If you were to make a modern love story in New York in 2019, what would it be about?
Considering the current concerns of mainstream society and the various political correctness imposed on the media, I guess these stories will have the exquisite cafes that are common in urban life, the confrontation with mental illness, the sudden rainy day, the same-sex couple. , AI dating and other fantasy elements.
Sure enough, Amazon's new drama "Modern Love", which aired this month, tells such a story.
The entire season of "Modern Love" consists of eight episodes of short dramas, each episode is an independent story of about 30 minutes, short and delicate. Thanks to the starring stars like Anne Hathaway and Andrew Scott, the show has attracted a lot of attention from the start.
After the domestic resources came out a few days ago, two voices quickly appeared on the Internet. Some people say that it is too warm and too sweet, and this drama completely reveals the essence of love in modern society; some people say that the quality of the eight episodes is uneven, bland and cliché, and it is suspected of over-beautifying love and lacking new ideas.
Yesterday afternoon, after I hurriedly watched this drama with my baby at home, I immediately understood the reason why netizens were arguing. Light... It's really light, with a small and fresh filter, the plot is too idealized and romanticized, the director tries to convey an emotion and a belief, and replaces the traditional romantic comedy with an implicit discussion of what love is. fancy. This is probably the style that director John Carney has always preferred, with the shadow of his past works "Once" and "Begin again".
The literary quality of "Modern Love" is worth talking about here.
Just like "London Life/Fleabag" is based on a drama and is full of dramatic conflict, "Modern Love" is adapted from the New York Times's Modern Love story column, so even if the present presentation is a TV series, it is still difficult to cover up its textual narrative. style shadow.
The New York Times' Modern Love column, which has been running for nearly 15 years, is full of touching real-life stories, made up of contributions from Times reporters and readers. It is about the wonderful fetters and connections between people in the city, small yet warm, shallow interlacing, but enough to comfort a tired soul and give you infinite courage and inspiration for life. . It's Way More Than Love explores the various gestures of love and the spiritual redemption of self.
I think that's why Modern Love struck me. Because there are eight true stories shared by the parties, no matter how fantastic the plot is, how isolated the background is, and how special the characters are, there are always so many real and full details displayed, filling the characters and Alienation among the audience. Those tears, despair, and reluctance to give up are not hypocritical at all, but empathize with them, adding an understanding of other people's world and imagination of the many possibilities of love.
I love the way the creative team has taken care of all the words and language that comes out of this show. For example, the theme of each episode follows the original title of the column and presents it in a conspicuous length, like reading a short story:
Episode 1: When the Doorman Is Your Main Man
Episode 2: When Cupid Is a Prying Journalist
Episode 3: Take Me as I Am, Whoever I Am
Episode 4: Rallying to Keep the Game Alive
Episode 5: At the Hospital, an Interlude of Clarity
Episode 6: So He Looked Like Dad. It Was Just Dinner, Right?
Episode 7: DJ's Homeless Mommy
Episode 8: The Race Grows Sweeter Near Its Final Lap
Just the title can trigger countless reverie, let us guess, in the bustling metropolis of New York, what adventures men and women in love experience.
I also like the monologues of characters that appear a lot in the play. These delicate and concise sentences are the most meaningful words extracted by the protagonist when he looks back at these love stories.
My favorite episode 2, where the female reporter and her old lover reunite after many years. Many years ago, the man lost contact with the girl for many years because he lost the girl's phone. When the boys reappeared with the tokens of the year, they found that they still loved each other deeply after many years. But the two did not choose to abandon their existing family and regain their old love. They just walked, chatted, hugged until dawn on a park bench, and finally ended this brief reunion with a kiss.
Accompanied by the slow piano soundtrack, the female reporter and the old lover in the picture are walking on the street like young people, talking in the bar, embracing on the bench... At this time, the female reporter's monologue sounded like a prose poem, summarizing According to her inner feelings at the moment:
"Sometimes you will find that the ultimate true love in life has many meanings, not just bringing new life into the world, or romantic love, soul mates, or even life mates. The love we had in the past, the unfulfilled, unfinished Tried, lost love, to those who choose to settle down, seems so innocent and so naive, yet it is in fact the purest and most dedicated existence."
There is also the story of the last episode, Margot's reminiscence monologue to his deceased lover Kenji at the funeral, and his heartfelt farewell speech, which gives us a better understanding of the sweetness and challenges of Twilight Love:
"Sorry for not having a bigger wedding reception, I thought there were plenty of opportunities. Kenji wasn't so sure, I remember him saying once: At our age, 'until death does us part' is nothing. big commitment.
Twilight Love is different and could be more realistic. By the time we met him, we had gone through many ups and downs in life, and we had learned to compromise. We survived losses and failures, so we felt that even if the relationship failed, we would have survived. But after Kenji left, I don't think so anymore.
Twilight love is the same as any other love. Kenji and I did everything a young man would do, we fell in love, traveled, renovated the house together... Party nights together, I just had to glance at him from afar and he knew it was time to take me home. We could sit on the edge of the bathtub, flossing our teeth and chatting about the gossip of the night. Every time we passed each other at home, he would deliberately stop to kiss me, or rub my shoulders, touch my hands. It was an experience I had never felt before, and at times it even bothered me a bit. But now, I think that's what I miss the most. "
The beautiful lines, along with the soft soundtrack and warm pictures, "Modern Love" touches the softest part of our hearts with this literary narrative.
It is obviously inappropriate to watch such a slow-paced love drama from the perspective of pursuing dramatic conflict. Just as many netizens associate "Modern Love" with an autumn afternoon, I also think it is suitable for a gloomy autumn like the end of October. You can wrap up a blanket at home, turn on the TV screen or computer, pour a cup of hot tea, calm down and watch alone. You may gain moving tears, a lonely resonance, or more confidence in your feelings in these eight short stories.
Finally, since this is the music column, let's end with the music.
As mentioned above, director John Carney is a person who has made many music films and has a good taste in music, so there is naturally a lot of good music in this show. In the soundtrack of the whole play, after roughly sorting out, we can get several released old love songs, several unreleased new pop songs, several classical music works, several jazz performances and several ancient operas.
I have compiled a "Modern Love" original soundtrack playlist on QQ Music, which includes the soundtracks and episodes that can be found in this drama so far. You can scan the code to listen to it first.
Several new songs not included - including the opening song ("Setting Sail" by Gary Clark and John Carney), the second episode of a female reporter and an old lover reminiscing ("Circus" by Nerina Pallot), etc. Gao's works, if the resources are released later, I will include them in.
You can start listening to these songs I recommend:
1. Goldfrapp's "Clowns (Live From Air Studios)" appeared about 24 minutes into the first season, with Maggie and the newborn coming home
2. Appeared in episode 7 of Django Reinhardt's "September Song", featuring jazz-style instruments
3. The background music in the trailer of Cat Power's "What the world needs now", a light and sweet pop song
4. Yo-Yo Ma's "Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BMV 1009: Bourree I" appeared in the sixth episode, classical music played in the handsome uncle's office
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