In 2005, French director Michael Harnett repeated this point in grim images.
The movie "Hidden Camera" cuts off the habitual pleasure of watching movies and runs counter to the traditional Hollywood thriller. It exudes the calm and power of European intellectual movies everywhere. Similar to a typical French film, Hidden Camera is filled with large dialogues and detailed descriptions of life. The film language that matches it also ditches all the bells and whistles—the bland cutscenes, the minimally formalized long shots, the heavy use of medium shots for the effect of distancing, and the almost emotionless cinematography. Tuning and lighting. However, Harnett's clever scene scheduling and plot layout make the film always shrouded in an uneasy atmosphere, as if there is always an evil trying to break through, but it is always suppressed.
Audiences accustomed to the Hollywood model, their expectations for the revealing finale are destined to fail. In this film, the owner of the hidden camera never appears. In other words, the hidden camera is just a symbol, a surreal existence in the real world, like the omniscient omnipotence in the dark, clearly pointing to the deep path leading to the dark corner of the heart with one hand.
The protagonist of the story, George, once used lies and despicable means to hurt the servant's son, Marette, in his childhood, which led to his downfall in his life. When George had a happy family and a successful career, he was deeply troubled by the videotapes of his family. Cracks have emerged in the relationship between husband and wife, and the future is threatened. Therefore, according to the content of the videotape, he "successfully" suspected Marret, who had not met for decades, and threatened and troubled him in words and actions.
The inherent conservatism, suspicion, fear and weakness of human nature made George, who was already in a strong position, stimulate his instinct of self-defense when facing the crimes he had committed. A hidden sin to cover up the sin of the past. This intellectual-style "counterattack" seems mild, but it has a huge destructive power on Marette, who is in a weak position and has been suffering from mental torture. In the contradictory relationship between George and Marrett, it is not so much that George is trying his best to eliminate a potential existential threat, but that he is fighting against a guilt and unease that he has buried in his heart for a long time. This is a kind of inertia of human thinking. , is a continuation of human evil. George's behavior finally led to tragedy - Marrett committed suicide in front of George to show his innocence, which is also the most heart-pounding scene in the film.
Although the owner of the camera has never been found, the story seems to end ambiguous. Because in George's view, the meaning of tracking down the "mastermind" behind the scenes has become blurred.
But the film did not end there. The last three shots of the film are quite meaningful. Here, X, Y, and Z are used to refer to these three shots. Ending: George came home exhausted. After taking two sleeping pills and talking to his wife on the phone, he came to the bedroom. X: INT, MEDIUM SCREEN - GEORGE CLOSES the curtains in the bedroom tightly, and sleeps in bed in the thick darkness. Y: The exterior scene, the long shot, the tone is nostalgic yellowish, and the childhood Marret is reluctantly taken into the car, which drives away from George's house. Z: EXTERIOR, MEDIUM, in front of the school where George's son Pierre attends, the students are dismissed, and the parents pick up the children in twos and threes (subtitles are added slowly).
Three seemingly unrelated shots cap off the film. However, after careful analysis, I found the amazing tension and terrifying chill inherent in the shot. The X-lens is a metaphor for George to plunge into a deeper darkness after breaking with the unbearable past that has been entangled for decades. The road to spiritual liberation seems to have no end. The X shot and the Y shot are edited together, so that the Y shot conveys two meanings: one is to explain the plot of Marrett being taken away from George's house in a way of memory; The shadowy effect of the X lens. The Z shot is the finishing touch. This seemingly insipid shot is actually another candid shot. It perfectly echoes the shot at the beginning of the film (also with subtitles), which seems to indicate another road leading to darkness. Quietly opened again, how will our protagonist face the unknown sins and lies?
In the film, the hidden camera does not play a dark role, it is just a "guide", allowing the guided object to face the darkest corners of the heart to passively uncover the sins that have been brewed. The real darkness is the human heart.
The expression of "Hidden Camera" is unusually calm, but we can't be calm in the face of such a film. Because if we have the courage to interrogate our hearts, this masterpiece may be a hidden camera that opens the inner path.
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