Text | Shen Zichao
Kennel Fright was nominated for the Palme d'Or in the main competition section at this year's Cannes Film Festival and won the Best Actor Award. Marcello FONTE, who played the leading actor Marcello in the film, said in his acceptance speech:
I would like to say two words here. When I was a child, as long as I was at home, whenever it rained, I would close my eyes, and the sound of the rain seemed to turn into applause. Now, I hear your applause. Tonight, I feel like I'm home. Movies, audiences, Cannes, it's my home. I would like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart and thank Matteo Garrone for your hard work.
Marcello FONTE looks ordinary, with a thin body, a slightly sharp voice, and simple and unpretentious words. Before watching this film, no one would have thought that he would have such amazing power in the kennel fright.
Kennel Fright is exactly how violence can enter the life of a very peaceful man. The story is based on real events that took place in Italy in 1988. Although the place where Marcello lives is dilapidated, he has a daughter he loves, a group of friends who play football together, and he also owns a pet shop called DOGMAN. peaceful. The appearance of Simoncino made Marcello's life an irreversible sudden change.
Simoncino was full of oppression as soon as he appeared, forcing Marcello to give him drugs, and Marcello, the weak and timid, quickly calmed down. In fact, this is just the beginning of a series of bullying. Marcello's kindness and forbearance did not make the situation better, but made him lose everything. The young daughter couldn't understand his situation. Unable to continue. Up until this point, Marcello was naively trying to solve problems through words, but when he found out that the whole world had isolated him, he decided to use extreme means to save his life.
Contrary to the male protagonists in ordinary revenge movies, Marcello is not a hero, but a little anti-hero. He's a coward and a humble man, and he just wants to calm down. On the one hand he is oppressed by Simoncino, but on the other hand he yearns for Simoncino's freewheeling life. The purpose of his violence is not to be a hero against evil, but just to save his life and his dignity. The practical significance of the film is that each of us may encounter a Simoncino, who becomes Marcello to a certain extent, so Marcello's struggle in the film will give the viewer a feeling that the film is brought into reality. I don't know if there will be viewers who are glad they didn't go down Marcello's road of no return.
The story of the movie is advanced in a single line. Although it is a little thin, Marcello FONTE's wonderful performance can be said to support the whole movie. Kennel Cry director Matteo Garrone only gradually clarified the image of the main character after meeting Marcello FONTE, and he became a key figure in inspiring the whole work.
Marcello FONTE comes from a very poor peasant family in the southern tip of Italy. He came to Rome from his hometown at the age of 18 and worked in various jobs. His past experiences bring an aura of humanity to the characters in the film, and the natural performance adds a lot to the film. After the Cannes screening of The Kennel Fright, Marcello FONTE's winning call was very high. Although the award was well received, he was still hesitant to accept the heavy palm leaves.
Aside from the great performances, another big reason for The Kennel Cry's success is the prominent imagery. Using a documentary-like style, the photographer uses very little lighting and limited color to make the characters stand out from the background and catch the viewer's eye. In the first half of the film, warm tones are often used, but in the second half, a lot of cool tones give people a shuddering feeling. The film's cinematographer, Nicolaj Bruel, was particularly pleased with the scene where Marcello FONTE carried Simoncino on a motorcycle. The film's setting is full of real desolation, as if to isolate the whole story, adding to the loneliness of the male protagonist when they are betrayed and separated.
The dog is a recurring motif in the film. Marcello has a very touching relationship with dogs, which is why the director chose the title Dogman. He ate with the dogs and risked arrest to rescue a puppy frozen in the refrigerator. After Simoncino appeared, he was like an aggressive pit bull, while Marcello was more like a Chihuahua who kept entertaining each other. When using violence to control violence, Marcello wanted to bring Simoncino into submission by training dogs. The dogs in the cage created an atmosphere of watching the savage struggle between humans.
At the end of the film, Marcello sits alone in an empty and dilapidated playground, with a mist in the background in the early morning, a tragic temperament of a modern knight, and the life that he once tried to control in his hands is now nothing. What scares people is not the bloody scenes, but the loss of control hidden deep in each of us.
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