(1) The surfing scene is a kind of indexing symbol
"Shelter", whose Chinese name is "Want to Cover and Run the Tide", sounds very vulgar and is far from the meaning of "shelter and sheltered" that shelter wants to express. criticized by Chinese audiences. But in fact, the "running tide" in the Chinese name also highlights one of the film's key points: surfing. Surfing is a common hobby of Zack and Shaun. There are many scenes of surfing in the movie, and surfing has become an important link to promote the development of the plot.
Surfing doesn't just serve as a coherent story, it's also a symbol. More precisely, it is an indexing notation. As Roland Barthes said in "The Lover's Whisper", "The index does not represent a definite meaning, but only a 'implicit reference'. For example, the rendering of the storm in "King Lear" is a kind of index. Shoot the frantic commotion within King Lear and the fate of this tragic figure".
The same goes for the use of the surf symbol in Shelter. There are 7 surfing scenes in the movie, they are: Zack surfing alone in order to get rid of the stress of boring work and family; Zack and Shaun surfing together for the first time after they first met; the two met for the second surfing; Zack Confused about his feelings, escaped Shaun and surfed alone; Zack was playing at the beach with his little nephew and met Shaun; Zack finally determined his relationship with Shaun, and at the invitation of Gabe without knowing it, the three surfed and played as friends ;Under the opposition of his sister and girlfriend, Zack and Shaun had a conflict and separated temporarily. Zack was depressed and went to the beach alone to relieve his sorrow.
Surfing, as an indexing symbol, has rich referents. By and large, it's a veiled shot of the emotional turmoil within the protagonist Zack and the direction of the relationship (successful or not) between Zack and Shaun. Among them, the director focuses on describing the scene of the first, second and fourth surfing.
For the first time, Zack was alone, paddling on the top of the wave on his surfboard, and having the only fun in his life. The whole picture changed from the depressing atmosphere before and became bright and cheerful. Surfing here alludes to Zack's urge to escape the stress of everyday life and pursue dreams and fun.
In the second, Zack and Shaun met and went surfing together. At this moment, the sea is vast and the sky is bright, the color is bright, and the waves are surging. Coupled with the relaxing background music, the picture gives a warm and beautiful feeling. The surfing here can be seen as an external manifestation of Zack's inner throbbing and joy, and also a testimony to the budding love of Zack and Shaun.
In the fourth surf, the plot took a turn for the worse, and Zack dared not face his feelings, doubting, timid, and wandering. The tone of the picture is also completely changed: gloomy and gray, the waves are choppy, as if unknowable dangers are hidden everywhere. The waves knocked Zack off the surfboard again and again with great force, and he stood in the water, overwhelmed. The background music is low, oppressive and unpleasant. The surfing scene here is obviously consistent with Zack's inner hesitation and struggle, and it also implies that the relationship between Zack and Shaun has entered a low period.
Through the use of the index symbol of the surfing scene, the director makes the depiction and description of the inner emotions of the characters and the relationship between the characters more delicate and vivid. As a result, the character of Zack is fuller: he is the protector of the family and takes the initiative to take on excessive responsibilities and pressures. But at the same time, he resisted the trivial family life and the boring work in his heart. He longs to enter art school to realize his dream, to be sheltered by the love of another person. The "change of cloudy weather" in the surfing scene is the embodiment of this tangled mood. On the other hand, through the interpretation of the surfing scene, the audience obtains the dual dimension of entering the situation. They can not only comprehend the characters' thoughts and emotions from the actors' performances, but also can see the throbbing of the characters' hearts through the analysis of symbols, and better understand the characters' growth and changes in character and attitude.
(2) The symbol of "reverse movement" breeds love stories
Roland Barthes believes that if a lover does not say "I-love-you" to save money in his chest, but uses hesitant, hesitant, or bewildering language to imply love, he is bound to fall into a kind of trouble that cannot be dispatched. The state of being unable to extricate itself; the hidden language also destroys the original impulse and natural expression of love. This unhealthy phenomenon is called "reverse action" by Barthes, which is contrary to the way and process of expressing and expressing "I-love-you". Therefore, Barth calls the literature about love "reverse" literature, because love works are just about dodging and tacit hide-and-seek between lovers. I love you", this love story is probably boring.
Romance movies are also the product of the "reverse" symbol. In "Shelter", the director gave full play to the role of this "reverse movement" symbol. Zack and Shaun fell in love with each other when they first met, and as the plot progressed, they became more and more attached to each other. But the movie sets up a lot of obstacles for their love. First of all, the relationship between Zack and Shaun is positioned as a forbidden love of the same sex, and Zack's breakthrough in self-psychology is the first obstacle to this love. Second, they have to bear pressure from family, friends, and public opinion. Various factors have prevented them from expressing their hearts directly and saying the phrase "I-love-you" to each other.
Those who don't want to say "I love you" are left with all kinds of evasive, anxious, and impatient signs, signs, and "evidences" of love: throwing hands, looks, sighing, bewildering , hesitantly. He needs others to interpret; he has to decipher and interpret; he has to be swayed by retroactive love symbols. The "symbol" of love has given birth to countless counter-reverse literary works: people exaggerate love and make a big fuss about the fancy appearance.
However, it is the use of the "reverse motion" symbol that has made love movies such as "Shelter" a huge success. They hang the "I-Love-You" of the "anti-symbol" high, expressing love in twists and turns through implicit symbolic signs, making the plot ups and downs and fascinating. In the process of watching the movie, the audience expects the psychology to be delayed, not only anxious for the emotions that the characters want to talk about, but also deeply trapped in it and unable to extricate themselves. When the characters bravely shout "I-love-you" at the end, the audience is satisfied.
In "Shelter", Zack was hesitant about love, and after several cycles of "affirmation-denial-affirmation", it can be said that it whetted the audience's appetite. He never says "I love you" to Shaun, but he expresses his feelings of love implicitly through his eyes and paintings. In particular, his graffiti on one wall, with the development of love from scratch, is constantly improving. The colors are vivid and vibrant, showing the sweetness and inspiration brought by love. These are "reverse motion" symbols. It wasn't until the end that Zack faced his feelings bravely when he learned that Shaun had helped him apply to art school. When the audience saw this, they breathed a sigh of relief and rejoiced at the perfect ending.
(3) Not a fact, but a sign
For the lover, everything that disturbs him is not regarded as a fact, but a certain aspect of a sign that needs to be interpreted. From a lover's point of view, a thing cannot be underestimated because it quickly becomes a sign: and a sign is not a simple thing, it can have consequences (repercussions). If the other party gave me this new phone number, what is the symbol? Want to make a phone call right away for fun? Or make me feel compelled to call when I have something to do? The response I made was itself a symbol that the other party had to decipher. In this way, the two of them played hide-and-seek, and it took a lot of tossing.
This is evident in Shelter. "The ego in love is a passionate machine, desperately making symbols for its own consumption". In the process of being in love, Zack often pondered some small things: what did Shaun's kiss that night represent and what did it mean? Did that fight mean our relationship was over? etc. In Zack, facts are no longer facts, but become symbols, which need to be constantly interpreted by oneself. Different interpretations will bring different meanings and accompanying emotions. At the same time, his interpretation behavior will also become a symbol. The symbol is like a ball, going back and forth between Zack and Shaun.
According to Barth, "Love can't make up a story, it can only be a feeling, a few thoughts, and various situations, pinned on a piece of stupidity, constantly clipped, and chaotic. A love story is 'society's way of compromising lovers with society in an alien language.' Shelter is just such a love story, taking place between same-sex and full of unique symbols between lovers. These symbols are created by the director and interpreted by the audience to reach an understanding of meaning.
View more about Shelter reviews
