The first half of the film retains the dramatic form and content to the greatest extent, and almost entirely uses dialogue to shape characters, show character relationships, introduce character experiences, advance the plot and foreshadowing. The rhythm can be said to be very slow. In the middle, a series of empty shots accompanying the interlude are used as transitions, and a more cinematic rhythm and technique are adopted from the second half. There are more jumps in time and scene.
In fact, the rhythm of the front and rear halves of the movie is somewhat out of touch. The difference in the language of expression causes the upper and lower parts to almost feel like watching two movies. The average movie has a lot of fast-paced and slow-paced paragraphs interleaved, not just these two paragraphs. Even if there is, it is mostly the fast-paced part in the front and the slow-paced part in the back. This makes it easier to catch the audience, which is a way to meet the requirements of watching movies. Fences does the exact opposite. So it's no surprise that when I recommend this movie to other people around me, they rarely watch it.
But when I watched the whole movie, with the calming and thought-provoking piano piece at the end, I thought, this is a movie worth watching again and again.
The protagonist of the story is undoubtedly the "rotten father" and "scum husband" Troy. He will take every small opportunity to preach to his children, whether they want to listen or not. After drinking he was open-mouthed, bombastic and rude. He vented negative emotions from his work and past life on to his family. He has a strong sense of responsibility for his relatives, but also has a strong desire to control them, and has a strong psychological dependence on them. Once they are out of his control or he is not their indispensable existence, he will at a loss.
He was arrogant and extremely inferior. He is cynical but a staunch advocate of existing social rules. For the people closest to him, he neglects to maintain relationships, and even treats them as a trash can for negative emotions. But in fact, he is extremely insecure and has a strong sense of dependence on the people closest to him. These behaviors are still intrinsically self-centred. He strictly fulfills all the responsibilities that conform to the social and moral norms, but he can't get the slightest sense of satisfaction from it, and refuses to explore the benefits and pleasures in it, just like an ox being driven with a whip to finish the work. It bores him, and he has to do it again for a living. He kept showing the imprint of his past lessons, paralyzing him like some kind of desensitization therapy, but he refused to admit that he was deeply bound by the past, and eventually became the one he once hated and affected him the most. that kind of person.
Unfortunately, too few people are lucky enough to meet someone who helped them get through it, or are mentally strong enough to turn the page. They are deeply trapped in the trauma of the past, unable to extricate themselves, feel sorry for themselves and feel sorry for themselves, but they act like ostriches in the face of the sacrifices and sufferings of the people around them, they are dissatisfied with everything in the outside world and hate themselves. Then they can't help hurting others, hurting the people around them, hurting their relatives, hurting their offspring. When their own life is destroyed, they can't help but want to destroy others, but they know in their hearts that this is wrong, and the only remaining conscience will torture them. Tragedy is tragic and helpless.
The influence of the family of origin on a person's character is enormous and almost irreversible. Most families in the world still have distinct strong and weak sides. The sense of oppression caused by the long-term unequal status makes us resist the strong party, but the strong party's personality traits, habits of dealing with others and even the way of thinking will quietly integrate into your soul.
But life still has to go on. Getting out of the shadows is not easy, and escaping does not solve the problem. The dialogue between mother and son and between brother and sister at the end of the film not only shows the other side of Troy that is not directly shown to the audience, but also a partial answer to this long-standing question. This is not a film that is strongly critical. Except for the only violent conflict, the entire movie is shot with restraint and calm. Troy is a person who is difficult to be typed and labeled, complex, contradictory, and difficult to judge. Everyone can see their own shadow in him.
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