First of all, if I want to analyze the relationship between flesh and spirit through this film, I absolutely cannot do it. The topic is so philosophical that I don't even know how the film echoes it.
For me, except for the heroine hurting herself at the end and some bloody scenes in the slaughterhouse, the overall look and feel of the film is still very pleasant. It's not heavy at all, and it's even comical. For example, the personnel director and his wife, the only communication between the two should be to pick up the children after get off work to buy groceries. It's also warm, like that twist and turn ending. At that time, my heart was really in my throat, the music was cut off, and the heroine was disappointed and painful, but I didn't stop what I was doing. Then the phone rang, and there was a glimmer of hope. After the connection, the male protagonist said a few words without saying a few words, which was really anxious. When the phone was about to hang up, and all thoughts were about to be lost, fortunately he said "I love you so much", and the heroine responded "I love you so much", and I love you so much across the screen!
The part where the female lead tells the male lead to buy a mobile phone is also quite interesting. Obviously, the lines were all pre-prepared by the heroine, so that when the actual time was not very appropriate, she still said the lines "You came early". When she said "I think you are beautiful", she guessed the male lead's response, but she didn't have the courage to continue "acting". It feels very real here. Some things will develop in the direction we expect, but some will not. The reality is always much harder than imagined. Also, I think the male lead is pretty cool. Especially the smile on his face after they exchanged dreams through letters. Like a shy little boy. The heroine's expression is also very good, happy but restrained, which is the kind of happiness that comes from the heart.
I also like the part where the "sweeping monk" grandma taught the heroine to seduce men. The straightforwardness of the old man and the closeness of the heroine are just the right contrast. And the heroine bought such an indescribable plush toy in order to get familiar with the feeling of physical contact with people, which is really very joyful. The part where she stroked herself through it was too delicate. And when I went to the park to watch someone make out, I kept wondering why the girl who opened her eyes didn't yell "Psycho". But she was lying flat on the grass, and the part where she got wet was beautiful and enjoyable.
The above are some intuitive feelings. Let's talk about the thinking that led to it.
Since it is called "Flesh and Spirit", let's talk about it separately.
The "spirit" part obviously came from the dreams of the two. The director is too thoughtful to make up such a plot. Regarding this surreal or supernatural part, in fact, the heroine also checked with her psychiatrist, but she did not get a scientific explanation. I myself feel that this is impossible in real life. However, it is also not good. If it weren't for the farce of stealing "mating fans", or the "perverted" problem of a female psychiatrist who looked horny, who would share their dreams with whom?
But what is the dream really trying to express? There are two deer, one male and one female, and there is no special intimate behavior. Is there any symbolic meaning? Writing this, I have to praise the acting skills of the two deer, which are particularly aura. The surrounding environment is sometimes lush and lush, and sometimes it is snowy. Does it indicate the mood of the two people? Did their real-life situations also in turn affect their dreams? Later, I re-read all the fragments describing the dream, and they are as follows:
1. At the beginning of the film, on the snow, the stag was approaching the female and sniffed at her. The doe ducked. Then the movie starts, the sun comes out, and the cow, the heroine, the sweeping old lady and the hero are all bathing in sunlight.
2. About 11 minutes, the night after the first meeting in the cafeteria. In the green woods, the stag spotted the female and looked at each other. (It seems to be a bit close to the daytime scene)
3. Around 23 minutes, the two had a dream that night after talking about the beef rating at work. It's still snow, two deer snuggling together, close-up shot, you can see a deer's belly undulating as it breathes. (Did they have some feelings for each other after this conversation? But maybe they didn't notice it in reality, but reflected it in their dreams.)
4. Around 27 minutes, in the snow, two deer foraged together, heard a sound, and saw Xuecong falling from a branch, drinking water together. After that, because of the incident of stealing the mating powder, the psychiatrist intervened, and the two discovered the secret of having the same dream.
Around 5.45 minutes, in the snow, two deer face each other across the pond. (How should the two get along with each other is also a wait-and-see attitude?) Then at noon the next day, the woman took the initiative to sit opposite the man and asked him what he had dreamed about. The master said nothing. The mistress walked away. In the afternoon, the male protagonist asked the female protagonist again about what he had dreamed about, and the female protagonist said she was too. If the male protagonist does not believe it, the female protagonist leaves. 6. Around 49 minutes, the green forest, the female deer is running, and the stag is chasing. After waking up the next day, the heroine basked in the sun. After going to work, the two exchanged this dream by writing it down. (The male protagonist takes the initiative to ask the female protagonist to exchange dreams)
7. The dream was not shown, but the man asked why the woman ran and got angry? The female protagonist shook her head, and before she could reply, she was interrupted by Sando who came to molest, and the male protagonist left angrily. (The heroine is a little afraid of the hero's initiative?) Later, the man went to the woman's office to find her for coffee and asked her for a phone number.
8. Around 55 minutes, the reflection of the water in the pond only saw the female deer. She looked around, but couldn't find the male deer (the female protagonist felt that the male protagonist was angry because of Sando and not giving her phone number. She was very angry. Sorry, I want to find a male protagonist).
9. The female protagonist bought a mobile phone and agreed to sleep with the male protagonist. The specific dream was not shown, and the male protagonist at the dinner table said, "Last night was so beautiful."
10. Around 91 minutes, the male protagonist knocked over the dinner when he had dinner, deflated the air cushion that night in frustration, and ate dinner alone, with a very sad face. The heroine is feeling mashed potatoes. The stag ran in the snow, and the female never appeared. Did he keep looking, or did he want to escape completely? (The male protagonist feels that it is too tiring to continue, and he wants to let go). The next day he saw workers watching the female lead petting the cow.
11. Ending: Just snow and a pond, no deer. (Neither of them dreamed, because in reality they were already together, and the spirit and the flesh were perfectly combined)
I'm really bad at dream interpretation. . . Let's talk about the "meat" part. In fact, there is not much that unfolds between the male and female protagonists. Except for the unity of the soul and flesh at the end, it feels like there is really nothing. On the contrary, between the personnel director and her wife, the meat part should be more reflected. The part where he asked the male protagonist if he slept with his wife was also super funny. I started to wonder why the male protagonist didn't deny it outright, but rather vaguely. Looking back, in order to meet his physical needs, he still found another woman, which makes me guess that he and the wife of the personnel director should have really had a relationship. The HR director's speculation is not true at all. Of course, he finds another woman, and I think it has something to do with him thinking that the heroine rejected him. The new Sando, in the words of the male protagonist, is "the rooster in the hen's nest", and is also a representative of male hormones. Although he did not directly express his connection with any woman, I think there must be. His existence is entirely to make the male protagonist jealous, inferior, and shameless. But the male protagonist will not be as despicable as the personnel director, and apologized to him after finding out the facts. I find this very warm as well.
The "meat" part can also be understood as the physical defects of the male and female protagonists. The male protagonist is physically disabled and tends to age, so he has also undergone many psychological changes, such as gradually losing confidence in himself, because he is afraid of being rejected, so he will not devote too much to his relationship. The heroine may be more of a psychological problem, which in turn affects the physiology. Because they are too sensitive and autistic, they are not used to physical contact with people, and they are not good at communicating with people.
Let's talk about the slaughterhouse. I don't understand why the film is based on such a location. I think this is probably the reason why I didn't understand the relationship between flesh and spirit that the film wanted to express. This venue should be related to the theme of "meat", certainly not the processed beef. In one detail, the male protagonist asked the new employees who came to report if they had any sympathy for the animals here. If not, it will be tough to work here. There is no particular understanding of the meaning of these words. Guess it's because what they're doing is taking the lives of other creatures, so there must be a sense of apology and gratitude.
I would also like to talk about female psychiatrists. In fact, these are the first parts I wrote down in the whole text. When I watched it for the second time, I had a little idea about the relationship between the police and the female psychiatrist. The police asking the boss for steak is an obvious form of blackmail. Later, I gradually realized that arranging for the intervention of a psychiatrist is not really necessary for work. It is very likely that she is one of his buddies, and he is just soliciting business for her. That's it. Because the boss asked the question of "who pays the fee". As for the evaluation results given by the psychiatrist, I was skeptical at the earliest. Why can even the fingerprints be collected, and there is no clever criminal method, shouldn't the result be given by the police? Instead, need a psychiatrist to evaluate the results? Although she gave the correct result, I can also fully understand that the police colluded with her.
Look at her question again. I think normal people will feel offended just like the male protagonist, right? When I watched it for the first time, I felt that I used the analysis of Freudian dreams or something. When I watched it the second time, I felt like I was being played. Of course I know that without a female psychiatrist, the secrets or connections between the male and female protagonists cannot be discovered. But there is a feeling that the director wants to let this secret be revealed through a very absurd and ironic arrangement. Of course, this is also my personal guess, in fact, not very sure.
There is another detail in the film, that is, on two occasions the heroine looked in through the glass at the entrance of the cafeteria, and the shaking of the door caused the shadow of her face to appear and disappear on the glass. What is being expressed here? Is it for courage? Because she and him can only meet at this time? For the first time, after she went in, she was next to the two big men who were chatting, the male lead and the HR director were having dinner together. The second time, she was ready and made a request to sleep with the male protagonist, but she was rejected.
Although I wrote a lot, I didn't have the courage to read it myself. . .
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