In terms of plot, this film is a suspenseful film with a satisfactory loop structure. There are elements of horror and cult. The first 30 minutes are full of tension, and then it runs smoothly, and does not make people feel empty or procrastinated. Regrettably, only the character of Patric Wilson stood up. In the tall grass, there is only grass for each other and whispering. If you can dig out the character's psychology, you may be able to take it to the next level. If we analyze the source of the scary point in the film and its connection with the character's psychology, there seems to be something to be said.
1. White people's fear of alien American lands and ancient cultures
Dad Ross led everyone to the stone, and everyone saw the ancient text on it. Ross started talking about America Center, salvation, miracles, etc. The religious meaning here actually echoes the church where everyone parked outside the grass. I will talk about the religious meaning of this film later. This is connected with the appearance of the grass people behind. Their music and costumes are quite tribal when they appear on the stage. I can't help linking this to the Indians, and their ancient and deep understanding and dependence on the land and nature. Everyone who has touched the stone is beginning to know the grass well, and will not leave the grass. This can be understood as a kind of sublimation connected with this land. However, for white people, regardless of whether their ancestors live here, they are always outsiders compared with the Native Indians. This ancient land cult is alien, unfamiliar, and unknown to them, so it is terrifying. The irresistible magic and power of this cult is both fascinating and frightening. This is completely manifested in the film in a form of enchantment (the first little boy Tobin, father Ross, and boyfriend Travis), conveying a mysterious sense of horror. Although the film does not clearly explain the source of the mysterious power of the grass, I think it is possible to explain from this perspective why such a design becomes part of the film's thriller element.
2. Female Fertility Anxiety
I see this big belly girl Becky, every time she has a stomachache, it hurts in her body, it hurts in my heart! I don’t know if this is a common impression among women: I have never experienced giving birth, but I feel it hurts! Carrying a big belly is like carrying an oil bottle. Becky was lifted up by the grass people and sent to the side of the stone. I think the expressiveness can be very good, a kind of blood and grass entangled, painful and comatose. Is there anything better to call for motherhood than to produce on muddy land? However, this incident is portrayed so cruelly and bloody in this film: I was born, my baby doesn't know where, someone fed me something, I ate--ah! My baby? The depiction on the stone also shows: This place just wants newborn babies. An important element of cult films is sacrifice, and babies often become such victims because of their innocence. His own baby was sacrificed, which is probably one of the mothers’ biggest nightmares. Becky originally intended to send her baby to be adopted. When the ending broke the ring, she decided to turn around and go home. Does this also indicate to some extent that this mother has gone through the process of losing her child and decided to keep her child? The ending seems to imply that as long as Becky decides to keep the child, none of this will happen. The relationship between mother and child is really complicated and intriguing.
The film also emphasizes the redemption point, I don't think I understand it too much. The only two points that seem to match are that her boyfriend Travis decides to sacrifice herself to save the little boy and Becky completes self-salvation. Becky completes the redemption through his own different choices, but the existence of the whole little boy and mom and dad seems to be different from this. Related, Dad Ross's speech in front of the stone does not seem to have corresponding plot support behind it. What I am also curious about is who are those people under the stone? Does the building where his brother Cal let go and let her boyfriend Travis fall down make sense? What is the meaning of the hole? Does Freddy the dog have any other purpose besides letting everyone know that the dead will not move? What is the meaning of the brother's unfaithful love for his sister besides intensifying the conflict between him and her boyfriend? The persistence of these problems makes me think that the form of this film is more important than the core. Although it is not ugly but not very attractive, its own logical charm does not seem to be established. But thinking about things like getting lost in tall grass, this setting itself is still very scary!
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