This is a series of tragedies of discrimination, exclusion, persecution, abuse, exploitation and violation. Although I knew beforehand that it would be dark, I didn't expect it to be so dark and uncomfortable throughout the whole process.
The film depicts several types of people living in that era with multiple relatively independent stories:
Marta (the little boy's aunt) - Jews who believed in Judaism were a minority in the European Christian world at that time, and were bullied everywhere, so they could only live independently from the crowd. Just like the mink that appeared at the beginning of the film, after the sudden death of my aunt, she was burned down by a fire, as if she had experienced the torture of serving pagans.
Olga (Witch Doctor) - those ignorant villagers who still practise pagan religions because they live in remote villages, they crowd out the gypsies who come here, thinking they are the incarnation of the devil and bring misfortune. The little boy was sold to a local witch doctor, and he was buried in the ground with only one head being pecked by a crow.
Miller (miller) - representing ordinary people who believed in Catholicism at that time, resolutely spurned his wife's derailment, so she often abused her domestically. A mating of a domestic cat became the fuse, revealing his suspicion of his wife's infidelity, and then gouging out the eyes of the male servant.
Lekh & Ludmila (bird catchers and sluts) - represent some marginalized people who live far away from the crowd. They do not believe in any religion and are not bound by any morality. Therefore, they drink heavily, fight wildly, instigate drinking, and seduce teenagers. Despised and excluded by the mainstream concept. In the end, the slut ended up being beaten to death by the crowd, just like the smeared bird was put back into the flock and then besieged to death by the flock of birds; and as an atheist, without the support of the soul, the spirit of facing the tragedy is even more difficult Vulnerable, eventually the bird catcher was overwhelmed and chose to hang himself.
Hans (German officer) - The Soviet Red Army that the little boy met was afraid of hiding Jews and turned him over to German soldiers, and then the German officer he faced was not interested in killing innocents and let the little boy go. They represent the complex elements of the collective. There is no such thing as black and white. Not all the Soviet Red Army can implement the positive aspects of the Bolshevik beliefs, and also not all Nazi soldiers agree with and implement the genocide policy of the Führer. There is an episode where a little boy tries to save a horse with a broken leg. The end result is that the villagers use other horses to strangle to death, which coincides with the fact that at that time Poland was caught between the European powers and could only be slaughtered. blame.
Priest & Garbos (Priests and Pedophiles) - A young boy is caught in town by the Nazis who found him, rescued by a priest to become a church boy, but unfortunately entrusted to a pedophile Temporarily adopted, sexually assaulted and abused. He represents the majority of the silent and evil people under Nazi rule, maintaining the hypocrisy on the surface but keeping the inner darkness. The little boy was hanged and attacked by wolf dogs, a metaphor for the spontaneous persecution of Jews by the people under Nazi rule.
Labina (Girl) - The little boy was taken in by the old man and the young girl. However, after the death of the old man, the fully developed girl's sexual desire could not be released, and the young boy who was not fully developed was coerced to have a relationship with herself, and because of the lack of satisfaction, she was in a young age. Bestiality with a goat in front of the boy to humiliate him. She also represents a marginal figure who lives far away from the crowd, repeatedly breaking through the moral bottom line and allowing herself to be dominated by desire. The meaning of goat in Greek mythology is the lustful god Pan, and it is also the image of the devil in Catholicism, because human beings are trapped in the original sin of lust.
Mitka (Soviet Soldier) - The little boy was brought back to the barracks by a sniper affiliated with the Soviet Army, changed into the uniform of a Soviet soldier, and was instilled with the idea that Stalin was the only one. He represented the cult of personality that spread within the Soviet Army,
At the same time was taught tit for tat and was given a pistol. Since then, the little boy's eyes and heart have changed, and he has learned to shoot revenge on those who released unprovoked malice.
Nikodem & Joska (the little boy's father and little boy) - the father and the little boy finally reunited and set foot on the road home, but the two have experienced everything like hell on earth, and the reunion at this time has no reunion. Joy to speak of. My father asked, "Do you remember your name?" Because it was impossible to survive in that era with a Jewish name, which was the extreme of stigma. The film ends with a bird flying alone in the air, like the situation of all the Jews of that era, isolated and displaced.
In that chaotic and oppressive era, people let their inner evil and barbarism grow, morality and law fell apart and became desolate in the conflict, and the world was infinitely close to hell. Out of unknown and prejudice, groups expel and persecute dissidents. Suspicion and jealousy out of nothing bring hatred and attacks. Differences in ideology and moral standards bring conflicts, contradictions and divisions. The contempt of life, the laissez-faire of desire, the physical and psychological exploitation and humiliation of the weak by the strong—human beings who have lost order will inevitably return from civilization to barbarism.
In this dark environment, almost no one can remain pure inside, and children are no exception - even more dark sides than adults, rape, field warfare, bestiality, lynching, massacre, maiming, all of them Happened continuously because of the arrival of the little boy. Of course there are also flashes of light, but due to the depraved nature of human beings, they are still far less miserable than darkness. At first, the little boy became the smeared bird among the birds just because of his appearance, but after experiencing a series of tragedies, he who had endured silently gradually realized human nature, and at the same time learned the law of survival in troubled times—— Self-preservation, selfishness, struggle, fight back.
After reading it, my biggest impression is: I used to believe in talent and wisdom, but now I believe that kindness rather than intelligence is the highest quality of human beings.
The film is adapted from the original book of the same name, so it refers to the chapter-style design of the novel. Although the stories of different themes are naturally separated to facilitate understanding and summary, it also produces emotional separation to a certain extent. Exhausted emotions re-enter the next door. The film is nearly 3 hours long, and although it consists of 9 chapters, it still feels a little procrastinating. The entire film has very little dialogue and uses black and white tones, which can be described as a model of Eastern European boring films. There was no surprise at the end, but to be honest, after so many emotional preparations, the little boy would not be surprised if he killed his father. The arc of the little boy as the protagonist is not full enough, and the character design can be more three-dimensional. After experiencing all this, it should produce a greater psychological impact and change. The excellence lies in the well-designed details. For example, metaphors of related animals are implanted in many stories, which is a good experience for audiences who understand the history of Eastern Europe during World War II; At the same time, the plot does not lose the beauty of viewing.
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