Is Hirokazu-eda's French-language film a little too "Japanese"? I think it depends on your attitude and perception when you watch it. Shizhi's film looks very "meaty", and Chen Fu, who is screeching, will occupy a lot of space, and then in the delicate relationship between the characters, you will slowly taste the slightly bitter situation. Visual stillness, of course, cannot erase the Japanese elements: the desolate autumn scenery seen through the window, the camera position is completely motionless, especially Ozu.
The subject matter of the story reminds me of Bergman's Autumn Sonata, the same family structure, selfish genius artist and resentful daughter...but the rhythm and tone are completely different. Sometimes I feel that the difference between appreciating works of art and reading philosophical texts is that you get to touch the characters of the authors and their vivid personalities. Bergman is like a sharp scalpel, revealing the cruel truth directly in front of the audience. But Hirokazu Kore-eda is always tolerant, a little compassionate, and even a little false Taoism. Is this an Eastern philosophy that compromises with the environment? True cruelty or mild hypocrisy, which one do we need more?
Is Deneuve playing himself? It is also difficult to think of a genius without being selfish, because it is always the focus of everyone. The temperature of the tea, the abnormal noise on the set, and the dessert after the meal can all be reasons for complaining. Daughter said: I will never forgive you for what you did. She replies contemptuously: When is it your turn to decide whether to forgive? How arrogant and how confident. When reconciling with my daughter, I suddenly thought that such emotions should be used in the characters, whether it is the artist's cuteness or ruthlessness. She even thinks that actors who engage in charity or participate in social activities are coy, sharp and mean when their creativity is exhausted. Are artists the kind of people who live forever in characters? But you can see that Shizhi does not have this "master disease". Even if he wears a suit and walks the red carpet, he will not give people a deterrent effect, but he is just an ordinary Japanese director. The attitude towards the body is also so different. In the film, Deneuve always sticks to the cigarette and the cup. In addition to pondering the role, he will only play the role of a bad mother, a bad colleague, and an old woman who practices her body every day.. ... But the branch is so healthy, and it hasn't gotten old after so many years. Although he is already a hall-level director, his image is not related to the title of "master".
I think the ending of the story is particularly interesting: Deneuve regained her great performance in the painful struggle, the daughter teased her mother with her own lines, and released the depressed and frustrated old housekeeper who had been buried in her heart for many years. Back to his place... Mom secretly complained to her daughter about her boyfriend: although he is not a good lover, he is a good cook... Everyone is pampering this old jerk who brews wayward Son.
I think it's not her willfulness that they dote on, but the unforgettable memories she brings to us as an artist.
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