The Greek director Theo Angelopoulos' film "Landscape in the Fog" is a road movie, a "growing up" film, a film about the pursuit. At first glance, the film seems to be just about a pair of sisters and brothers in Greece who take a train to Germany to find a father they have never met. But in fact, in this superficial narrative, there are An Zhe's systematic and elaborate construction, profound and grand thinking, and mature artistic master techniques. The ultimate achievement is such a great film, a film about the "growth" of life. A philosophical, metaphorical film about the search for ultimate meaning, about each individual, and humanity as a whole.
The film begins with the sister's story about the creation of the heavens and the earth (with human beings) in "Genesis". Then, the sister and brother bid farewell to Mr. Seagull and start a journey to Germany to find the "father".
Because they didn't buy a ticket, the siblings were kicked off the bus for the first time and brought to their uncle. And it was in front of their relatives - uncles - that they experienced the first time in the world. The indifferent uncle did not accept them, for fear of causing trouble for himself, and also told a cruel truth - there is no father in Germany at all, the sister and brother are illegitimate children, this is just a lie made up by their mother. When the policeman asked, "Why in Germany?" The uncle replied, "Maybe I want them to have the opportunity to daydream (this sentence also tells some truth about life)."
When my sister heard the truth, she refused to believe it, and strongly denied it. Think about it, when we say goodbye to our ignorant but happy childhood, the first time we see ugly people, the first time we understand shameless lies, the beautiful fairy tale we believed so much in the past, and the first time we are ruthlessly exposed... What is the reaction? Was it stunned, shocked, resisted fiercely, refused to admit it, did it seem like the whole world had been turned upside down?
When the siblings escaped from the police station and boarded the train again, they learned to evade fares for the first time. This also indicates that they began to understand some personnel, began to know some social operating rules, and began to "grow up" slowly.
They come to a snowy town, meet a wedding and witness the death of a horse. In this scene, there are moments of sadness and joy, and there are joys and sorrows. Maybe, life is just like this, death, new life, sadness, joy, accompany each other, and the cycle goes on and on...
Next, the siblings met the only bright spot in the itinerary - an actor from a mobile troupe, who was handsome and gave them warmth and respect. Of course, just like human society and human life, it is not all indifference, lies, and hurt, but also warmth, kindness, equality, and respect. But in the environment where God is dead and times have changed, this bright color, this little warmth, seems so precious, yet so fragile, so fleeting.
When my sister first began to have feelings for the actor and fell in love, then she knew that he was gay, and it was impossible for them to be between them. The time of happiness is so short, and it has been pierced before it has time to confess and develop. So, she couldn't bear to face it and left without saying goodbye.
In that very wonderful long shot, she relied on the actor's arms, and experienced the heart-piercing heartbreak of love. The actor could only comfortably and helplessly say, "This is the first time." Maybe, life is indeed like this. After all, we have to experience countless firsts, and finally learn to accept the loss...
I have to mention here, and I personally think that the most exciting scene in the whole film, that is, the scene where the girl was raped before. In this scene, the director went against the norm. Instead of being positive, intense, and dramatic, the director was silent, distanced, and viewed from a distance. Perhaps this is more in line with the normality of sin under the sun. But my personal inner reaction was bursting.
In the face of rape, her resistance was not out of date, she chose to bear it silently; in the face of love, she chose to turn around and set out on the road again. Compared to her performance when she heard her uncle's words before, she was completely different. This might be another kind of "growth".
The siblings took the train for the last time, and they decided not to evade fares, but to find a way to buy a ticket. This time, my sister took the initiative to approach a soldier, wanting to exchange her body for money. At this moment, my sister bravely took the initiative to face it, and to a certain extent, completed the final "growth". But this kind of "growth" makes me so ironic, sad, and helpless. How do you feel when you see this scene? The siblings showed their tickets for the first time, they looked at each other and smiled, but at that moment, I couldn't smile...
Attentive readers will find that I have put quotation marks on "growth" in this article. Therefore, the so-called "growth" here is the "growth" in the mundane sense, and it is the experience of all personnel... For this "growth", director An Zhe is more presenting and revealing, rather than judging.
In the movie, the sister and brother experienced the indifference of their relatives for the first time, witnessed death for the first time, suffered injury for the first time, fell in love for the first time, experienced the pain of not being able to love for the first time, and faced it bravely for the first time. ......This is too many forced and voluntary firsts, and together they are called "growth". This is a veritable life "growth" journey. And this so-called "growth" originated from the pursuit of the illusory "father" far away in Germany.
The "father" in the film is not only a father, but also a symbol and metaphor, which can be explained in many ways. It may be God, it may be heaven in the afterlife, it may be an ideal of your life, it may be the end of your life, it may be the future of mankind... In order to pursue this "father", no matter the individual, Or the entire human race, we "go on the road", we travel, we experience personnel, we pay the price, we "grow", and what about the end?
It is said that the original ending of the movie script was not like this, but the sister and brother disappeared into the fog. And An Zhe's seven-year-old daughter cried after seeing the script: "Where is my father? Where is my home?" So the director revised the ending so that the thick fog disappeared, and the siblings ran to hug the meaningful tree. tree of Life. Compared with this beautiful and unrealistic ending like a fairy tale, personally, I still prefer the previous open ending. Maybe I'm a pessimist.
As Bob Dylan sings in the song "Blowin' in the Wind": How far does a man have to walk to be a man? How many seas does a white dove have to fly over before it can rest on the beach? How many times does a cannonball have to fly before it can be banned forever? Friends, the answer is blowing in the wind, the answer is blowing in the wind.....
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