On the night of 10.14, after watching "Wonder Wheel", my friend and I walked out of the theater. Standing on the streets of New York on Saturday night, there is a lot of traffic. In the windy cool autumn, the air is mixed with a bleak and dry breath, and there are sporadic noisy voice-overs. Everyone is still talking about the dream Woody Allen created for us just now. It is said that a movie is a dream, rooted in our subconscious, for us to touch and balance the world, for us to fulfill those deep aspirations for us, or for our subconscious to roar to the hideous reality. Obviously, Wonder Wheel is the latter. It was a calm and powerful roar, with a hint of sarcasm and banter.
Over the years, whether it's "Wonder Wheel" or "Café Society", I found that Woody Allen has gradually become less "Woody Allen". He is no longer the clumsy, funny, rambling and nonsense young gangster in "Fool in Prison", "Fool's Brain Science City" and "Annie Hall". He supported the hands of the two leading actors, white-haired and determined, and began to talk about the serious philosophy of life and the flavors of life he had tasted. Those devastated plots, but he talked and laughed in such an understatement.
There are stories that we experience with tears and end with a smile. Woody Allen is such a master, immortal.
Woody Allen mentioned in his "Conversation" that Kate Winslet (the heroine of "Titanic" and "The Reader") has always been an actress he admires, and has always hoped to be able to work with such a good and beautiful actress. Actor collaboration. So this time, we ushered in the "Ferris Wheel". And this time, neither Kate nor Woody Allen let us down.
(Severe spoilers below)
Synopsis: In the 1950s, there was a resort on the beach on Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. Coney Island Beach is crowded with people on weekends. Ferris wheels, roller coasters, and carousels in theme parks are fun for the little ones; gunshots, bars, restaurants, umbrellas, and sunscreen are the holidays for adults. Under the Ferris wheel of Coney Island, there is a restructured family living in poverty: Kate plays the second married woman Ginny, Jack Gore plays the father Humpty, Ginny and his ex-husband's youngest son Richie. Juno Temple plays Carolina, the daughter of Humpty and his ex-wife, who defected to her father Humpty in order to escape from her husband. Coincidentally, the stepmother Ginny and stepdaughter Carolina fell in love with Mickey (Justin Timberlake), a lifeguard at Coney Island Beach at the same time.
The interesting thing is that, similar to last year's "Coffee Commune", "Coffee Commune" is about a boy Bobbi and his uncle Phil falling in love with the same woman. And in the same way, after one party (Bobbi, Ginny) found out that the other party (Uncle Phil, stepdaughter Carolina) and they were in love with the same person, they both began to try their best to conceal and prevent the other party from communicating with their beloved. Such a cover-up, from the viewer's point of view, is really full of humor and strong irony. That's how Woody Allen loves to make fun of his protagonists, but maybe that's a joke God made on you and me too.
We are in the pursuit of loving and being loved all our lives, but it is not a simple absolute proposition. You spend all your energy to love someone, but you may not be able to get the same emotional response from the other person. Even sometimes, you love yourself more than anyone else. So there is no way to reject anyone or decide who to stay with. Ginny and Carolina are both the former who are desperate to love, and Mickey the latter. In the movie, Ginny's child, Richie, loves to light fires. He likes to watch the blazing flames and find peace and comfort in the flames. His chaotic heart comes from not being able to get the true love and care of his stepfather, and his mother Ginny's helplessness to life. Pain, school teachers and friends are not welcome; and as an adult, Mickey also likes to "play with fire", he likes to play with fire between different beloved women. He likes the mature but charming Ginny, and he also misses the young and beautiful Carolina. He hurt Carolina and drove Ginny crazy. They all play with fire, they can't be cured, they're both pathetic and pathetic. At the end of the film, Richie, who was forced to see a psychiatrist, still sets fires everywhere, but even so, he still can't get the company and attention of his mother, and he can't get the real father's love. Mickey's playing with fire also made him lose forever his true love, Carolina. Behind every evil villain, there must be a story of sadness and tears.
But Woody Allen will never use the standard to tell you what kind of love model is correct and should be blessed. He will only show you in his own way. There are many kinds of love in the world. What you can't see or not used to, doesn't mean it doesn't exist, and it doesn't mean it doesn't have the meaning that it should exist. Life is a play, how to play it, everyone has their own way of living. None of us are the commanding heights of morality, nor are we qualified to laugh at others' love or outlook on life. He taught us to laugh at the world and be optimistic.
In "Wonder Wheel", Woody Allen once again ridiculed the authors who escaped the world in the movie, ridiculed NYU as a student at New York University (he was expelled from NYU), and ridiculed the romantic young people who had nothing to do in the fifties. , ridiculed all those who are intoxicated in love, etc. In fact, behind the camera and the story, he molested his own life. Woody Allen, who was born in Coney Island, Brooklyn, is not the first to mention Coney Island's memories. In his classic romance "Annie Hall", he joked that he was a child who grew up under a roller coaster, a Jewish family who was often excluded or ridiculed, and a naughty little boy as a child (as in the film Ginny's son Richie), who was also a suave, witty young man (like Mickey), maybe Kate's Ginny, who is crazy about love and is forced to struggle by life, was also Woody Allen himself. state, or the state that someone he once loved deeply had.
I have to say here that Kate's acting skills are really consummate. Her acting is the backbone of the whole story. She, who played Rose in "Titanic", has the power of "willing to give her life for love" in her eyes. And Ginny is such a woman, but Ginny is a more complex social figure. She aspires to be graceful and luxurious, and has always mentioned her "brilliant and decent" past to her children, but because of her livelihood, she has to enter the dilapidated restaurant with plates and tips. She wasn't particularly happy, but she wasn't too miserable either. She has a husband who loves her and a lovely child, but she is not satisfied with the status quo. She longed for a body that was compatible with her soul and could read her mind and desires. The encounter with Mikey became what she thought was a lifesaver. She clings to it tightly, and does not hesitate to steal her husband's private money for this, just to buy an expensive birthday present for Mickey. Self-defeatingly, the expensive birthday present and the betrayal of her husband brought tens of thousands of burdens to Mickey, and Ginny fell into a state of madness and out of control. Kate's control of Ginny's emotions is particularly accurate. She has done a very good job when she should take it and let it go. She is a well-deserved actress.
With the passionate emotions of the characters one after another, the hearts of the audience are also moved by the plot and performance. Although Boss Jia's voice-over is used as the narration at the beginning of the film, it is not boring and abrupt at all. The storyline quickly entered the development of the event, mobilizing the audience's attention, allowing people to follow the emotional expression of the characters throughout the process, without the slightest distraction. Both the acting and the plot are very captivating.
In addition, I have to say that there is another wonderful thing about this film, that is, its light and shadow processing. On the night of Ginny's birthday, Ginny with a headache went back to the dark room and rested on the bed. Carolina walks in to talk to Ginny about her love for Mickey and for Ginny's advice. In this dialogue between Ginny and Carolina, the film counters with strong red and blue neon lights. This reminds me of last year's big hit "LaLaLand", when Gossling and Sister Stone returned to their residence, while having dinner, the dark green neon light stroked their respective sides The face, while the other half of the face, was hidden in the darkness and could not be seen clearly. This is also very similar to the light in the romantic poem "Amelie". But the dark neon light of "Wonder Wheel" and "LaLaLand", in addition to showing beauty, also revealed some unknown darkness and despair. After a romantic storm, Mickey and Carolina, who were hiding in the car, saw raindrops on the window glass, and the evening sun shone on their faces, golden and warm.
Woody Allen is really good at telling stories. He only used such simple space scenes to tell such a story vividly and interestingly, which makes people unforgettable after watching it. His greatness is not just the greatness of the plot as you can see. He brought the symbolic places, characters, customs, etc. of the last century into the 21st century. He let us witness all kinds of the past, and he rejoiced and cherished with us. He brings joy and thinking to us, and keeps the madness and pain to himself. He is a philosophical giant in the film industry, a comedian in life, an artist and a psychopath.
He came after the last "Wonder Wheel" screening at nine o'clock. He was supported by Boss Jia and Kate respectively. He was full of silver hair and stood beside the curtain. He thanked everyone who came to see the premiere, as well as everyone who worked at the 55th New York Film Festival. He said, "Without you guys, we can not make this happen. Thank you all. Without you guys, we wouldn't be able to make this wonderful movie." After that, I burst into tears. How I don't want to watch him grow old, he is still that funny old man with nonsensical vitality in my heart.
If the world is without you, we will never know the joy and meaning of life.
The world, thank you, the best Woody Allen.
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