As Feng Junhao's feature film debut, "Kidnapping the Dog at the Door" can be said to be the first to show its edge. For example, actors Fei Douna and Bian Xifeng also starred in "The Monster of the Han River", and the basement, which is a metaphor for the dark side of society and human nature, in the film is the place where security guards cook "food" and the homeless live. In "Memories of Murder" It is the violent interrogation room of the police, and in "Parasite", it is the parasitic residence of the nanny couple.
"Kidnapping the Door Dog" is a film about the general public. It uses comedy to shape the characters and unfold the story, vividly showing people's troubles, struggles and compromises when they face survival anxiety. The characters and plots of the whole movie revolve around dogs. The characters in Feng Junhao's image are vivid and full, and the design of various misunderstandings and coincidences makes the story interesting without losing depth and charm.
The two characters, Lee Sung Jae and Fei Doo Na, constitute a sharp contrasting group in the moral sense. They are facing their own difficulties in life and are looking for their own exit. One is done by being a bad guy (bribing the dean to get a professorship), the other by being a good guy (a heroic hero), and the interesting thing is that the two approaches of the two characters are also realized through the medium of "dog". Through the "dog disappearance incident", the two characters are connected and entered into a common conflict whirlpool.
On the one hand, Li Qi seeks to break through his own moral bottom line. His behavior of kidnapping and killing dogs is not only a way of venting his dissatisfaction with life, but also a moral test for himself. It seems that if he can kill a dog with ruthlessness, then he can also bribe the dean without any psychological burden. . His anger and hostility towards dogs stems from his existential anxiety, his dual economic and moral contradictions, including the support of his wife and upcoming child, and the question of whether to pay bribes.
On the other hand, Fei Douna is trying to occupy the moral high ground, trying to get rid of her ordinary daily life by solving the "dog missing incident" and becoming a hero like a bank girl fighting a bandit on TV. As an ordinary employee working in an apartment property, Fei Douna's life is boring and depressing except for occasionally having fun with her fat best friend. Therefore, she eagerly yearns for "extraordinary", so she will believe the cheating phone call in the middle of the night saying that she is the first love of a star. She hopes that there will be big events happening around her, so that she can feel that her existence is no longer so small.
Lee Sung Jae and Fei Doo Na seem to have different moral choices, but they share the same motivation, namely, to resolve their inner conflicts and to be liberated from their survival anxiety. The conflict and anxiety between the two are shared by thousands of people, both you and I in front of the screen. We all hope to get rid of the ordinary and achieve something. This is also the reason why the audience can resonate. Both their wishes seemed to be fulfilled in the end, and Li finally made up his mind to bribe the dean and get a professorship. Although Fei did not appear on TV, he was also interviewed by reporters by arresting the dog murderer.
However, the irony is that the realization of the two wishes is based on an "innocent" tramp. The tramp not only bears the crime of killing the dog, but also plays the villain in Fei's fantasy heroic deeds, while the security guard who actually cooks the dog meat is at large. This makes people wonder whether we are also unconsciously demonizing the marginalized groups in society into villains to flaunt ourselves.
When Li stared at the natural scenery outside the window again at the end, how was his mood different from the beginning? And what is the symbol of Tuofei and his companions hiking in the mountains and returning to nature? Regarding these, I can't seem to think about the answer at the moment.
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