Mary, a single woman in her forties, is one example. Waiting for the right lover to appear. In the spring, she ignited hope and tried to change her mood and life by learning to drive and buying a car. But after the summer's temptation and the fall's blow, she finally saw that she had nothing in front of her sweetheart in the winter. Spring, summer, autumn and winter are reincarnated, happy people are always happy, and lonely people are still lonely.
"Another Year" directed by Mike Lee is a group play. Mary is the most sympathetic and the least lovable. (Perhaps the two positions are mutually causal.) She forced herself to cheer up, invigorating others with self-deprecation and optimism, and complaining and chattering after minor setbacks, letting herself not try. After a year of joys and sorrows, life took a willful turn and returned to the starting point. The only thing that has changed is that time has passed, and it looks older than the previous year.
It sounds cruel, but it's close to the truth. I am used to comfort myself with the phrase "going forward", thinking that there will always be other possibilities along the way, but where does this confidence come from? Zhang Dachun once said: "A pluralistic society has not yet come true, but the optimistic imagination and false expectations about pluralism have already taken root in most people's hearts, as if everyone can develop a rich life on their own." The fact is that moving forward , did not see any improvement.
What about the rest? Tom and Gerry, a middle-class couple, lead a peaceful life, going to a small vegetable garden to sow seeds in the spring and returning home with a box of melons and fruits in the fall. Their stable family is a safe haven for relatives and friends. They open the door to accept the frustrated and sad people, but they keep their distance carefully, just listening, not comforting.
A poor woman who is doing psychological counseling is at a loss in her own life. She can't think of when it will be the happiest moment in her life, but she asks "how to change the status quo" without thinking: change a life, start over .
There is also Ken, who is gradually entering his twilight years, crying with the strength of beer: his life is not commendable, his work is unsatisfactory, and there are a bunch of little kids who don't know the world. Seeing that my friends died one by one, I was left alone. Think about what is the meaning of life?
These trivial and delicate scenes depict almost all the problems that may be tangled in life. Mediocre work, difficult relationships, fragile lives, estranged family relationships, unconsolable friends... There are so many things that revolve around the word "loneliness". We are so afraid of loneliness, and repeatedly use literature and video to lay out, as if we can weave a fortress for ourselves by describing the coping of others, but in fact, we are just looking for a little consolation in the experiences of others.
In Oriental movies, of course Yasujiro Ozu is the best at this. Under the unmoving camera, the old couple slowly eat and drink, one wakes up slowly drinking a cup of tea, and the other packs clothes in an orderly manner, with vague smiles on their faces. They walked with assistance, or sat at the water's edge, contemplating, for a long time in silence, and occasionally exchanged, also one said: "The weather is good." The other smiled and nodded: "Yes." In
detail, these lines and Behind the behavior, there is a strong sense of sadness, as if constantly sighing softly: "Lonely." Because the daughter married and the son left, the life of the old couple became more and more monotonous and stable. No matter how we move forward, we cannot solve this problem.
"Another Year" is the same. A year has passed and all the problems have not been resolved. Mery continued to wait anxiously, Ken continued to complain about the young man, and the old woman was still oppressed by the burden of life... Because there was no solution, she was even more speechless. What about speaking out?
In the domestic movie "Guanyin Mountain" that was staged not long ago, the middle-aged mother played by Zhang Aijia said: "Loneliness is not forever, being together is forever." This wish is considered a good thing, but the truth is the opposite.
This is not to be pessimistic, but to try to understand the essence of life. It is a comfort to know that no matter how far you go, those who should love, hate, wait, and bear will remain the same. And treat every moment with heart, get up in the morning and make coffee seriously, and walk home in the sunset in the evening, maybe it is more peaceful than with false expectations.
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