But I don't think it's anything to be ashamed of.
What's more interesting is that these three times are all at the same moment, and the tears that have been rolling out seem to have been suddenly approved.
So I maliciously invited a "junior audience" who had never seen this type of film to test whether my feelings were universal, and the result was that when the moment passed, his voice suddenly became choked.
Therefore, it can be explained that many people will feel that this moment is the peak of the tragic emotions created by this film.
There are many touching scenes in the film, and many scenes are also exaggeratingly used music, slow motion and other commonplace methods to try to "sensitize", but why is such a flat scene so prominent?
The "multi-dimensionality" of a character is a concept that is difficult to describe exactly, but we can still briefly understand it as the "contradiction" between characters. Characters in American films are often conceptualized (especially in comics); at the other extreme, European films often expand the "dimension" to almost digress (some of Godard's films can be used as this "almost" A typical example of "off-topic" -- such as letting a gangster talk about sexual concepts), but such "multi-dimensionality" doesn't actually make much sense in shaping characters, because they don't represent a "contradiction", Either explicit or implicit.
From the plot point of view, "Crash" does not have a strict protagonist or a supporting role. Ryan played by Matt Dillon does not have many roles, but according to the screenwriter's theory, Ryan is a well-deserved protagonist in the whole film--because he is One of the most dimensional characters among all the characters, Ryan's various contradictions in his character and behavior firmly lock the audience's attention, and he is the character who can produce the most "empathy effect" for the audience in the whole film.
Ryan's "multi-dimensional" shaping is traditionally but subtly choreographed:
1. Taking anger on a black couple who "did the wrongdoing" while encountering a "non-American" social work argument; Radical remarks" and also retaliated with "radical behavior".
While the first dimension of "racist" was successfully established, Ryan's behavioral motives were not flawed--as a pure "racist", assaulting a black woman does not need to be based on "an encounter with a woman." Excessive remarks" as a motive.
The writers have carefully protected the character from the start;
2 The portrayal of the father-son relationship and the positive portrayal of Ryan's father's illness objectively reduces the audience's dissatisfaction with Ryan as a "racist", while also serving The next move (again looking for social work theory) lays the motive. That loving but helpless face made the establishment of the second dimension of "caring for the family" with only a few strokes, but it was able to blossom;
3 Ryan went to the social work theory again the next day, and said in a fit of anger about his "self" The truth behind the "racist color" is convincing and sympathetic. At this moment, it is actually difficult for the audience to position this character as a "racist" in their hearts. In addition to the full and ingenious choreography, there is actually another reason: the psychology and behavior of Ryan's character are familiar to ordinary people. It does not depict the secret work of the CIA, nor is it an extreme value that is difficult for ordinary people to accept, but the life itself that we are most familiar with:
Is there any audience who has not been anxious and sad for their sick relatives?
Is there any audience who has not suffered needlessly because of an unfair system or simply because of "bad luck"? Who could possibly be as disgusted as "Jesus" after all this has happened, and continue to live as if nothing had happened?
Based on the above few details alone, the "empathy effect" of the audience is sufficiently generated. The audience understands that Ryan is actually under the "majestic appearance" of the police, he is just an ordinary person struggling to survive in the middle and lower classes of society, and the situation is very passive.
In fact, this passage establishes one of the most important "dimensions" of Ryan's character.
4 The scene of saving lives shows the most striking feature of Ryan's character: a conscientious policeman, a "dimension" that was almost destroyed in the first scene was finally successfully regained.
The film uses a very "long" length to describe how Ryan hurried to the accident vehicle, how anxiously tried to rescue the victim in the oil leaking car. The "multi-dimensional" shaping of the character is actually quite complete and perfect at this stage.
The rescued black woman just happened to be raped by Ryan, which is obviously a deliberate "coincidence" -- this "coincidence" is the "turning point" of another little story, but a "dimensionality" that had been almost completely destroyed. "It not only needs a conventional method to rebuild, it also needs a very strong force. This "coincidence" plot arrangement is the most important part of Ryan's "multi-dimensional shaping", which is set off by a very appropriate film technique. Next, the "first climax" formed by this passage is extraordinary, and it fully enhances the expressiveness of Ryan's character -- he is a living contradiction, and deeply moved the audience.
5 At the end of the film, the camera turns to Ryan and his father, who is suffering from illness, to "force" the audience to face the one-dimensional (probably the screenwriter's most valued) character: a family-loving peacemaker. regular people.
Looking at this process, this "end" is unusually low. This moment is the "tone" of the character, and of the entire film—it signifies an intense, irreversible negative of life.
This shot, which lasted only a few seconds, is like the end of a grand symphony, responding and echoing everything that has been said before. When everything suddenly reappeared in their minds, when the audience finally realized the "keynote" "It's impossible not to be shocked.
That is the moment when people suddenly and uncontrollably grieve from their hearts.
The above points are just an attempt to analyze the generation principle of this "climax" from the perspective of "multi-dimensional character shaping". In fact, the method of any movie is not so simple. The generation of this "climax" also relies on other method. There is one detail that cannot be ignored, although few people may realize it, but its actual effect is remarkable - among all the characters, only the role of Ryan has no development:
He still does his day job - being a policeman;
He still acts as his "racist" -- nothing has changed his mind;
he's still grief-stricken in the face of his ailing father -- without any evidence that their condition will have improved.
A Persian shop owner might make a hopeful comeback after a mad act; a little locksmith might be about to move again; a black couple might learn to be considerate of each other, a black police officer might stop turning a blind eye to his kin... others or more At least there are various changes and influences, positive or negative, but only Ryan's role is like a deep quagmire, and the audience does not feel that this role has any possibility of development.
The contrast has a hopeless effect, making it impossible for the audience not to cast a great deal of pity on Ryan. This is a strong stroke that cannot be ignored in the generation principle of this "climax".
The "parallel editing" in the film technique also plays an important role: the "parallel editing" in the usual film is usually to emphasize "synchronicity", but in "Crash", in addition to emphasizing "synchronicity", this narrative technique is not. The main purpose is: two or more stories with different clues rely on each other to produce dramatic accumulation. Looking closely at the film, in fact not every short story is complete: for example, the contradiction between the black TV director and his wife was not resolved head-on, because they did not know what happened to each other, and the story was relatively lacking. "Turning Point", but with the help of the drama already created by other short stories: a young policeman whose future is (potentially) ruined; a family who is in a disaster; Work together to maintain the safety of the family, the importance of harmony", the affectionate "I LOVE YOU" that represents tolerance and understanding is the most satisfying.
One of the most commendable things is that the vertices of the effects produced by all the techniques such as "editing" are very cleverly arranged in the same paragraph.
So the last paragraph is more than six minutes long.
"Crash" is a very traditional movie, and its specific techniques are even a bit blunt (for example, it has been using the same action as a "magic weapon" to switch between different scenes), its values, and its character-building techniques, There's nothing "innovative" in its choreography, but I'm delighted to see this year's OSCAR Best Film Award being awarded to such a "nothing new" film -- the fact that Recognition and encouragement of an unpretentious, responsible, and serious creative intent.
Any filmmaker should honestly ask themselves this:
How many "dimensions" does your character have?
Are you really building him with your heart?
Finally, I would like to quote a passage about artistic creation by the art master Furtwängler as the end of this short essay:
“Originality can have two foundations:
one is the direct material of the sound itself—the new harmony , the novelty and uniqueness of the new rhythm;
the second is the novelty of the combination of already familiar materials.
I call the former purely rational. Enough of these attempts since Wagner, they take us into the abyss.
The second has real human and artistic power, but runs the risk of not being recognized, because this originality can only be manifested when interpreted accordingly.
…
The development of the art material itself may have Exhausted, but the possibility of artistic development still exists.
But ask people to give the truth, the harmony, the sacred harmony to the masses and not the other way around.”
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