Recently, Kim Min-hee and Hong Sang-soo's headshots at the Berlin Film Festival brought this controversial young couple back into the public eye. Three years ago, when Jin Minxi won the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival, she showed her love on stage generously, letting the whole world know the fact that they were in love. A few years later, the love is still the same, except for the white hair added by Director Hong, there seems to be no sign that there is any problem with their cooperation, and this year they also won the Best Director Award at the Berlin Film Festival (finally).
Not in Berlin, the new film has to wait, so I couldn't help but look back. Three years ago, they fell in love so intensely that they wanted the whole world to witness the work of their love, "On the Beach at Night Alone".
The whole story is roughly divided into three parts, Hamburg, Germany, Gangneung, South Korea, and the seaside. The three-stage style is presented in a progressive way. In the film, the director's emotion for this relationship, from repression to acceptance, compared with the relationship between the two of them in reality, is more like this desperate love. leave traces of love.
Section 1: Hamburg, Germany
The heroine went to Germany alone to find a friend. The presentation of the movie is very simple. A lot of dialogues make the characters in the most ordinary and relaxed state. The director shows the audience a woman who has no confidence in her feelings. things, but he was still insatiable.
Kneeling down and kissing the land at the bridge head is like a break from the past and a prayer for the future. The heroine hopes to live to do things according to her own wishes. This idea is simple to say, but it is actually difficult. As the movie discusses, we love as we want, but if it can't be recognized by most people, is it okay for me to keep on loving?
She has never been confident that the person she loves will come to Germany to see him. Although he has determined the time of his arrival, she will ask her friend, "Do you think he will come?" Mood, repressed again and again .
When I got to the beach, I drew the image of my beloved on the beach, and the conversation with my friend seemed casual, but in fact it was telling the truth... For example, the heroine said to her friend, "I have dated a lot (handsome guys)". Kim Min-hee has dated all the top handsome men in Korea (Zhao In-sung, etc.), and the person the heroine said she likes is married and has children, and is a little bald... Corresponding to Hong Sang-soo's actual marital status and her slightly broken hair...
These dialogues corresponding to the reality copy, after a knowing smile, were suddenly interrupted by the sentence "I really miss that person, will he be like me, miss me?" This kind of deep love but cannot be together, can only miss the loneliness in the distance, the director's understanding must be deep enough, so that Jin Minxi can say words that make others feel distressed in the light-hearted chat.
What we see in this part of the movie is that the director did not go to Germany to see her. However, in the last scene of the first paragraph, the heroine is taken away by the man in black, which may be a hint that although "I" did not see you, I have always been silently guarding you . According to this understanding, the encounter between the man in black and the heroine several times in Germany should be what the director wanted to see in his heart, but he couldn't come to see him, so he had to imagine a clone to protect you for me.
The second section of Gangneung, South Korea
The heroine returned to the seaside city in South Korea, met friends and had a dinner party. At the dinner party, the heroine discussed "qualification to love and be loved". What determines our qualifications to love others or be loved? Because at this time, if you fall in love with someone who has already entered into an emotional contract with others, are you not qualified to talk about your feelings?
The conversation of a group of people gradually faded. When the heroine and her friend went out to smoke, the director borrowed the mouths of two male friends to read "the poem on the wall". In the absence of Kim Min-hee (the heroine) at the dinner table, she expressed her heartfelt voice, being in an incoherent relationship, the entanglement and longing of wanting to see but not being able to meet, "need to put aside / put aside the love that binds people / coolly Abandon the full of thoughts / can’t see the face / stomped my feet in a hurry / met the face / but the pain is even more heart-wrenching / forget it without any reluctance / let it go casually”.
The supporting actors feel sorry for the heroine's dialogue, and feel sorry for her to bear the criticism and pressure alone, just because she fell in love with someone, why should she bear so much blame? On the other hand, does the director feel sorry for Kim Min-hee's performance? Cleverly borrowed the language in the story to convey his love.
The third paragraph of the dream on the beach
Finally, one day in her spare time, the heroine fell asleep on the beach and met the director's staff again. With everyone's pulling, she met her beloved "director" at the dinner table again. When we met again, he was not in a hurry to say anything. Instead, the "director" first asked him to pick up a book to be given to the heroine. Emotions always rise first and then rise. At the beginning, everyone chatted casually, and then slowly their emotions erupted and questioned each other. The "director" picked up the book and read Chekov's words, "Everything that hinders our love is unnecessary." . This is probably the deepest confession from Director Hong Sang-soo, love is the most simple, face your own desires and emotions, and love passionately when there is still a desire for love.
The three-part story is actually a gradual process of director Hong Sangxiu's own feelings, from the repressed emotions, lack of self-confidence and helplessness when he was in Germany at first; to the frankness of his feelings, all the thoughts and reluctance in the second paragraph; In the last paragraph, I express myself with a dream, hoping to love bravely and have no regrets. From depression, to distress and honesty, to finally showing love and loving each other bravely, this is a complete mental journey.
The setting of the final dream is not so much an artistic expression, I am more inclined to be the director's compromise to the mainstream values. Although his heart is very firm in this love, even if it is an unrelated love, it is still a fiery true love, but how can the world understand and accept the love between them? It is only through the cover-up of a dream that the audience can return to reality at the end and continue to believe in what you believe in. Whether it is supporting true love invincible or sticking to monogamy, you can find your own balance in this ending.
They all say we can't love each other, but, who cares?
Come to Pinpin, the taste of love.
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