The story begins in 1973. When the political struggle in Chile was surging, Pinochet commanded the army to launch a coup in order to seize power. Therefore, many people who supported President Ayed (Salvador Allende, 1908-1973) took to the streets to fight, from Germany. Daniel (Daniel Brühl) also joined the ranks of solidarity. Unexpectedly, in the chaotic situation, Daniel was arrested by the military and sent away secretly. The anxious flight attendant Rena (Emma Watson), after inquiring about it, learned that her boyfriend Daniel was being held by the priest Paul. In the "dignity colony" established by Chevrolet (Michael Nyqvist), she decided to pretend to be a follower and mix in, looking for an opportunity to rescue her boyfriend from the trap.
From the plot point of view, although "Suffocating Land" is based on a period of heavy black history, it is directed by Frory. The adaptation of Florian Gallenberger and co-writer Torsten Wenzel is actually more like a common Hollywood thriller; even so, the movie still flips the typical drama of "The Prince Saves the Princess" and makes Emma. Watson shoulders the task of saving the prince. In fact, Emma. The reason why Watson decided to participate in the performance was precisely because the role setting aroused her interest. Emma, who has been running frequently for the feminist movement in recent years. Watson was appointed as a global goodwill ambassador by UN Women in 2014. The gender equality speech delivered in September of the same year was even more shocking and well received. Lena in the movie is certainly not like Emma. Watson bluntly said that she is a "feminist" (feminist), but from her words and deeds, we can still see that she is different from traditional women-or the "feminist" recognized by the patriarchal society.
In the film, Rena takes a break from work to date her boyfriend Daniel, who has lived in Chile for a long time. One morning, Reina got up and saw the naked Daniel making breakfast with only an apron. On a whim, she took a sneak shot of Daniel’s camera and wrote "my man" (my man) on the washed photo. ). This scene is obviously intended to flip the gender viewing position. Film producer and playwright Laura. Laura Mulvey (1941-) once pointed out that the women represented in Hollywood movies are only the objects of male gaze. In other words, Hollywood provides images as a starting point to satisfy male visual pleasure. The most famous example is the movie "Rear Window" (1954) by Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980). The male protagonist in the film sits in front of the window most of the time, peeking through the camera lens of the lives of some people in the apartment across the street, including a female dancer. Therefore, photography or photography is often regarded as an aggressive and voyeuristic behavior, and the camera lens is even more a symbol of the power of a "phallus." However, when it comes to "Suffocating Land", it is Rena who holds the "Phallus", and Daniel has naturally become the stared/peeped object satisfying the visual pleasure. In fact, it’s just like what Lena said when the two were playing and flirting: "If you let me find out that you have a Chilean girl, then cut off your cock." In this relationship, the "Phallus" has always been mastered. Lena.
Rena is not the only one who flips the gender frame, but also Captain Luomen (Julian Ovenden). At the beginning of the movie, Luomen took off the captain's hat and exposed a long flowing hair under the roar of the stewardess. Needless to say, under airline regulations, men cannot keep long hair, and this is also true in most social concepts. On the surface, Luomen's clothing and appearance are in compliance with the regulations, but in fact it is secretly undermining the regulations. His act of hiding his long hair under the uniform hat is the biggest mockery of various rules (gender, airline regulations, social concepts). "People sometimes just want to break the rules," Luomen's motto not only promotes the progress of the plot at critical moments, but also inspires Reina, making her determined to take risks to save her boyfriend.
In fact, "Suffocating Land" is to constantly show the establishment and destruction of various tangible and intangible rules. The "Colony of Dignity" designed by Father Paul is like Boston in "Spotlight" (Spotlight, 2015). It is an extremely closed religious field, and all codes of conduct are based on religion. In the "Colonies of Dignity," Paul is the only and absolute God. His voice and commands permeate every corner of the community through broadcasting and other forms, and he regulates the words and deeds of every resident. Once the rules are violated, he will be Will be judged collectively by everyone. Therefore, under uniform and indisputable strict regulations, everyone not only wears the same clothes, but also their behavior and even their thoughts are similar. Therefore, they are shown as walking dead, expressionless individuals; this is what Paul sees. Fairyland". To put it bluntly, "the colony of dignity" is actually a microcosm, reflecting the absurd utopia created by a totalitarian society. Daniel.
From here, the movie has derived an intriguing issue. Both Lena and Daniel live outside the "Colonies of Dignity". They are not restrained by totalitarianism, and their thoughts and behaviors are relatively free. Therefore, to them, everything in the "Colonies of Dignity" is so incredible. It was even appalling, so I tried to escape from it. But for those who have lived there for a long time, or were born there, is life in a "dignified colony" really that unbearable? After Lena and Daniel meet and plan an escape route, Lena wants to take Wusu (Vicky Krieps) along with them. Unexpectedly, when the three of them finally escaped outside the iron grid and returned to the embrace of the free world, Wusu accidentally touched the grid and died. Wusu, who has come to the "Colonies of Dignity" since the age of 9, has never been influenced by the outside world. Her thoughts and personality were cultivated under totalitarian rule. Such she actually lost her life when she was saved to the free world. If you say: "I'm not free, or rather die." Then how should Wusu's death be explained? Or is the so-called "free world" simply another unfree totalitarian world? I believe this is the sharpest stroke in "Suffocating Land".
"Suffocating Land" has good themes, and there is room for thinking about it, but it is a pity that the script is not perfect enough, and many key transitions that promote the progress of the plot are obviously insufficiently laid out, which appears hasty and abrupt, especially in the second half of Rena and Daniel. This is especially true during the flight. In addition, although the adaptation method of the commercial thriller makes the film rhythm tight and there is almost no breathing room, it also greatly weakens the special significance of this real history and its critical power.
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