First, music. The music in the film is absolutely unparalleled. Although it has been so many years, it is not out of date and very nice. Those who like music must not miss it.
Second, performance. The actor Jamie Fox won the 2004 Best Actor Oscar for this film, and everyone can imagine his performance in the film. Just talk about my intuitive feeling: After reading it on Baidu and seeing some photos of Ray himself in Baidu Encyclopedia, it really feels like Ray himself is acting in this movie. So far, Jamie Fox's performance can be said to be perfect. Since he is also an accomplished black singer, Jamie Fox is clearly more able to grasp Ray's inner world.
Third, the inner world of the character. A very impoverished black child who lost his eyesight at the age of 7 and lost his father and 15 mothers at the age of 10 (from wiki). Just on this point, regardless of his achievements, his personal growth experience will be an epic story. What's more, Ray has achieved such great achievements, not to mention that he has fallen into the abyss of drugs, and finally defeated drugs. Few movies will do even a little dialectical analysis on drug use, but after watching this movie, we will forgive Ray, and even can't bear to persuade him to stop taking drugs. Because in such a dark and boundless world that no one understands, Ray needs drugs to get temporary relief. However, Ray eventually defeated drugs, and his charisma rose to a higher level. His smile drove away all the pain in our lives.
Fourth, racism. This is not deliberately expressed in the film, after all, it is the subject of biography. However, this is essential for understanding Ray's character. Ray is timid and cowardly (so he needs drugs and a lover to maintain his passion for music). He didn't want to get involved in political struggles, but the fat white man said "trash" (01:52:13 in the film), which ignited his deepest self-esteem. The director captured this scene very precisely and ended it with the stage where Georgia presented Ray with an award and apologized, making the whole film seem very complete.
Postscript: I saw someone saying that this film cannot be compared with "Forrest Gump". However, in my opinion, "Forrest Gump" is too idealistic, and the characters in it have unreal experiences. There is a little Chinese stupid person who has the smell of silly blessing in it, but there is no ruthless reality as the background. In this film, we can intuitively feel the pain of the protagonist, his fear of the world, and his devotion to music. It is precisely because of this that his smile looks so real and touching. "Forrest" can be used as a youth inspirational film, but "Ray" needs to be understood by those who have "experienced" it.
View more about Ray reviews
