1984 movie. De Niro and Streep play the male and female protagonists. Both of them are my favorite actors. The story is about Frank and Molly who met several times by chance and developed feelings for each other. After some twists and turns, they overcame a lot of resistance and finally came together.
The plot is simple and a bit clichéd. The same story has been played a lot in many books and movies. In the past, the stories of extramarital affairs were usually caused by depression, loneliness, etc. caused by the disharmony between husband and wife. There was no sustenance for emotions, so it was natural for Hong Xing to go out. Also rather tacky. In this film, Frank and Jasmine each had a warm and harmonious family and stable jobs before they cheated on each other. Frank and Jasmine were not lechers in the usual sense. They met and knew each other after a long time. Many incidents, the development of emotions is also logical, coupled with the delicate performances of De Niro and Streep, the audience is even more convinced. Make people feel that they "have to" fall in love and "have to" cheat. If we put ourselves into the characters and the plot, maybe the same things would happen, the same decisions would be made, the same actions would be made, and even the same things would be said.
Since the 1980s, from this "Falling in Love" to the later "Long Bridge," a lot of films about extramarital affairs have been made. The director of the film is through this real plot, the protagonist's sincere emotional interpretation, so that the audience's position unknowingly stands on the side of the outgoing characters and sympathizes with them, thus proving the rationality of extramarital affairs. In fact, this also reflects the tolerance of American society for this phenomenon. Come to think of it, the American public and even a lion like Hillary can forgive President Clinton's actions, not to mention the little ones. Look at today's society, how many people dare to say that they have never cheated in their lives? Extramarital affairs seem to have become commonplace. The remaining few people who share the same bed and have different dreams will naturally become model couples and family role models. However, despite this, extramarital affairs have not been recognized by society. Although not as terrifying as depicted in The Scarlet Letter, extramarital affairs are still considered immoral in the minds of people. Almost everyone is doing it, but it is still something that cannot be put on the table. Except for a few shameless people, most people are doing it while feeling ashamed. Even more so here.
For example, Frank in the film is a man of integrity. After reconciling with Jasmine, he confessed to his wife. Being a wife is not easy to mess with, so he gave Frank a slap in the face right away. From Frank's part, he felt he deserved the slap because he was ashamed of his family. From the perspective of Frank's wife, there are two meanings, one is that he has been deceived, and the other is that Frank has violated the socially recognized behavior. Therefore, both of them still have social moral standards in their hearts. Molly's situation was different. When she learned that Frank was about to leave, she ignored her husband's obstruction and drove frantically to say goodbye to Frank. In fact, she also has the word "morality" in her heart, but at that time, she valued emotions more than morality, and couldn't care about that much. "Ask the world, what is love, and directly teach life and death."
The motivation for extramarital affairs is nothing more than emotional and sexual. Whether it is from love to nature or from nature to love, it is the pursuit of physical and mental pleasure. These are human nature. However, in modern society, for each individual, in addition to emotion and sex, one should also pursue rationality, which also belongs to the category of human nature. The result of rationality is social harmony. There are laws and generally accepted moral codes for this. These are the rules. Everyone longs for freedom, but only by being familiar with these rules and accustomed to abide by them can we obtain the greatest freedom in the real society. Confucius told us that "do what you want without breaking the rules" is what it means.
But as it goes on, the problem arises. Law and morality are not set in stone. What was reasonable in the past is unreasonable today. For example, "men and women don't give and receive", such as the old-fashioned view of chastity. It all seems ridiculous now. So, inferences like this, that is, the rules we follow today may not necessarily make sense in the future. If society wants to progress, if human beings want to achieve greater liberation, if they want to gain more freedom in body and mind, there must be such a group of people who defy the rules to break through the barriers. There must be a group of "immoral" people like Frank and Molly, even if they leave behind a disgraceful image. As the old saying goes, “Satiated, warm, lustful, and lustful” speaks of human nature. It's not about "fullness and warmth" or "lust", but "thinking". Frank and Molly in the film did not "think" seriously, but those of us who have seen this film need to think about it.
The end of the film, another Christmas. Frank and Molly meet again by chance. They all became law-abiding people for a while. It's a bit like a stranger to each other. They greeted each other politely and concealed from each other the fact that their family had broken down. But in the end, it still fell into the Hollywood routine. According to the public's understanding, it is the finishing touch.
De Niro and Streep's performances were admirable, both showed superb acting skills. Especially in this kind of emotional film, there is no need for heart-piercing shouts, nor generous and heroic statements. I deeply understand the emotional context of the characters and the development of the plot, and feel the joys, sorrows, hesitations and hesitations in the world. Decisive...and many other emotions, and express them quietly, real and delicate. A true master!
My rating: 7.5.
Most of this post-view is my complaint, of course, it is also a feeling. After I finished writing it, I looked at it myself, and it was rather digressive. Friends will see it.
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