When I saw Hou Hsiao-hsien's new film this time, it was a French film, which made me a little puzzled. Hou's transformation was really fast. After filming nostalgia movies, filming modern street life, drinking coffee in Japan, he came to France to release red balloons. It's just that this kind of overseas travel is not a last resort because of the downturn in Taiwanese movies. But whether it is a last resort or a flowery fragrance on the wall, even if the voice of the bird is spoken on the screen, it still has a strong Hou Hsiao-hsien style. It's just that the combination of Japanese and Hou Hsiao-hsien seems to be more harmonious than that of French and Hou's style.
The heroine of this movie is my favorite Juliette Binoche, because she was always so decisive and strong in the past. In this film, Juliet lost the grace and self-confidence that looked forward to flying in the past movies, and became neurotic and irritable like a homely woman. She always tells people, I'm fine, I'm fine. In fact, she is rarely happy. She has no man to rely on, she misses her daughter who is far away from her, so she is always busy, busy and disorderly, because it may make her more fulfilled and not think about happiness or unhappiness. Juliet's role is well interpreted, expressing the unspeakable depression of a middle-aged woman very thoroughly. The filming of this film is a bit similar to Wong Kar-wai's technique. If there are no specific lines, Hou only gave Zhu a range and let her play by herself, so Juliet expresses her emotions in her own words. Perhaps such an independent and creative role makes She has more room to play. In the past few years, her play has been broadened a lot, and she often has a refreshing feeling. Although she no longer has the beauty and elegance of "Blue" and the charming style in "Chocolate", it makes people feel that she is a really successful actor.
Another protagonist in the movie is a red balloon, like a lead, threading a needle and thread in the movie. In my understanding, red balloons belong to good memories or hopes, something that people want to pursue but can't grasp. It seems to be very close, but can never be reached. But it's always there, making you recall or yearn, even if it's just an idea, but it makes life vivid and meaningful. At the end of the film, the child is chasing a red balloon, as if he is also chasing after the lost beloved. This may be what Hou Dao wants to say, of course, it may also be my speculation.
Watching a movie and being able to see your own understanding is a harvest.
Although the film does not have intense plot twists or conflicts, everything sneaks slowly like flowing water. The long shots show the reality of life, not boring or exciting; not intense, but full of charm.
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