(A-) The feeling of this movie is very similar to Zhao Ting's previous "Knight". It is quiet, beautiful, and very sad. Although the protagonist has a painful experience, he is particularly strong in his bones, and I have never imagined that fate bows his head. But "Nowhere" is more suitable for the United States now, and it also reflects the United States as it appears in. It has broader social significance, and therefore it is easy to reach resonance.
"A Place of Nowhere" is undoubtedly quite depressing. The United States in this movie is very similar to the current United States: lifeless and disappointing.
There is a sentence in the film that is very ironic: "You are so lucky, you are an American, and you can go anywhere!" Not to mention that the new crown has caused Americans to not go anywhere. Even before the new crown, many American civilians actually did not. Money travels everywhere, even without home. After all, the so-called American dream is only a minority. If you watch this line in a Toronto theater, the audience will laugh knowingly, but now I can only smile silently in my car.
If you are wondering what happened behind those homeless people, the heroine of this film Fern actually represents many Americans who have lost their homes in the past few years. The main economic pillar of her hometown collapsed. Not only did the factory close, but also the people. After moving away, if coupled with the death of her husband, Fern would have nothing, and had to bring simple luggage and start a vagrant life. But she is not the kind of person who starts to use drugs or drugs or begs on the street when she is overwhelmed by her life. She is still looking for work everywhere, and she still wants to prove her worth. We have never seen her cry once, or give up, and even some relatives and friends want to provide her with a house to live in. She is reluctant to live, but rather wandering around, because for her, the roots are gone.
This kind of spirit is actually very much needed in the United States at present. Many people have lost their jobs, homes, and normal lives because of the epidemic. If they cannot return to the past, how can they continue?
Almost all the characters appearing in the film are elderly people, and they are also another group that needs the most attention at the moment. Before the new crown hit the elderly group, there were actually many elderly people who had no security in their lives and no permanent homes. Many of the people who live in this kind of RV are also elderly people. There are many old people in the film telling their stories. Many of them have children and family members, but they still can only wander in the RV. In the eyes of the Chinese, this kind of life is a failure, because it seems that our main goal in life is to buy a house and have a home. If we raise a group of children, we don’t even have a place to live in the end. This is indeed cruel. Thing.
The film is adapted from real events. It is a story discovered by Francis McDormand and Zhao Ting was found to shoot. The personality and style of the two are really suitable for the film. With the perspective of the heroine, the film pays attention to these people who are usually ignored, and at the same time allows people to see the real human feelings again. Although the whole movie looks really sad, Francis McDomond, like she did in "Three Billboards", once again portrayed a tough female character. It's just that this time she didn't keep her mouth shut, or even almost no emotional ups and downs, so she took everything quietly, but never bowed her head.
At the same time, as the plot develops, the audience will see that the heroine does not dislike this wandering life, but feels that she has found her long-lost freedom. She got married very young, rooted in a small town, and went to work in the same factory every day, doing the same things. Instead, she was forced to leave this time to make her realize that she had been imprisoned for many years. Therefore, even with hard work, she is still like a runaway horse, finally living a free life, without even needing to explain or explain to anyone.
Zhao Ting seems to like the emptiness of the wilderness in the western United States very much. Whether it is a desert or a cliff with huge waves, under these broad backgrounds, there are small but heartbreaking personal stories. There are many scenes shot at sunrise or sunset in the film, and the images of afterglow and shadows are impressive. The soundtrack of the film is very nice, but also melodious and tactful, not sad, but shows the heroine's calmness and calmness.
Basically, this is not a work suitable for the general public. Looking at my husband sleeping soundly in the car, I know that this kind of work that lacks ripples, rarely conflicts, and even has relatively plain dialogue can only be appreciated, but it seems Very appetite for film critics and film festivals. It makes me feel very close to the Cannes award-winning film "I Am Blake" that year. It revolves around an unemployed old man and also reflects the social reality. This film is set in the United States and women-centered. But I don’t think it has the kind of wonderful script like last year’s "Parasite" that makes people feel like they want to watch it again. Obviously, De will sprint for the Oscar performance award again, and hope that Zhao Ting can win in screenwriting and director.
Because the heroine in the film spends most of her time in the car, she feels very cordial when she sees the film through the car theater. Even on my way to the bathroom, walking through the empty parking lot and grass with the soundtrack, I seem to be more able to appreciate the mood of the characters in the film.
Watched at the Los Angeles Auto Cinema
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