The amount of information and relationships in the film are a little chaotic, perhaps life is complicated.
It is easier to understand by drawing a relationship diagram:
Lester and Caroline, a married couple in name only, the husband suffered a middle-aged economic crisis, and the wife has a strong desire for material things and is also the main source of the family's economy, so it is also an authority at home. , Not only has he lacked sex for many years, but Lester has also developed a skill in masturbation, and even in the end Lester wanted to regain his former passion, but was disturbed by the expensive sofa.
Caroline and Buddy, a typical extramarital affair. Caroline, who has a lack of sex life, also has desires, but she is more concerned about material success, and Buddy, as a sales king, can better meet Caroline's needs. Di's life is just as bad. His wife wants to be dissatisfied but spends the money he earns confidently. It's better that Caroline is more like-minded. The two hit it off, but it's hard to tell what the future will face in such a relationship.
Lester, Caroline and Jane's family, the father actually wanted to set an example for Jane, but unfortunately he was not successful enough. He was suppressed by a more powerful wife at home. Coupled with the temperament of a middle-aged greasy and wretched man, Jane Therefore, I don’t agree with such a father from the bottom of my heart. As for my mother, Jane’s education is limited to pursuing success and relying on herself. It seems to be morally correct in China. It made Jane become a talent, but she failed to give her daughter enough warmth during the youthful rebellious period.
As for Jane and Angela, a pair of girlfriends in middle school, they have different views on things. Jane is more introverted by the influence of her mother's strong mother and her weak father. In fact, she still longs for attention, while Angela is the opposite. Eager to be noticed and willing to speak out boldly, but in the end she found out that she was really just a little girl, and the promiscuous relationship that she usually boasted about was actually made up by herself out of extreme vanity. It is indeed very common to have something else to brag about if not showing off your sex life.
Lester and Angela, such a year-long love is based on this background. Lester has a great interest in girls due to the usual sexual repression. Meeting Angela directly stimulated the long-held passion in his heart. From the countless sexual fantasies generated in his heart, he really began to reflect on his life and began to exercise and regain himself. Such actions also seem to herald a better future. As for Angela, it was to prove his charm, but he naively thought that he could The father who seduced his best friend does not need to say whether such a relationship is incest due to the tolerance of today's society. The biggest problem is that it happened at the last moment of directly attacking Huanglong. Angela confessed that he was still a virgin, and Lester also He came to his senses and realized that his feelings for Angela were essentially a yearning for a beautiful girl, but out of a sense of responsibility or desire for protection, he finally chose a restrained hug.
In another group of families, the relationship between the colonel and his wife is diametrically opposite to that of the Leicester family. The colonel has absolute authority, while the wife is more like a nanny or an accessory, and rarely even dares to reveal her emotions.
Ricky, who grew up in such a family relationship, also developed a completely different trait from Jane. He was arrested for drug use as a teenager, and repeatedly caused incidents in the process of going to school. He was even sent to a lunatic asylum by his father. Accepting inspections, but such strict rules did not shape him into a soldier, but made him gradually accustomed to hiding his true emotions and violated the law, and even made use of various interests in drug trafficking for his own benefit.
Ricky and Jane, as the saying goes, don't know each other, Ricky's strange behavior attracts Jane. On the surface, they say they don't want to be happy, but they both accept the other's abnormality because of their own abnormality. Love in the ignorant period is the most mysterious and seductive. Ricky's photography of beautiful scenes in life moved Jane. Dead birds, miserable wanderers, bags flying in the air, and Jane who took off her shirt and showed her breasts, from a certain Appreciating it from any angle can discover the beauty in it; and this kind of love is also the most exhilarating and reckless, and even a temporary elopement can be so straightforward.
As for Ricky and Lester, the surface is the relationship between buyers and sellers. In fact, there is a deeper understanding. Ricky's own behavior style moved Lester, making him nostalgic for the passion and beauty of his youth. It is based on this that the two have developed a mutual sympathy that goes beyond buying and selling.
However, such a relationship is considered homosexual because of a misunderstanding. In the Colonel's view, homosexuality is absolutely unacceptable. He has always instilled this in his son, but in fact, he himself deeply hides his inner feelings. Homosexual orientation, the discipline of obedience only because of what he pursues, such self-contradiction also erupts at the end of the film, from peeping at the son's misunderstanding of Lester, to the polite and ruthless breaking of his favor, the colonel can't accept his behavior, And this also led to the fact that he could not accept the existence of Leicester....
People are always pursuing beauty, although beauty has different meanings for everyone, some are material success, some are famous, some are the resolution of inner contradictions, and some are family. Or love, there is a sense of existence. However, under the influence of life, they have gradually lived in ways that they could not imagine or did not want, accompanied by a bunch of messy and even deviant relationships, just like the rose in the title, behind the short-term beauty is more long-term. Boredom and pain.
Compared to the people above, the pair of gay neighbors with the same name seem to be detached from the whole society. They greeted each other friendly, insisted on healthy exercise, and even did not shy away from being gay. It was so simple and beautiful. Perhaps this is the film's greatest hope for us.
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