The characters in the film are all from the bottom of the United States, living a life like a stray dog. Three protagonists: Nicolas Cage (Joe), Tye Sheridan (boy) and Gary Poulter (father). Nicolas Cage became famous because of some of his early successful works. In recent years, there are not many good films but there is no lack of loyal followers. Although he is no longer a leading male star in Hollywood, he has become a very personal performance style. Interesting cultural phenomenon. Tye Sheridan is a rising star, walking on the road of a powerful faction paved with heavyweight films like The Tree of Life.
The film is called Joe, and Cage is naturally the absolute protagonist, struggling to balance good and evil in the struggle of life, and finally dies as a hero. Sheridan's role is a 15-year-old boy who does physical work to take care of his family, representing kindness, persistence, life and hope. But at the other end of the balance between morality, destiny, and good and evil, there is only one soul character, the boy father, on the other side of the film's plot tension. He does not have clear and powerful language, and is mostly half drunk and half awake. He committed evil, although small in scale, he has no bottom line, and he wanders on the edge of man and ghost all day long. And in a short clip, he danced freely in the street, with the brilliance of the soul, so we understand that everything he has is not pursuit or consciousness, but the basic desire of animals, vulgar, unconstrained, and exudes mud. Breath originates from flesh and blood, and belongs to flesh and blood.
Gary Poulter, the actor of his father, performed the shape and soul of this character, and according to imdb, this is his only film work. DGG likes to mix professional and non-professional actors, so I was curious about the origin of this old man. After checking it, I realized that it was a drama of "art imitating life".
Gary Poulter is a drunk tramp himself. He likes acting and was an extra in some TV dramas in the 1980s. The director DGG and the manager in charge of the actor selection met him on the streets of Austin, Texas. Although passers-by reminded them not to talk to him, the two DGG still became interested. When Poulter said, "I'm an actor," there was still a bleeding hole in his head. The director was surprised to find that Poulter could speak fluent Japanese. It turned out that because he was a veteran of World War II, he was sent to Japan AWOL (away without leave). He once wandered with a mobile carnival team, and went in and out of the detention center more than ten times, for drugs, theft, and various crimes. He loves break dancing and heavy metal rock music. He had skin cancer and lost part of his ears as a result. He has a dual personality and a history of violence. Whether Poulter can play this role is undoubtedly a huge question mark. His sister told DGG that Poulter has his problems, but this is his dream. Later, during the filming, he would appear on the scene on time and be well prepared. In order to stay awake, he only drinks some beer every day.
Filming ended in December 2012. Poulter was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer in January 2013, and there is still up to 6 months left. He did not choose treatment and decided to spend the rest of his life in a stray way. On February 19, 2013, a homeless man found Poulter's body by the river. Cause of death: Alcoholism and drowning. On August 30, 2013, the film premiered at the Venice Film Festival.
In the movie, Cage has a wonderful performance, and Poulter is an incarnation. In the end, the dream came true, not in vain for a lifetime of madness. RIP
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