Oedipus and the gaze

Donna 2022-03-19 09:01:02

Regarding drama, meta-film, and philosophy, a post-modern hybrid is based on the ancient Greek tragedy Oedipus. Wu Daxiu actually sounds the same as Oedipus, and Li Youzhen is actually the sun god who told Oedipus his fate. Wu and his daughter, Li and sister, are a pair of Electra and Oedipus. The old boy almost perfectly fits the poetic description of the tragedy: the protagonist is not a wicked person, but he caused negligence due to his own weakness (inadvertently informs) and eventually leads to catastrophe (Negligence Theory), and his personal fate is doomed by God (Li Youzhen in the film) , The character tries to figure out his own destiny (Wu is not for revenge but to figure out the reason), but fate cannot escape, and finds-Suddenly, that is, the character’s behavior is opposite to the result. Wu goes to expose Li, but learns his girlfriend’s life experience. Wu cut his tongue like Oedipus blinded his own eyes. In the end, the audience was frightened and frightened by the God of Destiny. On the one hand, he showed sympathy and compassion for the character's encounter, and the audience's feelings were purified and vented.

Ingeniously, the film is endowed with reflections on film media and modern philosophical issues. Park Chan-wook was born in philosophy and said that he was deeply influenced by "Rear Window", and the movie is also based on the audience's gaze on the screen world. The audience's pleasure in watching movies may also come from the pleasure of peeking. His movie is also based on peeping as the motif. The story starts with Wu peeping on Li. The rendezvous between Li and his sister is also based on watching (lifting the skirt and saying I want to watch and take pictures), and it is also used when my sister jumps into the river. Taking a photo with a camera, Li also imprisoned Wu for peeping. Wu's only way of entertainment and cognition in prison was to watch (TV), but it was a low-level and superficial look. After Wu escaped from prison, Li continued to monitor him. His every move invaded his most intimate emotional life and even sex.

In Lacan's view, gaze refers to being viewed in all directions. Given to been seen, people use their eyes (seeing) to shield the surrounding gaze (being seen), and people construct their consciousness and subjectivity through seeing. People often realize that they are watching, but they don't realize that they are showing off to others. In the film, Wu spends his life by watching (TV) and also constructs his personality by watching TV (his monologue: TV is my teacher, friend, lover), this kind of viewing is undoubtedly of low quality (female singer’s) Singing can't even make him masturbate), and even the landscape paintings on the fake windows are extremely low-quality-false hope. And he is being watched (gazing) all the time while in confinement-this has even become the meaning of his existence. He lives to make people stare, even the horrible abstract paintings on the walls are staring at him all the time. After escaping from prison, Wu touched the real world for the first time. Raindrops, living people, and lovers actually entered Li's careful planning. After Wu enjoys sex, they are completely lethargic, become naked flesh, and become irresistible and objectified. Wu has been relying on his meticulous search and quite active actions to finally find the truth about Li's imprisonment. He also fell into his trap under Li's ubiquitous surveillance, and finally fell into the abyss. He is willing to do everything to keep his daughter away from the truth. ——The truth he searched hard on the contrary turned into a weapon to strangle him. In the end, he also chose to let the monster (the truth) die and stay with his daughter ignorantly.

Foucault explained the power issue through his research on prisons. The gaze of the high class on the low class in the film is like the epitome of the "ring open prison" in modern society. People are under surveillance by the state machinery or high class at all times. They are in high positions. On the watchtower, we can't see him. He can see us. In the film, Li Youzhen is a dude of the upper class. He lives on the top of a skyscraper and regards concentrating as fun. This also happens to correspond to the class contradiction in South Korea, which is in line with the aesthetic taste of the audience.

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Extended Reading
  • Larue 2022-03-24 09:01:06

    The first Park Chan-wook I saw when I was 14 years old, I couldn't calm down after watching it for a long time.

  • Kenton 2021-10-20 18:59:18

    Many students recommend watching the old boy. Maybe because of too much expectation, after reading it, I feel that the shots, scene replacement, and soundtrack are all excellent, textbook mode. . . . . . Then, the story, can only be said, is too unsubstitutable. It might be better on the big screen. The script is too thin. It is better than STOCKER. .

Oldboy quotes

  • Dae-su Oh: The TV is both a clock and a calendar. It's your school, your home, your church, your friend...

    [Dae-su masturbates to a pop star onscreen]

    Dae-su Oh: ... and your lover. But... my lover's song is too short.

  • Dae-su Oh: Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone.