Playing cool and being played cool

Kareem 2022-04-20 09:01:03

Almost anyone who has seen this movie and likes to play with theory will keep repeating one word in their minds: the aesthetics of violence. Make no mistake, the film is full of bloody fight scenes from start to finish. The torture of stripping teeth, tying up, beheading hands, breaking tongues, and even sex scenes also show a kind of pain. But if violence is just a description of human pain, then this film is just an unsuccessful medical anatomy film. If we ask about the nature of violence, we will find that violence is a kind of cruelty, an extreme distortion and deformation of the spirit under strong oppression. In this way, in addition to the description of the body, the violence in the film is more important in the spirit.

Why does Wu Daxiu prefer to cut off his tongue to maintain that ulterior secrecy? Yes, unwitting incest, like the tragedy of Oedipus the King, is beyond the reach of anyone. Li Yuzhen shut up Wu Daxiu for 15 years just to cultivate this evil plan. If he wants Wu Daxiu to understand the indecent love between himself and his sister, he must let Wu himself try it.

Primitive people did not have as many rules as today's human beings, especially when it comes to marriage. For example, be sure to limit the number of spouses to one rather than two or more. However, primitive man is completely consistent with modern man in that it is not incestuous. This is human nature, and it was a fact before society was established. It is worth noting that the establishment of such a rule is accompanied by a negative language, a taboo discourse. No incest! But the biggest problem with such a negative language is that it is itself negation, and thus has no basis for existence. Humans always have a strong curiosity about unfounded things, and human beings are the beings who wander their own boundaries and try to find them. And ordinary animals can only live within their own boundaries.

This is a naked sibling love, and it was Wu Daxiu's mouth that exposed it. Convicted for words. The spread of words is an invisible force, and the so-called fear of human words is probably the case. The film tells us, "Words can make people pregnant and make people fall in love." What a terrifying power this is! If it is said that human love and fertility can also be influenced by human speech, we can understand that language is definitely not a tool and slave of human beings. In the film, this language is prominently displayed as a technical language, the words of the hypnotist. Hypnotists are not particularly intelligent people, they are also lured by money. Hypnotists are skilled people. Because it is technology, it can harm and save people. Wu Daxiu's tragedy was created by a hypnotist, but she rescued the new student. Wu Daxiu did not lose to the hypnotist, but to his own memory, which was in charge of the hypnotist.

It's a really cool movie, made by very smart people. Wu Daxiu was tricked in life and turned into a cool guy full of violence. He didn't know why. But he knew that if he didn't have the experience of being tricked, he wouldn't be able to know the truth or get love. Li Yuzhen seems to be the one who plays tricks, and the suit and leather shoes are also cool. But in the end, he also suddenly found out that it is meaningless to live, so it is better to commit suicide, but he lost to his opponent in the final contest. Who is the loser? Perhaps, the answer lies deep in the vast snow-capped mountains at the end of the film.

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Extended Reading

Oldboy quotes

  • Dae-su Oh: [Dae Su is on his knees. Begging] Please. Don't tell Mido. What has she done wrong? You know it was all my fault... I have committed an unforgivable sin, against your sister. And I also... Did you wrong. Please leave Mido alone... If by any chance Mido finds out the truth, you son of a bitch, I'll tear you limb from limb. And your remains will never be found. Why? Because I'm going to swallow every last bit.

    [Crawls over to Woo-Jin and starts to grovel to Woo-Jin]

    Dae-su Oh: Woo-Jin! Please, sir, I made a mistake. Please forget what I said. Sir, Woo-Jin!

    [Raises up on his knees to face Woo-Jin]

    Dae-su Oh: We're Evergreen Oldboys, remember?

    [singing]

    Dae-su Oh: With the energy of a green pine tree/The Great Sangnok High...

    [Grabbing hold of Woo-Jin's leg. Begging, and weeping]

    Dae-su Oh: I'll do whatever you want. I'll do anything, I beg you. Woo-Jin, if you want me to be your dog. I will. From this moment on, I am Woo-Jin's dog. I'm your bitch.

    [Starts barking maniacally like a dog]

    Dae-su Oh: Look, I'm wagging my tail. I'm a dog, I'll guard your house. I'll be your slave...

    [Starts crying frantically, and falls to Woo-Jin's feet. He begins to lick his shoes... Humiliated... defeated...]

  • Woo-jin Lee: And now... now, what joy will I have left to live for?