one person or two

Earnest 2022-03-20 09:02:08

The homework assigned to the film and television work analysis class this time is "Double Personality", and a simple film review is written.

First of all, let’s talk about my own thoughts on the plot. When I first heard the title of the film, I thought it was a person with a split personality who faced people and things around him with two different personalities, but after watching it, I found that This is not a simple dual personality, because the two characters can coexist in their living environment, and others have different names for two people with the same face (Simon and James). So I prefer to understand that these are two people, but they have the same face.

The hero Simon is a silent, cowardly and transparent person. He works hard to be kind but no one has an impression of him and no one cares about him. Later, James who looked exactly like him appeared. He was completely opposite to his character. He was unruly, swaggering, popular, hypocritical and cunning. James easily got a lot of things Simon always wanted, and also stole Simon's Heart-wrenching girl and work results, threaten Simon to control Simon, and then completely replace Simon to make him more transparent. Simon began to want to live himself, to be a unique person. Later, he rescued Hannah, who was about to commit suicide, and was full of aura. He was even recognized as James by the doctor and the people in the apartment. At his mother's funeral, he beat James and found that the injuries of the two were synchronized. He ran to Hannah. The department confirmed that Hannah could distinguish the two of them, and then planned a murder to kill James with her own suicide. She referred to the words of the police who dealt with the suicide at the beginning of the film, and jumped at the protective net. James had a unique life.

I think the character setting of this film is very interesting. Two people who look exactly the same but have different personalities and different life experiences have completely different solutions to the same thing, such as a detail on the subway, a You have to take off your shoes to put your feet on the seat, and one puts his feet on the seat with his shoes on. There are also completely different behaviors when two people order food, etc. The details of the plot are very rich.

The lighting color of this film is also very good. Many shots use side lighting to make the characters look like yin and yang faces. On the one hand, it may be to set off a thrilling atmosphere, and on the other hand, it may also want to reflect completely different personalities under the same skin. Some applications of backlighting to create silhouettes also add to the ambience. At the beginning, Simon's flickering light effect through the tunnel in the subway also successfully made the film shrouded in a mysterious and thrilling atmosphere from the beginning. The film's use of dark colors, including sets and costumes, also creates a terrifying and depressing atmosphere. The protagonist Simon only wears a plain and dull brown suit, which further enhances his sense of transparency, while Hannah is slightly different. Her clothes are pure white, which highlights her image of a pure and straightforward goddess. Close-up shots are mostly taken in the middle of the composition. I think this is a kind of absurdity that is vented in a regular frame.

I also want to talk about the soundtrack of the film. There is more than one Japanese song in the interlude. In addition to being nice, it also adds to the weirdness of the film. Some bgm with tense rhythm are also very successful in setting off the atmosphere.

I think the theme of the film is also quite profound. There are many people who are timid in life. Although they may not be as dramatic as Simon, their talents are not seen, they are afraid to socialize, and they are too weak to defend themselves. To live a depressing and lonely life, you must have self-awareness, have the courage to speak up and express yourself, and live a unique and existential self.

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Extended Reading

The Double quotes

  • Simon: It's terrible to be alone too much.

  • Workers' Services Executive: You don't exist anymore.

    Simon: Excuse me?

    Workers' Services Executive: You're no longer in the system.

    Simon: Well, just put me back in the system.

    Workers' Services Executive: I can't put you back in the system.

    Simon: Why?

    Workers' Services Executive: Because you don't exist. I can't put someone who doesn't exist in the system.

    Simon: But I used to be in the system.

    Workers' Services Executive: Not according to the system. In fact, according to the system, you've never existed.

    Simon: How reliable is the system?

    Workers' Services Executive: Hey, it's completely reliable.

    Simon: Yes, but I used to exist. I do exist! I'm standing in the this room, aren't I?

    Workers' Services Executive: And?

    Simon: So how do I get back in the system?

    Workers' Services Executive: You need a card.

    Simon: Right. So can I please get a new card?

    Workers' Services Executive: No.

    Simon: Why?

    Workers' Services Executive: Because you're not in the system.