If life is likened to a waveform, then Capote's crest is the work's non-fiction novel "Cold Blood". However, this work made him and at the same time destroyed him.
While the book brought Capote a statement, it also took a lot of energy from him. Capote spared no effort to use that material, and those materials spared no effort to use it, to consume it. It might be too extreme to say that Kabat traded his soul for the living stuff, but I can't help but think that maybe someplace hidden and deep, such a deal took place, witnessing the murder of two murderers. At the time of the execution, Capote was dealt a blow from which he never seemed to rise again. - Haruki Murakami
The biographical film "CAPOTE" is about the entire creative process of this masterpiece, from the understanding of the case to the completion of the book and its great success.
One day, Capote found in the newspaper a murder case in Kansas, a family of four were killed in their home. He was looking for an opportunity to try a style that would combine his novel skills with the timeliness of news reporting, and this case sparked his inspiration. He soon invited his childhood friend, Harper Lee, to travel with him for field interviews and investigations.
Soon, the criminals were caught. During the investigation, he often had a deep conversation with the convicted murderer Perry Smith who was hanged, which gave Capote a deep understanding of Perry's tragic existence, and he felt compassion for the murderer because They have similar childhoods.
In the movie, when Harbour Lee asks him about his feelings for Perry, he says:
It's as if Perry and I grew up in the same house and one day he stood up and went out the back door while I went out the front
He sympathized with him, he was granted free visitation rights, and at first Perry was in a bad state, he wanted to kill himself, he didn't eat or drink, his face was haggard, and he described it as haggard. Capote buys baby food and nutrition, and he takes care of him personally, feeding him and drinking, slowly bringing him back hope.
The story here seems to have a different direction from the general crime story. The story doesn't discuss whether criminals deserve to die, the thrills of arrest, and the ramblings of trial.
The film has differentiated into two new main lines, and the spirals overlap and advance. A main line is the soul exchange between Capote and the criminal. When he explored this crime, he revealed his true inner feelings, which is why he was able to gain the criminals' trust.
Another main line of the story is the writing and publication of the book "Cold Blood". One of the scenes that strikes me most ironically in the story is when Capote was reciting his novel at a recital and his inspiration, the man he called a dear friend, spied death out of the little prison window.
He repeatedly cheated Perry for the success of the book. He never wanted to really help him, he helped him find a lawyer, taking care of him was just delaying time. When he felt it was time to end and his book needed an end, he gave up helping Perry.
Before being executed, the person Perry most wanted to see was still Capote. I think in his heart, he should be faintly aware of this kind of deception, but after all, this is the only person who has the same heart with him. Hope and attention, all of which he has longed for in his life.
Capote kept emphasizing that she had done her best when they met, and in her phone call with Harbor-Lee, but her best friend broke his lies.
Maybe jurisprudentially, Capote was right, he was just doing his job, but morally, he seemed to be breaking some rules.
At the end of the film, Capote holds Perry's diary in his hand, which contains a picture of him as a child and a sketch of Capote. These two men were witnesses throughout his life. Sadly, they all abandoned him.
Ironically, an outcast ends up doing the same to someone who shares his sympathy.
Maybe this is the curse of childhood. Those things that happened in childhood will be precipitated in people's behavior, and if they are not careful, they will repeat the same mistakes. Children who lack love often grow up to be unloving; children who are bound grow up to bind others.
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