Recommendation index: The shooting technique is actually OK????? But the viewing experience is?
One-sentence introduction: The process of an excellent middle-aged female actor re-reflecting and recognizing himself through role reversal.
1. Character relationship sorting
There are five main female characters that appear in the story:
Juliet Binoche plays Maria, a middle-aged female star;
Kristen Stewart plays Valentine, assistant to actress Maria;
Chloe Moretz plays the rebellious young actress Jo-Ann;
And the two characters Helena and Sigrid in the stage play "Snake of Maloya".
It all starts with the stage play "Snake of Maloya" by the late director Wilhelm Melchior (a never-before-seen-but-very-present character). The play tells the emotional entanglement between a middle-aged female boss Helena and a young female intern Sigrid. The Sigrid in the play is very seductive, Helena is madly in love with her, but Sigrid does not respond to this love, at least not in the way Helena wants. Eventually Helena committed suicide.
Maria, 18, made her name by playing the role of Sigrid. Decades later, new director Klaus invited him to play Helena in "Snake of Maloya", while Sigrid was played by Jo-Ann, a young actress who was very popular and controversial at the time. A three-act drama that integrates stars and assistants, stars and stars, bosses and trainees kicks off.
2. Maria, Sigrid, Helena
Maria became famous for playing Sigrid, who in her opinion is a free person, above all else, unpredictable, but never wanted to be Les, while Helena is synonymous with negativity, vulnerability, and a desperate need for the care of others.
The actor who played Helena died in a car accident a year after the show, and Maria, who is in the middle of a divorce lawsuit, is now deeply lonely and vulnerable, which makes Maria strongly reject Klaus' invitation, she said, "To a certain extent, I feel Still Sigrid". I think it's because she wishes she was still that young, confident, attractive Sigrid.
But Klaus believes that Sigrid and Helena are essentially the same person, and that Sigrid becomes Helena 20 years later, which is what the script wants to express. Perhaps Klaus' persuasion worked, and Maria finally agreed to play Helena, and went with her assistant Valentine to "practice the role" where Wilhelm wrote the script.
It was also in the process of practicing the role that Maria found that her reliance on her assistant Valentine exceeded a certain degree, which made her hate the Helena she was about to play even more. I guess, the high probability stemmed from the empathy between her own situation and Helena's situation. Experience - Maria thinks Helena is overwhelmed by age, insecurities and Sigrid, the girl who charmed her and left her. But before she knew it, Maria herself also developed feelings for the young female subordinates. She was equally lonely, insecure, and could not accept the hurried time and changes.
3. Valentine, Sigrid, Maria
Valentine did her best to arrange all kinds of affairs for Maria. Apart from having a stinky face of "Don't suffer me" most of the time, she was also a pretty good assistant. She is young, simple, has her own ideas, and has no reservations about her feelings. She thinks that the superhero movie also has profound practical significance, but Maria scoffs at it. She communicates with Maria in her own way, persuading Maria to accept Helena the same way she accepted Sigrid, but is frustrated.
Facing Maria, who was gradually breaking down because she couldn't accept the role of Helena and kept releasing heavy pressure, she gradually couldn't bear it, and finally chose to leave silently - exactly the same as Sigrid's approach in "Snake of Maloya".
4. Jo-Ann, Sigrid, Maria
Jo-Ann is known by the outside world as the most promising new generation actress, but she is often controversial because she has too much courage to be herself and "cause trouble".
To break away from the superhero movie stereotype, she decided to play the role of Sigrid, Maria's former role, in the Klaus stage play. In fact, she and Sigrid do have similarities - she has a strong attraction, and it is this youthful authenticity and wildness that makes Maria change her usual impression after contacting her.
Perhaps in Maria's cognition, Jo-Ann is her young self. For example, also sparked with well-known writers (that's a joke).
When Maria put forward her own idea for Jo-Ann's interpretation of Sigrid in the final rehearsal of "Snake of Maloya", Jo-Ann did not accept it, but insisted on her own idea. It was her words that made Maria re-examine herself and Sigrid in her heart, "Old habits will always come back, and they must be destroyed", which may be the beginning of her accepting her current self.
5. Epilogue
At the end of the story, Maria met with the new screenwriter and discussed the part about the "mutants" setting in the screenwriter's new work. The screenwriter bluntly said, "I don't like the era of Jo-Ann and Internet scandals." In my opinion, this is the director's use of the screenwriter's mouth to express the concept of "Young people are not always likeable, there are always some things that can transcend time".
While the movie doesn't ultimately say whether Maria accepted the role of the "mutant" she once sneered at (I think she did), I believe Maria has passed her midlife cognitive crisis.
6. Postscript
Film director Olivier Assayas is Maggie Cheung's ex-husband. as well as! He has the same birthday as me! Aquarius! Than heart ♥♥♥!
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