The main character, Brandon, is a morbid character, a "sex addiction," as you might call his condition. McQueen fully uses the language of the lens to show the various behaviors of a sex-addicted man, frequent masturbation, calling prostitutes... (these are just fine to go to the movies), but in these sex scenes, there are some Vivid details (see the movie for details too) - it is through these details that Brandon becomes a normal person, a normal person. Even the slight act of opening the door to the old man makes me think Brandon is a good person.
Likes to use the body to make a fuss Steve McQueen raises a question that deserves attention, about the "shame" of sex - Shame.
In some of the comments I've seen, it's generally accepted that Brandon's sexual "shame" is linked to his sister Sissy. Sissy's life is a mess, and it should be considered a very low point in all aspects of life. The brother and sister have their own "problems", Sissy is dependent on Brandon like a "parasite", and Brandon is extremely conflicted with this dependence on Sissy. In the film, the brothers and sisters are naked in front of each other, which also illustrates the relationship between the two from one side, the most intimate and the most exclusive. Don't get me wrong, this is not an incest movie, although it is safe to assume that Brandon's feelings of despair and helplessness for Sissy, and even sexual fantasies about Sissy.
Putting Brandon and Sissy aside for the moment, the powerful shame about sex is probably not just a result of sexual fantasies. Shame, this is probably the perception that exists in human nature, just as Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit, they will have Shame in the face of each other. It's not just "sex addicts" who feel shame, this Shame prevents us from even talking about its existence. I think the great thing about McQueen is that he can make a fuss about the "body" with great fanfare, interpreting the emotions we are most incapable of facing, most unspoken, most eager and most feared, with a blues-like melody. .
However, movies are like novels. Most of the time, the director and the author are just telling and expressing, so that the audience can feel the things behind the camera and the language of words, and these things, lead us to nowhere, and you can never find an answer in it. When it comes to novels, Wang Xiaobo probably comes to mind involuntarily. Wang Er said simply that he was only thinking about the issue of "sex". This problem is too complex, the so-called "sham" is just one of them.
Writing here, I deeply found that the gap between me and McQueen and Xiaobo is not a little bit. There seems to be a lot to say, but I can't express it.
McQueen said, "Brandon could be each of us." After watching the movie twice, I agreed.
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