Love and making love should be the most direct phrases to sum up this film.
From the long shot of the stillness of the body in the opening, to the body that is constantly walking in the room in front of the camera, the nakedness represents the authenticity like Adam, and at the same time it is like the Qimeng of original sin. Inside the lens, the light-feeling white modern apartment, the shadows are still flowing with the sunlight, and between the black and white areas, people become small and humble. It is precisely this opposite contradiction that expresses the crux of the depression in the development of individual libido in post-modern society. We are drawn by animal impulses and bound by self-control morality. "Shame", is it sober self-rescue after pleasure, or aspirin to mend human form?
Laura Mulvey's visual pleasure has always been based on the female body, and the most unavoidable thing in and out of the camera is Michael Fassbender's nudity. Contrary to the pleasure of staring, the full-scale exposure of the male body gives the audience an irresistible sense of oppression, exaggerating and showing off in the way of male totem, which visually connects the violence, control, and obedience of patriarchy. But as the narrative progresses, we can see the departure of apparent authority from the opposite essence, as sister Sissy comes to seek refuge from her brother Brandon (Michael Fassbender), but keeps losing control. Boss David, who seems to be commensurate with his siblings, has a high-profile contempt for Brandon's erotic hard drive. The only things that can be controlled are prostitutes and pornography that can be constantly selected. In short, the male protagonist does not have actual authority in terms of family or social order, and sex, as a metaphor for the ultimate power game of the human body, still loses in a mess. Chaos, proliferation, incoherence, these are not necessarily signs of weakness, but the powerless addiction to sexual attitudes really shows the negative karma of male rights. Brandon's fascination with sex is completely like a hostage being taken hostage, and there is nothing to resist. In the film, when Brandon tries to quit the gravitational pull of porn and discards pornographic discs, this hobby is clearly different from the rubbish that can be cleaned up on the sidewalk at midnight. When he encounters a woman he truly loves, there is an extremely obvious effect. The conflict between the prostitute and the Virgin Mary, the crux of this fear and anxiety about the "relationship" comes from the alienation between the Brandon brothers and sisters. The traditional family relationship between brothers and sisters has both the intimacy of love and connection, and the patriarchy at the same time. The core and continuation of the reproduction, this contradiction is repeated and infinitely intensified in the film. Brandon always asks what his sister wants from him, and he is expressing his doubts about "relationship", which must be bartered, not love.
The image of the sister is the opposite of Brandon, passionate, free, and obsessed with relationships, but more "do whatever you want", she doesn't care whether her brother's family wants to be self-sufficient, or whether it is moral to have a moment of passion with Brandon, just as Brandon said. Her mouth was full of apologies, but she did not have any repentance in her actions. Temperance, self-reflection, is an exemplary behavioral trait of being the eldest brother in the family. On the surface, Brandon is tough and strong, playing the role of a good employee and a good man. Even if he loses control of his sexual behavior, it does not harm others. This is actually one of the sources of increased anxiety. Self-discipline, as one of the core values of the United States, emphasizes the power of people in self-management and self-control, which is the source of creating success and happiness. This so-called "success" happiness is a single concept of money, material and consumption. When people's spirits, desires, relationships suffer failure, anxiety, depression, if there is no channel to vent their evil thoughts - our greed, laziness, weakness , when he finally returns to the body, it is the most direct physical confession - sex. Brandon's only "out of control" is to directly molest a strange girl in a bar, but it is also his most direct expression of evil desires. In contrast, there are many sex scenes in the film, and the director has chosen the mode of silence. This kind of "aphasia" purely relying on visuals is full of pain and struggle.
In the film, we can know that the two brothers and sisters come from Ireland, as one of the largest immigrant groups in the United States, was born in the wilderness on the other side of the Atlantic in the Irish gene, and the traditional concept of family has become fragmented in American cities. Because of the disorder of sex, the two siblings During the quarrel, Brandon still does not have the right to speak. It would be ridiculous to use his sister's suicide as a symbol of saving the patriarchal force in the end. At the end of the film, it also gives an open conclusion, who is it about desire and love? It is the real source of damage, and the camera responds to the original train. It may be repeated, which is the final destiny.
This article was published in the Hong Kong Film Critics Society
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