The film's protagonists, mother Sarah (Kate Winslet) and father Brad (Patrick Wilson), meet in a "slippery kid" park. Unlike those other housewives, Sarah's curiosity about a housewife man like Brad was without prejudice and ridicule. She wanted to know more or could have understood his boredom and loneliness, just as she was now. The two hit it off and developed a mutual affection. Under the cover of the children, they had a tryst and cheating, and decided to leave their respective families and run away together. But at the last moment, an unexpected accident happened.
The film gives a lot of obvious "sexual" aspects to the combination of the two of them. Brad's wife is beautiful, capable and in good shape, but in the evening when Brad took a shower and was about to make out with his wife, he was politely rejected. Although Sarah couldn't compare to his wife in terms of conditions, she kept thinking of her after seeing her, and took her children to the swimming pool where Sarah often went to wait for her. Sarah's husband was addicted to Internet pornography and had little interest in Sarah. After being discovered by her, he even slept on the sofa. Originally, after the accidental kiss in the park, Sarah had been deliberately avoiding Brad due to moral and public pressure, but after her husband was completely hopeless, Sarah specially ordered a bright red swimsuit, dressed in The pool appeared in front of Brad.
In the laundry room and in the bedroom, they vented and enjoyed themselves to the fullest. Only at this moment did life have meaning and hope. But this kind of stealing is not so pure and so real. Sex is their excuse for escapism, a shortcut for them to find their own existence outside of their boring lives. Sarah and Brad are unwilling to face their own lives, but they seem to be powerless and just pin their hopes on their imaginations. Sarah compares herself to the heroine of the novel who seeks love and freedom, giving her life strength and hope for the future; Brad looks at those energized people every night in the lie to his wife and his life. The youth of skateboarding, imagine what if. The encounter between the two gave them a chance to try to change, and they eloped in excitement.
Sarah and her daughter wait for Brad in the park where they first met. As a result, in the park, Sarah first met the terrifying pedophile, and then her daughter was lost in the dark. Frightened Sarah found her daughter and said to her daughter: Let's go home. On the other hand, on the way to rendezvous with Sarah, Brad met the group of young skateboarders. With their encouragement and kindness, Brad decided to try the leap of skateboarding. As a result, he fell and couldn't move. He had someone call his wife and rejected the invitation of the skateboarders again. For Brad, this small failed attempt is enough, and it is better to give up for the future. The same goes for Sarah. Maybe the current life is unsatisfactory, but in the face of the unpredictable future, they lack confidence and courage.
Regarding the main line about Sarah and Brad in the film, the director did not criticize or justify their actions from the perspective of morality or social rules, but instead presented the process and the ending, and more focused on examining and taking people's general state. critical sympathy.
There are other special characters in the film. Ronald, the pedophile who returned from prison, has been a monster in the eyes of the townspeople from the very beginning. Although he didn't hurt anyone after that, he couldn't change people's eyes. His mother, arguably the only "real mother" in the film, protected her son and planned the future for him, but she fell ill and died while protecting her son. Ronald, who lost his mother, used self-mutilation to eliminate the threat in people's eyes, and also eliminated his rights and qualifications as a "person", and became a helpless "little child" hiding on a swing in the dark and crying .
There is also Brad's friend who drives an ambulance. He blamed himself for accidentally hurting people. He blamed Ronald. Although his behavior was crazy, it was also a manifestation of the will of the public. After indirectly causing Rom's death, he apologised to Ronald for his self-mutilation, he carried him into his car and returned to his duties or his place in life. While begging others to forgive, he also found his own forgiveness and redemption. He was freed from the past, but at a high price.
The film's director, Todd Field, is not well known, either as a director or as an actor. This film is his second feature-length feature film. The previous one was "In the Bedroom" in 2001 (the Chinese name is "Imperfect Love", an inexplicable name), starring Sissy Spacek He was nominated for five Oscars that year. The two films are not ostentatious, focusing on sensitive and profound topics in reality.
It also reminded me of another similar movie: The Good Girl, starring Jennifer Aniston. The same unwillingness and attempts, but more despair.
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