As for me, What I saw was the face.
Aristotle once said: "Even if the most beautiful colors in the world are put before them, human beings are still more interested in the most ordinary faces". In the view of Aristotle, who embraces the theory of artistic imitation, people are more curious about people than anything else, and the act of looking at other people's faces is enough to establish regret and satisfaction; regret and satisfaction are the foundation of art, therefore, the most Beautiful art is the art with the most facial expressions—tragedy. From Aristotle to Western classical civilization, tragedy is regarded as the highest art, and it is inseparable from the expressions of people's faces.
However, what about music? The last thing music does not contain is the face.
In the movie, the protagonist Frank, played by Michael Fassbender, wears a big headgear, which he has not taken off for more than ten years, whether he is in the band or in his life. No one knows what his face looks like, of course. No one could look at his expression. Neither he nor his orchestra took the headgear seriously. The orchestra made experimental music, the voice of a minority, and an echo of self-satisfaction. They record but don't want to release it. Naturally, they don't have a customer base. Their art only needs to be heard by each other, and they don't need to care about other people's eyes.
Due to fate, the unborn Frank entered the American music festival and the YouTube video chart. When Frank's strange appearance became a topic of music fans after dinner, his headgear was arbitrarily interpreted as another expression of Frank, forever. Only stupefied and eccentric, human beings gradually treat Frank as such: a fool and a geek. The hoods are starting to get dirty, Frank's music has changed, and the soul-cry swings are chopped up to pieces of paint and piping. The audience left, the band broke up, and everyone left the band with only two words: Freak!
Which step went wrong? From Frank, who was recording in the countryside, to Freak, who was ridiculed by netizens across the street, it all depends on whether we care about expressions or not.
In the country, the orchestra only cares about Frank's music; in society, people care more about Frank's face. When Frank's every move is like an immutable hooded expression, and everything is considered funny, who really cares that his music has any value other than funny? Frank was also accused of losing himself and went through the greatest torture of his life. It was not until he finally regained his ability to compose music that he sincerely had to sing to the old members of the band before he could re-express his love for his fellow musicians.
Ironically, the movie has Frank taking off his hood at this moment. As a result, the audience off the screen can no longer figure out the reason why they were so moved by the last scene that they were moved by the sincerity of the music, or because of the delicacy and tearful eyes of actor McFassbender? The distinction between joy and expression was once again unresolved.
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