Humans have had many dreams, all from a good starting point.
For example, imagine a harmonious society where "everyone has a partner and every family is happy".
Very tempting to think about.
In the movie "The Lobster", in order to realize this grand dream, human beings started a plan to "save the single dog".
To this end, they started a hotel dedicated to accommodating singles. Whether it is a breakup, a widow, or a leftover male or female, all are registered and sent to the hotel.
Here, they will have 45 days to find a partner. The successful pairing can return to human society with the lover; while the pairing loser is miserable, he will be turned into an animal and exiled into the jungle.
" Either in pairs, or stay single forever. " is the rule of the world.
As a result, we see that on the streets of the city and in the rooms under the lights, there are always two people coming in and out, and no one is ever single.
Because lonely people are regarded as the shame of this world and imprisoned in hotels.
So what kind of hotel is imprisoning them?
In fact, it is not accurate to call it a hotel, in my opinion, it is more like a factory for "mass production of couples".
At this end of the conveyor belt, singles are placed, and after a series of tedious procedures, couples are finally output and returned to the society.
The losers are discarded as defective products.
This factory is running day and night, the surface is warm, but the machine is cold.
In order to achieve efficient production, the hotel has established a standardized process, and the essence of standardization is to "eliminate individuality", so that everyone "looks the same and has a dream".
The film shows us how the hotel works in a lot of detail, just like a vivid brainwashing class.
First, simplify standards to minimize administrative complexity.
For example: the hotel only provides full-size shoes, not half-size; at check-in, there are only heterosexual and gay options, no bisexuality; everyone dresses uniformly, men are old-fashioned black suits, women are floral suspenders skirt……
Everything is clear and no grey areas are allowed.
Then, create discipline that regulates the lives of all people.
The hotel stipulates that everyone should do the same things at the same time. Getting up, eating, chatting, dancing, sleeping...day after day, the same thing.
Such simple repetition is the most consuming of the mind. When your body does the same movements mechanically as everyone else, your heart is ready to obey.
Second, unify the mind and instill the only correct concept.
When it comes to influencing people's minds, entertainment is often the most effective. Therefore, the hotel will arrange for everyone to watch a stage play every day to show "the bad of being single and the good of two people".
For example, we see a woman walking on the street alone and being harassed by a strange man, and when she is with a male partner, the lewd man has to leave embarrassingly; also, when a man is dining alone, he may be Food choked to death, if there is a female companion to accompany, there will be no such danger...
Such absurd and funny plays are repeated day by day. Just like the slogan "only one is good", it only needs to be said a thousand times before it becomes the truth.
Again, establish enemies and enhance the cohesion of the single group.
The hotel regularly organizes everyone to enter the jungle with shotguns to hunt "lone travelers". The so-called solitary wanderers are those staunch "singleists".
And for every solitary hunter killed, the killer can add an extra day to finding a mate.
This logic is very similar to "beat the local tyrants and divide the land", which not only strikes the enemy, realizes "justice", but also makes money.
Finally, teach methods that provide shortcuts to your goals.
The single person's goal is to find a partner within 45 days and live a happy couple life.
So how do you find a partner?
The principle of pairing is simple: men and women only need to have one biological characteristic in common. For example: a lame leg, a head of hair, a congenital disease, a talent for singing...
No matter what, as long as they have it together, it is a symbol of "natural couple".
In so many ways, the hotel transforms every single person "from the outside in", so that they can only focus on finding a partner.
But is there still love here?
It's just a group of lonely people, trying to do everything possible to keep themselves from being abandoned by human society.
So we see: the lame boy John hits his nose against the wall every day in order to complete the match with the girl with nosebleed; we see the fat girl flirting with different men every day in order to find a partner as soon as possible; we see the male protagonist big In order to be with the cold-blooded girl, Wei had to hold back his tears even if the other party killed his brother...
What a cruel "love fairy tale" and what a ridiculous "natural couple" this is.
The most shocking scene in the film occurred in the confrontation between the leader of the solitary traveller and the husband and wife housekeeper of the hotel.
I saw the leader of the solitary wanderer kidnap the female housekeeper and asked the male housekeeper, "You and her, who is more suitable for living alone?"
The butler answered without hesitation, "I." Then he raised his gun and shot at his wife.
After the crisp sound of pulling the trigger, the air condensed instantly, and there was no bullet in the gun.
The leader of the solitary wanderer sneered and looked at the fragile couple in front of him with contempt.
And that empty shot completely dismantled the "hypocrisy of love".
Only the surviving male and female officials were left, staring at each other in fear.
At the end of the film, the male protagonist David escapes back to the outside world with his female companion. At this time, the female companion has been framed and blinded. David faces a choice, whether to pierce his eyes to satisfy the world's concerns. The definition of "natural couple".
In the end, the film ended in the girl's waiting. Whether David will return, no one knows.
This is indeed a dilemma. If the eyes are stabbed, it proves the firmness of love, but it also loses to the secular love standard, which proves the success of brainwashing.
If not stabbed, return safely and bravely be with her female companion. This seems to be a kind of resistance, but it also makes people suspect that this is just a choice of the lesser of two evils.
But I still hope he made a resistance, just like the lobster in the title, hard, tenacious, like new water and living water, good against the current.
Although we can change the direction of the tide, we have to give it a try.
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