Simply classifying "Cracks" as "Lord of the Flies" (1963) based on William Golding's novel of the same name and other works that explore "in the beginning of man, nature is inherently evil", obviously has the painstaking efforts of the director. "Crack" not only targets the evil of the environment and human nature, but also shows the universal destiny of mankind: how to fill the "crack" between dream and reality?
In the 1930s, in a picturesque English Church boarding school for girls, Ms. G, who was born and grew up in Sri Lanka, is elegant, beautiful, and full of poetry and books. Fall for it. Riding an elephant with an Indian prince, and meeting a crocodile in Africa, these stories are not fabricated out of thin air, but Ms. G has replaced the protagonist with herself.
On July 22, 1895, Mary Kingsley, who was never married, crossed the African continent, took a canoe to the cannibal tribes that the Europeans had nowhere to go back to, and won the trust of Africans with her kindness, frankness, and fearlessness. The jungle can easily carry out barter business activities, which makes even the bravest explorers admire them. In 1897, with the British colonists occupying the Gold Coast, 37-year-old Mary published the masterpiece "Journey to West Africa" and became the number one female explorer in history.
The adventure of Ms. G's dreams is Mary Kingsley's real life. Ms. G grew up in a completely closed boarding school since she was a child. She looked handsome, but she was actually wretched. She didn't even dare (incompetent) to organize an inter-school diving competition. Self-proclaimed to love travel and adventure, she seldom leaves the school gate. She is a typical "giant in thought, dwarf in action". She is more nervous than a rookie robbing a bank when she goes to the street.
Feima, from Spain, is the kind of aristocratic girl who can't hide her maverick temperament in the crowd: first, she conquers the crowd with her professional diving skills, and then she wins the favor of everyone with her generosity. She suffers from asthma and is well-informed. She is familiar with the Spanish translation of "Journey to West Africa", and has also traveled to India, Abyssia (Ethiopia), Somaliland, Dodd, which Ms. G has only seen in books. The Canis Islands, soft on the outside and firm on the inside, have the courage to challenge the limits of the body and the affinity to turn enemies into friends. They are simply the incarnation of Mary Kingsley, which makes Ms. G fascinated and imagined. She intercepted Feima's postcards, arousing the latter's disgust, and accused her African adventures of being just scripted.
The principal warned Ms. G, who peeked at Feima's private file: "This is a sinister world, don't try the law by yourself." It is implied that Ms. G also has a dishonorable past, so she must act on her own.
"The wood shows in the forest, and the wind will destroy it." Jordan Scott, who has never been to a boarding school, knows how cruel girls are when their jealousy and revenge are ignited. The diving team captain Dai, seeing that her idol, Ms. G, was abandoned by Feima, actually encouraged her teammates to kick Feima out of the school. The conflict gradually escalated. The close-up of the diver reciting Shelley's poem "Osimantis" (art and beauty don't last long) and the close-up of the gardener severing a flower branch are all symbolic.
With a twisted mind, Ms. G, worried that the scandal of sexually assaulting Fei Emma would be exposed, actually chased Fei Emma with the fake hand diving team. The rhythm of the music suddenly accelerated with Feima's rapid breathing: Against the background of the dreamlike scenery, the scene of the group beating Feima was like crying. When preventing Feima's last chance to survive, Ms. G said the truth: "You shouldn't have come to this world."
You who dare to love and hate are too beautiful, like a mirror, which makes your ugly counterparts feel ashamed.
Unlike his father's decision to drive two feminist fighters down the abyss in "The End of the Dead" (1991), Jordan Scott adds a touch of color to the film's ending: Ms. G, who was abandoned by her school and diving team, After walking out of the school gate, she was unable to move an inch and stayed in the hotel at a loss; the remorseful Dai resolutely embarked on an adventurous journey, hoping to learn the qualities of fearlessness and honesty.
However, since the director has ulterior motives to set the story in the 1930s when totalitarian and extreme events occurred: "Boarding schools can be seen as a microcosm of European psychology, and see why Europeans, who are known for their equality and fraternity, would do those amazing things. Outrageous things." It's better to be dark: dark times have their own dark logic. (Originally published in Xinmin Weekly)
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