romeo and Juliet. At the beginning of the film, the protagonist seems to have passed through the long-lost military workers behind enemy lines, and heads to the gay bar by breaking through the blockade behind enemy lines. This weird but spliced opening with the reality familiar to the audience suddenly aroused the audience's appetite. In fact, watching the entire movie, the director did not make much discussion in the fields of race, religion, and politics, but rather carefully placed them in the story. However, taboo identities, racial blood feuds, and fateful love between lovers always produce the most wonderful chemical reactions. The story is based on the dramatic tension presented by the reality background. It is so moving, and it really corresponds to that sentence. "Fortunately for the country's unfortunate poets, it is easy to compose the vicissitudes of life."
The most impressive thing in the film is the male protagonist Nemo, a gentle, slightly melancholic Palestinian teenager who grew up in a traditional single-parent Palestinian family (the cause of his father’s death is not mentioned, but from his brother’s various performances) It seems that it is not difficult to speculate.) There is a kind mother, a lovely sister, and a harsh and rude brother with an unspeakable secret in his heart, and the dream of life is to leave here to study at an Ivy League university in the United States. All the scenes of the film are focused on him, on the one hand, the motherland of growth and nurturing, on the other hand, it is the uncontrollable nature. For the motherland, he is a shameless traitor who is wicked and willing to lick the Jewish cock; and for Tel Aviv, a big Israeli city that can accept his status as a comrade, he is a Palestinian with a deep shadow of a terrorist and a hostile race. people. The protagonist is caught between the righteousness of the nation and the will of the individual, desperate and dilemma. This tense rooted in real life gives the character a lot of space to broaden his depth. The vivid, delicate, and hierarchical modeling of the male protagonist adds too many points to the film! Nicolas Jacob, who plays the Palestine brother, is a straight man, and it was a coincidence that he was electrocuted for the first time in a movie. However, between his gestures, the natural fascination, amorous feelings and charms that exudes from his whole body, it makes people sigh that some people are really born with the ability to discharge on the big screen!
Of course, complimenting the first actor Nemo so exaggeratedly does not mean that our second actor Roy is inferior. It's just that compared to Nemo, who is more plump than the complex emotional line, his character is his role. Roy is a bit flat; compared to Nicolas Jacob's first electric shock, he was so amazing. Michael Aloni, who is a big star himself, is nothing but a loss. The role itself is a typical Jewish lawyer who is affectionate, capable, dedicated, and has no shortcomings. Although the grievances and entanglements between him and his parents are also reflected, they are more like the Western "growth troubles" that we have long been accustomed to. Compared with Nemo's side, it is too pediatric. The movie obviously didn't use too much power on him, but it was still impeccable in terms of the completion of the role.
Even the most ordinary story, once the right actor is found, the chemical reaction can make the whole story come alive again. The lively characters are invisible, adding more credibility to the story. What I particularly love is the quarrel between the two male protagonists after they first went to consult about the pass. Nemo and Roy quarreled anxiously and said, "I never thought about falling in love!", and then the Adam's apple. Promoting, he was at a loss, and could only stand with a blushing neck and a rough neck-as if the forced confession made him a little embarrassed. As a straight Arab man acting for the first time, the actor can inject so many and so rich emotional details into these subtle movements, it is simply admirable!
I still remember the scene of the climax swimming pool in the first half of the story. The camera was switched back and forth, while explaining the process of the two people coming to the pool, undressing, and swimming, while constantly cutting the conversation between the two people under the naked skin-you first Your love, your deepest dream; your family, and your homesickness. The two protagonists, under the background of a soundtrack that is almost as holy as a church choir, have their lips and teeth attached to each other, deep into the bone marrow, stroking each other's lonely soul...As for the embarrassing identity of the two being in a hostile camp and sharing common feuds, Roy said nonchalantly " But a dick is a dick!"-At that moment, the smile in his eyes and the corners of his mouth was as beautiful as a dream. It was at that moment that the two completely broke through all mundane obstacles and fetters, put down all external things, followed the cry from the deepest part of their hearts, and completed the perfect fusion on the level of soul.
In addition to working hard on the details of gay relationships, what makes the film unique is the depiction of the story background and the local special cultural environment. Between Nemo, a poor Palestinian teenager, and Roy, a Jewish barrister, there are mountains of religion, race, culture, politics, and the gap between the rich and the poor. Each one of them is enough for a movie to drink. Put on a whole pot. In order to prevent the main line of the movie from deviating seriously, the director first made a high degree of choice in the relationship between the two, and only explained the key plots, and safely handed over many details to the two protagonists with their rich details to complete; On the other hand, all kinds of contradictions are as comprehensive as possible, until the point is reached, once the summary is cut, they will be switched directly, and they will never be muddled. Therefore, many people have criticized that the depth of digging is not enough. Under all kinds of conflicts and entanglements, from the beginning, the two seemed to be walking a tightrope, carefully maintaining a delicate balance. Israel’s side is a little better, all aspects are westernized and enlightened, and the only shadow is the secret police running on the streets like a Gestapo; while on the Palestinian side, thousands of years of ancient traditions and strict beliefs weigh heavily on every citizen. , The harsh living environment and long-term war have pushed this conservative into paranoia. What was particularly impressive was the reaction after Nemo's family knew he was gay. Nemo's brother would do that. All viewers would not be surprised. What really shocked people was Nemo's mother. She was originally supportive of Nemo's study in Israel, but at this time she was absolutely merciless. Face, unquestionable abandonment, and completely treated as a scandal of the family-every complaint of Nemo’s mother against Nemo, about fornication, being kept by others, bringing shame to the family, every sentence is strict. All seem to be normal reasoning rooted in actual evidence, but it is completely opposite to the real situation-it is so tragic that it makes people faceless to face, as if the sordid accusations that are completely false but piercing come from the audience themselves That angry, narrow-minded, and unaware mother made people feel that even if she wanted to argue, she couldn't talk in the same dimension at all, full of a deep sense of powerlessness. ——I think of some areas where Green Religion is prevalent, a woman who loses her virginity will be stoned to death by her father and brothers. I really have to feel how extreme religion will corrode people’s hearts. . Poverty restricts people's vision, and hatred blinds people's eyes. Vulnerable peoples seem to be particularly prone to aggravate this kind of strong extreme reaction when facing a strong culture. They attribute everything good or bad to the devil's bait, and demonize all aspects of the opponent irrationally, and Stick to this nation, this faction is the oldest and purest
——In the movie, after the playful and cute little girl Pao Mustafa was killed, the two male protagonists cautiously crossed the street and came to the rooftop to cherish the memory of their loved ones with their friends. They drink in silence, they sing bravely. To their ethnic group, they are a group of shameless "back court" prostitutes who would have sex with the Israelis. Although there are no state secrets to betray them, it is still very pleasant to lynch them directly; but For them, their true colors are not recognized by their own ethnic group. The only place around where they can breathe freely is the enemy's camp. If they want to live according to their own will, they can only "surrender to the enemy and treason." This tragedy and fearless determination of the country and nostalgia can not help but remind people of Bai Xianyong's "Evil Son", the same group of children who wandered on the streets in the deepest and deepest night, and had nowhere to go. The East and the West, they understand each other, use the same imagery, to speak for these marginal figures who are not tolerated by the orthodox society, and present a tragic song of thorns and blood.
In the second half of the film, when the secret police begin to intervene in the protagonist's life, the rhythm changes abruptly. The whole story begins to enter the mode of escape. The film abandons the original multi-angle rendering of simple love under a complex cultural background, but instead brings together all previous conflicts and turns into a simple escape from Travis. As the plot speeded up, the audience began to tighten the idiots between "Ah, Nemo doesn't know how to use chopsticks, he is so cute!" and "Ah, Nemo looks so sexy in shorts and vest with frowning eyebrows!" For the heart, I pray that the director will be more humane, and don't give a BE ending just for the sake of his own blood. So everyone’s heart fell with each time Nemo’s despair, and with each time the barrister Roy’s gods descended, and kept seeing the ending arranged for us by the director-so many audiences began to beat their chests and feet again. What does it mean to struggle with this ending? ! Couldn't it give us a hint of brightness after such darkness...
But I want to say that facing such a heavy reality, there is really no more appropriate ending than now.
——Maybe I am too realistic. Even though I have been touched by the sparks between the two male protagonists countless times, I still feel that it is impossible for them to be truly together.
Love has always been praised as one of the greatest powers possessed by mankind. It can break through all secular barriers and communicate between two hearts that were originally out of reach. However, breaking through does not mean breaking down, and communication does not mean complete integration. The passion that bursts out for a moment will certainly produce a dazzling light, but as a mortal living in this world, there will always be too much helplessness in the daily life like flowing water. In the second half of the movie, with the ups and downs of the plot, I was struggling with the fateful couple while being moved by Roy's continuous dedication. I even keep imagining-if I were Roy, what would I do? Can I really make up my mind to abandon my family and career and follow Nemo to a foreign country as a refugee? Maybe in real life, people in similar scenes are more inclined to do everything they can to help Nemo smuggle out, but they choose to stay, right? After all, it is a too heavy choice to give up family, future, and everything you are familiar with... I really like the scene where the conflict between the two finally broke out. Nemo was upset in the face of the great changes that occurred at home, and Roy was also right. Nemo is always dissatisfied with the fact that he concealed the truth. The two lovers who grew up in a completely hostile social environment finally exposed a huge difference in their positions in response to the same incident like normal young people. What Roy saw was that a vicious terrorist group was destroyed, and his lover was inextricably linked with him, and his attitude was still ambiguous. What Nemo faced was that his homeland was destroyed on the one hand. On the other hand, his most beloved person is still asking why he sympathizes with terrorists. The light and darkness in a person's heart are always entangled in a ball, and the complex feelings of the loved ones are also right and wrong. You can't empathize with them, and it's hard to explain them in words. It is completely understandable that Nemo would suddenly burst out like a lion in that situation, but it cast a huge shadow on the relationship between the two. This kind of concept, emotional antagonism and conflict, as long as the two are still together, they will burst out because of a small incident—a piece of news on TV, or a conversation from a friend around him—as ghosts and ghosts. Nemo's proposal that the two of them fly far away is actually the most helpless and most realistic solution to the matter. But "What should Nora do after she leaves?" I can't help thinking of Mr. Lu Xun's short story "Sorrow for the Dead". Even if progressive young people successfully escape from the shackles of ethics and education and run away from home, what will happen to weak idealistic love under the pressure of strong social reality Deterioration, demise, and even death are not only a helpless mourning, but also a historical inevitability under realistic conditions.
Fortunately, we still have a movie. In the deep invisible night, a candlelight brings us a ray of light... In fact, the director’s explanation in the second half of the plot is very hierarchical: Roy was optimistic and confident at first I thought I was omnipotent; later I discovered that the matter was related to national security, which was far more complicated than I thought; then he was constantly surprised at Nemo's concealment of himself and hesitated about Nemo's suggestion to escape; until the conflict finally broke out , All the doubts and dissatisfaction that were temporarily suppressed by love erupted like magma; and finally calmed down and found that Nemo was indeed in danger, and decided to sacrifice himself to fulfill this love... His mind was constantly looking from the bright side. , Continue to dive into this endless night, learn to look at the problem from Nemo's standpoint, and use the final decision to complete the sublimation of personality. On the other hand, Nemo has been in a dangerous and awkward situation from beginning to end. He is well aware of his own severe situation, so he has shown a passive and pessimistic fatalistic attitude from beginning to end. The environment he was in was so dark and so dark that he kept fighting, resisting, and running, and he couldn't get rid of it a little bit! Finally, on that too beautiful rooftop, the two finally met again. Facing Roy's final decision, Nemo's eyes glowed like diamonds. He turned around and covered his face with his hands, as if his heart would pass from his chest otherwise. Jumped out; finally he finally put down all the disguise and protection on his body, frizzy threw himself into Roy's body to give him the most affectionate kiss, this scene is so tearful-because at that moment, we know that Ni Mo finally got the salvation he had dreamed of and had been searching for all his life. In this way, the film finally ended under the squeeze of these two clues-the real social pressure is doomed to have too many obstacles to overcome between the two of them, and this relationship is likely not to be cultivated; and at the same time, this Love is too beautiful, and the enthusiasm that bursts out at that moment is destined to become eternal.
The movie is over, but life will continue. The intolerance and even hatred of homosexuality in Palestine and the entire Green Religion are still widespread; and the confrontation between Palestine and Israel based on the historical background and living conditions, there is no possibility of any relaxation in the short term. Every nation, every country has its own Jerusalem. That holy city is made up of thousands of years of blood and tears of the nation, and it is full of scars of history. Everyone can't afford to lose in this, so they can only fight for a more favorable situation for themselves if they are doubly extreme and radical. But perhaps only by letting go of this heavy historical burden, facing the future, relying on rationality and tolerance, can we find a new path amidst the stubborn, blind and extreme stubbornness.
In the dark night, a few faint rays of light appeared; although it was endless darkness at this time, countless rays of light were slowly converging in the distant horizon. In order to allow more Nemo and Roy to stop wandering and suffering, and for the dawn of this kind to come as soon as possible, soothe the hearts of the suffering people, and lead the way forward, this may be the meaning of "Dark Light".
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