"My soul is so far away from me, yet my existence is so real." - Camus, The Outsider
"Transcendence" is a movie that really shocked me, stemming from its heart-wrenching despair, its unprecedented philosophical depth, and its finishing touches of music and photography. In front of such a movie that expresses the extreme suffering of life, all language is pale and powerless.
Although film works are a more vivid art form, they imprison the audience's imagination space invisibly. The feeling of "Transcendence" is different from ordinary video works. It is more like a heavy literary work, which hides the truth under the lens, and the feeling of depression and despair makes people unable to calm down for a long time. Because of this, instead of writing a film review for "Transcendence", I think it is more meaningful to excerpt the work of "Transcendence" itself.
Director Tony Kaye embeds his unique interview footage into the film, and Henry is facing the camera, like a narrator, calmly and profoundly expounding the philosophy. I would like to first record these wise words from Henry, which are frequently used and very thought-provoking.
"(Opening) No, don't let people in, I don't want to be disturbed. Could you please ask unrelated people to leave here, thank you. Okay, thank you.
Most of the teachers here used to believe they could do something for their students. I know how important it is to have someone guide you to help you understand the complexities of our world. I had no one to guide me when I was a kid.
Children have a hard time concentrating and get bored easily. How can you get them interested in literary classics if they think you have nothing meaningful to share?
(During the lecture) You might laugh when you say it. I spent a lot of time trying not to think about it. I didn’t want to admit that I was just a substitute teacher. I didn’t have to teach knowledge deliberately. Murder will happen, just make it through next semester.
(Sidbot goes to substitute) Mr. Sidbot, a very humorous person. I think humor is useful for teachers, but I'm not humorous. I think my humor generally ends in tragedy (laughs).
(After the fat girl was scolded by her parents) There should be a mandatory condition that people should be trained before they intend to become parents, not to let them do experiments at home (laughs).
We all have problems, we all have problems that need to be solved, and we all go home with problems at night and go back to work in the morning. I guess that feeling of helplessness, like floating at sea with no life buoy, no protective net, and you think you are the one throwing the life buoy.
(The principal is asked to step down) Haven't you had enough? Don't you ever want someone to fuck off?
I wish things were different. I've tried, you know, the truth is that we all have trouble, big and small things waiting for us to deal with, sometimes good and sometimes bad, and sometimes we don't have room in our hearts for others.
(During the parent-teacher meeting) I felt as comfortable as home, and it was reasonable to have no parents. I seemed to have insight into the root cause of the problem right away. Some people think we can change things, and sometimes when we wake up we realize we can't.
We all need something that frees us from tediousness and reality, and thinks more or less about the root of things. No one wants to think about how much effort it takes to get out of the sea of misery. We all need relief.
(Tears in eyes) We all have a responsibility to guide young people before they go down the road of no return and become fragmented and self-defeating.
(at the end) failed, we failed. Failure, in a sense, is that we let everyone down. Including ourselves. "
Several interviews with Henry inserted in the film are the most direct portrayal of the whole film. Of course, the film's thought-provoking lines don't stop there. If you understand these lines, you will understand the movie to a large extent. Here are some profound words:
1. (Henry said to the student who threw his leather bag in class) "That bag doesn't feel anything, it's empty, and I don't have any feelings to hurt you, understand?"
2. (Henry's monologue on the street) "No matter what I'm thinking, there's a feeling. I'm honest with myself. I'm young, but old. I've been bought and sold, over and over. I'm hard to face. I'm gone. I'm just like you."
3. (Henry said to the students) "(doublethink means) knowingly believe a lie even if it is false. Take an example from everyday life: I need to be beautiful in order to be happy, I need surgery to be beautiful, I To be slim, famous, stylish. Young people these days are told that women are whores, whores and deserve to be fucked, beaten, trampled on, humiliated. This is a marketing massacre! For the rest of our lives 24 hours a day, will drive us to work hard and let us perish in silence! So, in order to protect ourselves and prevent boredom from seeping into our minds, we must learn to stimulate our imagination and protect ourselves by reading consciousness, our own beliefs. We all need these skills, to defend, to guard our minds.”
Four. (The man in glasses, immersed in his own world, says to Henry who greets him) "What? You see me? You see me standing here? Oh god, that's tough. Thank you."
5. (The teacher played by Liu Yuling said to the unmotivated female student) "Oh my God, you are so shallow, it makes me sick! Do you want to know the facts: First, you can't get into a band, and you can't become a model, because your chest No ambition, no talent. You can only compete with 80% of the American workforce for a minimum wage job, and you can't turn around until you are replaced by a computer! Second, your only talent is to get men to fuck you, you Your life will become an abyss of pain. When you feel that you can’t stand it anymore, even if it’s unbearable for one day or an hour, everything will only get worse! Every day I come to this office and watch you beating yourself up. Don't care is too simple, you have to be courageous, people with character dare to care, none of you have these qualities at all!"
6. (Henry's monologue) "The park is now empty except for abandoned chairs. The ladders, slides, swings are all rusted and corroded, they are all so lonely now. Where are the kids? Don't they know the park needs They? The wise hearts of children can see through many dark abyss, but can they see through that wonderful moment of detachment?"
7. (The fat girl points to the black grieving cake) "It can't be given to you, it's mine."
8. (Henry stands in the classroom speaking to the female teacher) "I understood a lot today. I'm not alone, Sarah. You shouldn't be here. I'm not here, you may be able to see me, but it's just mine body."
However, at the end of the film, Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" is used most vividly, which symbolizes the extreme of despair. In the dilapidated teaching building, Henry wearing a suit, facing the overturned desks, chairs and dead branches and leaves in the classroom, finished the following paragraphs in a low voice:
On a long, dull, grey day in the autumn of that year
Heavy clouds hang low above the sky
I ride my horse alone
through this gloomy, exotic country land
Finally, when night fell slowly
The cold view of the House of Usher unfolded before my eyes
I've never seen it the way it used to be
But just by just a glimpse, some unbearable gloom permeates my heart
I looked at the sparse landscape around the mansion
The walls are barren, the decayed trees are white
My soul is speechless
my heart is cooling
sink
show weakness
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