I have been thinking about what makes me particularly fond of this movie, or it was only when I talked about this movie with SCL in the afternoon. She said that this is a movie made for our age, and she thinks so. "Road to Revolution" is the first collaboration between Kate and Leonardo after 11 years. When "Titanic" was released 11 years ago, I was still the Minister of Radio and Television of the middle school. The whole school’s students watched the romance film in their classrooms. In that era, the film satisfies all our imaginations about great love—love at first sight, giving up life for justice, and enduring death. And 11 years later, when we had already seen the tail of youth, we happened to encounter such a "Road to Revolution" that destroyed unrealistic fantasies. Real life has lost the first sight of life. Vanity, the heroine April's unknowingly struggling, finally in exchange for self-pity and self-destruction that no one sympathizes with.
11 years ago, we could still imagine to be the person we wish to become, but at this age, we can only lament that we are finally scrambling to become the person we once did not want to be. 11 years is a process of vulgarization, to put it better, it is a process of maturity.
For "Titanic", to be honest, I have completely forgotten the plot, but there are a few details that are still impressed. One is Rose and Leo dancing with the poor in the bottom deck, enthusiasm overturning the beauty of worldly life to the apex . The beginning of "Road to Revolution" is also a dance. April, dreaming of an actor, meets Frank, who claims to be French. The two use a flirting tango to explain the process of their love at first sight. The two movies have a small intersection in this detail-love is always simple and beautiful in the beginning. There is no risk in praising the love that ends because of death and separation. This is probably the reason why "Heart of the Sea" is always moving. When any period of vigorous relationship extends to married life, various practical problems are like boiling water. , Steaming up with bubbles. If Rose and Leo arrived in the United States smoothly, what kind of life would they lead? "Road to Revolution" is not a sequel to "Titanic", but it at least provides an exploration of possibilities.
April and Frank in "Road to Revolution" can't say that they are not in love. In the rural community where they live, this new and talented couple is regarded as a perfect couple, but in the end they rush to their respective borders. The director of "Road to Revolution", Mendes, continued "American Beauty"'s discussion of the crisis of middle-class families. The difference is that "Road to Revolution" makes two people face more problems: differences in values, women's The discussion of independence and loyalty, and even the favorite topic of abortion in American movies, two people who are also excellent, because they are too selves, can’t merge, even if Frank tries to communicate, love eventually becomes a helpless sigh.
Unlike "American Beauty" which analyzes the midlife crisis from a male perspective, "Road to Revolution" focuses more on the structure of life from a female perspective. In the process of narrating the collapse of the family, the film ridiculed April's pretentiousness and self-destruction. In fact, it is the difference in acceptance of real life that makes April and Frank have a break in their values. April wanted to be an excellent actor, but eventually had to move to the suburbs to become a "rural woman" for her children. Her performance in the "rural commune" can also be said to be a nightmare. Frank was also depressed because of his lack of success in his sales career, so he was full of expectations when he heard April about going to Paris to start life again. At this time Frank's "no fun" job suddenly brought him a promotion. And high returns, whether to go to Paris has become the core of Frank and April's inability to compromise. It does not matter what moving to Paris itself can bring. The most important thing is that it represents an unknown that is completely different from the current life. The attraction of the unknown is that it is full of infinite possibilities. The visible life is often caused by trivialities. Bored, the pleasure of hiding under the unknown is always teasing our nerves. The courage to “live again” is particularly tempting when youth is dying. Frank is like a rock because of timidity or rationality. April is because of idealism. In other words, emptiness and heart like wild horses, the pregnancy that did not come at the end in the end became the last straw that crushed their seemingly divorced marriage.
The April played by Kate in "Road to Revolution" reminds me of Wang Cailing in "Li Chun". There is a natural difference between the appearance of beauty and ugliness of the two characters, and there is a "unknowing" personality defect. On the other side, there is a tacit understanding. Speaking of it, isn’t Wang Cailing’s dream also to sing at the Paris Opera—"Every spring, my heart is always ready to move, thinking that something will happen; but the spring has passed and nothing happened... "Li Chun" could not be recognized in the mass commercial box office, but it set off a heated wave in the camp of literary and artistic youths. Everyone inevitably slammed themselves when they sympathized with Wang Cailing-not that I am not enough, but that the destiny is right. I am unfair. In my later film reviews on "Li Chun", I read a very extreme and sharp, to the effect that "Li Chun" fermented the protagonist’s self-compassion, and magnified the fragility of being talented. I personally still appreciate the comment. In contrast, the ridicule of April in "Road to Revolution" is more harsh and more powerful than the unrealistic sympathy that "Li Chun" gave Wang Cailing.
Like the sadness inadvertently rendered in "Beginning of Spring", many of our society’s values are vain and powerless, just like the favorite words of those talent shows, sending each contestant "stick to your dream", but giving up is not a kind of wisdom? In many cases, we extol the struggle and cheer for stupidity. It seems that there is a "Wang Baoqiang". It does not mean that all the northern drifters can realize their star dreams. The so-called "don't abandon, don't give up", most Time can only produce miracles but cannot establish order. Of course, for every individual, persistence and give up are really the hardest choice in a life, because giving up at any time is a fate. The pain of not giving up, just like April in the film, she called her children, made breakfast for her husband for the last time, and folded her clothes neatly for the last time. She still couldn’t accept her ideal self forever. End, so I can only choose to die together with the ideal. Kongliu sighed.
Speaking of film, although it can make me feel a lot in terms of value, it cannot avoid the technical deficiencies of the film, such as the lack of emotional pavement of the plot, the sudden up and down of the narrative rhythm, and the most important point is that the film is too structured. Small, in this year's Oscars with strong players, it is not surprising that they are out early.
The actor’s performance is a highlight. To make this congenital shortcoming story full enough, Michael Shannon, who was shortlisted for best supporting actor, played a maniac of a cold-eyed bystander to a crazy couple in the film, but I personally feel that the crazy role is the opposite. It was the easiest to play, and it didn't surprise me much. But Kate and Leonardo are really remarkable. Kate has gradually evolved from the temperament of the queen of literary films. This calm and hysterical character has given her a huge space to play. What I like more is Leonardo's performance. Frank is both confused and willful. His personal cognitive confusion is no less than April. As a male, he has to be more restrained and depressed than a more emotional female. Leonardo's acting skills have improved by leaps and bounds over the years, and his deliberately growing beard and fattening have also allowed him to get close to the rough temperament Frank needs. However, I can’t help but think that the role of Frank makes the original Matt Dimon perform better. Matt Dimon has that kind of arrogance in his bones. The high praise is more or less due to his efforts to bridge the gap between himself and the character, unlike Kate, who is simply Born to be April.
It is also a piece of "Road to Revolution", I can see a lot of senseless emotions, many people must be bored to sleep and fainted. The most important thing for most people in their lives is to accept that they are an ordinary person, but it is only time. One day, I will become the father watching his daughter swing, and you will become a woman who silently stacks up her shirt and thinks about the past.
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