In the film, the American soldier Jack, who has been devastated by war, never gets out of the shadow of war. Living in the double world of ice and fire all day, whenever he just regained his calm, some of the haze hidden in his heart would appear in front of his eyes in various terrifying illusions. Jack seems to be caught by a lingering nightmare and presses hard into the water... The viewer also seems to be experiencing drowning, and is constantly interrupted, as if stuck in his throat.
The whole film adopts the method of cross-narrative, which constantly flashes back, making people unable to distinguish between reality and fantasy. Jack walks in the realm of yin and yang under the narration intentionally made by the director. The memory of the battlefield has been tormenting Jack. Jack has nowhere to escape. He is always suspicious and can't believe that the happiness in reality is real. While dancing with his lover, Jesse Bell, he was just fine, and in a split second, he fell to the ground after seeing a series of terrifying visions, unconscious. When his ex-wife showed tenderness in his ear, a "Dream on" knocked him back to his original state of collapse.
In order to overcome these, Jack went to search for the truth, but what could he do when he knew the truth, his inner demon still could not be lifted, and the fact that his companions could kill each other was even more shocking.
The only ones who can soothe Jack's nerves on the brink of collapse are his personal doctor "Louis" and his youngest son "Gabe". Louie said to Jack, "If you're afraid of death and can't stop, you'll see the devil take your life, but if you take it easy, the devil will become an angel." His own demon, when he returned home, he saw his youngest son Gabe. Gabe was the place of hope in his heart. "Gabe" actually represented the kind of undisturbed war he had before the war. Calm and happy, watching Jack holding his son's hand, the warm picture seemed to make the audience relieved, thinking that Jack had gotten rid of the nightmare, but this was just another illusion, "Gabe" actually long before the war. Died in a car accident, Jack has already died on the battlefield.
At the end of the film is the scene where Jack is identified as dead. He has a calm face, even though he died at the hands of his own people. In war, death is also a release. The soundtrack is the same song that Jack used to sing
I don't care about the grey sky
You'll make it blue
Baby
friends may abandon me
I've got you
baby
you're from heaven
I know you're precious
You're on earth Built a paradise for me
When my temples are full,
I promise like you that I won't get lost, my dear, because
I love you so much
baby
It will not be erased from Jack's heart, it is just the good wishes of the creators.
View more about Jacob's Ladder reviews
