85 points, the background of the story is 1973, a more "embarrassing" year in American history. The oil crisis was experienced economically, and the "Watergate Incident" occurred politically, which led to the collapse of the government's "patriarchal image". The film depicts almost an "anarchy" in American society. On Thanksgiving, parents boldly played a wife-swap game with their neighbors; on another line, children who had just entered adolescence were also exploring their bodies. Under the influence of alcohol, the indoor is a hormonal agitation, and the outdoor is a rare large-scale ice storm. Dangerous temptations again and again, the alternation of dry heat and extreme cold, aggravated the sense of unease in the viewing experience. This is the "freedom" that erupts after a sudden loss of control, but this freedom is disorienting.
One night's ice storm took away the life of a child, and the uncontrollable restlessness in people's hearts. You can choose to indulge, you can ignore responsibility, you can get carried away by alcohol. But after calming down, the next morning, the family is still the place for people to warm each other.
As an early art film of Ang Lee, I think it is a relatively successful attempt. The elements of freehand brushwork are greater than narrative. It is full of beauty, the so-called attempt to express a Greek epic sadness. But whether this artistic sense can be captured by the audience is very different from person to person. Whether it is intentional or subconscious, there are many Chinese elements in this western film. The repeated Xiao sound, the crow's cry, and a strange percussion melody made me, as a Chinese audience, receive the signal in one second. But I don't know how to respond. Is this pure American story really well integrated with such Chinese style? For a few moments, it was like eating a hot pot-flavored steak.
The subject matter still hasn't escaped the "family theme" of Ang Lee's film, but it has completed a wonderful analog. You can see that Li An's pattern is very big. He is writing about family, but he always allows you to read a lot of things far away from family.
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