Ben walked into the screening hall with the mentality of watching a somewhat dark love musical. I didn't expect that what left the deepest impression on me in the whole film was such a plot that seemed to be less related to the theme.
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The driver (Adam Driver) plays the male lead in this film, a comedian with a "different" sense of humor. Shortly after the start of the film, the driver was suddenly "shot" and fell to the ground while performing in the theater. In the theater on the big screen, these rapid gunshots made the audience overwhelmed and scared, and even I, who was watching the movie, took a deep breath. Immediately after the camera turned, it turned out that the driver on the stage was not injured, it was just a joke he made to everyone. So the audience was furious, felt offended, and accused the male protagonist one after another.
Interestingly, when there is a fake shooting scene, contrary to the emotional ups and downs of the theater audience on the screen, the audience in the real theater is very quiet. I don't know if it was because of the introverted character and high quality of the Swiss, or because this scene really didn't have much impact on them. Comparing the two, a strange sense of connection and loneliness burst through me at the same time. The big screen gave me an immersive viewing experience, and the surrounding environment made me strongly aware that I was watching a movie in the cinema, which created a sense of detachment.
After walking out of the theater, I quickly searched for coverage, wondering how critics and other audience members felt about the scene, whether they were offended or shocked. Sadly, there are only a handful of reports about this scene, and most of them only pass by. A critic in the Guardian commented, "horribly tasteless Bataclan-style fake gun attacks" , linking the scene to the shooting at the Bataclan theatre in Paris a few years ago. Yes, after all the director is French.
I'm curious how the American people will react to the film when it hits theaters in the U.S. next month. After all, this is an "American story" that happened in LA, and the American people have experienced various collective traumas related to gun violence since 9/11.
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