Encounter other people's stories between reading and listening

Jerrold 2022-12-12 05:54:10

I remember that "The Tenth Projection Room" made an album about French films a long time ago, and I still remember that there is a sentence in it that seems to say: French films also have the personality of the French nation, and there is a romantic atmosphere everywhere. And humanistic thinking, and always show the pursuit of a better life. In the bright afternoon sun, enjoying a rich French literary film is like sitting in an open-air cafe on the street and reading a beautiful prose. And I just accidentally met "Afternoon with Margaret" one night.

A literary film does not require computer synthesis technology in the later stage, nor does it require actors to hang on the eaves of Weiya, it only needs a slow and comfortable narrative and music that suits the situation. Of course, as a warm and romantic movie, if there is warm sunshine or moist light rain in the lens, it will bring the audience a sense of picture.

The protagonist of the film Shaz (the Chinese language is indeed more extensive and profound than the most beautiful French, the transliteration of the gods - "fool") is a fat, sloppy, can't read, and is not good at expressing. Hanging out in a small bar, he has a bus driver girlfriend who loves his kind side, and a mother who brings him life but doesn't give him enough love. No desires, no surprises, no joys, Shaaz spent 50 years in such a vague way, until that sunny afternoon, on a park bench, he met 95-year-old Margaret. .

For 95-year-old Margaret, 50-year-old Shatz is indeed as confused as all young people. About the names of the 19 pigeons, about the random names of their own, the origin of the owner of the name tag, the topic is opened step by step, and the philosophical thinking is also in-depth layer by layer, including our lives, we create Is everything the crystallization of the pursuit of beauty, or is it an accident again and again?

His mother unintentionally conceived and gave birth to Shaz, and Shaz's encounter with Margaret was an exception. Shazi was unfortunate as a child. He didn't have his father's example to guide him since he was a child. He was also not liked by his mother because he was fat and brainless. He was also laughed at by teachers at school... I don't know if he offended God. , Shatz grew up with low self-esteem day by day. He didn't even know the art of interpersonal communication. When his friends wanted to commit suicide and suffered from lovelorn, he couldn't find the right topic and method, which made the scene even more embarrassing.

Shatz is lucky again, such a big old man also has a kind girlfriend who appreciates him, and allows him to meet Margaret, who is in good spirits before entering the decaying old age.

Shatz asked his girlfriend what she liked about him. He is a person like him, who can't read, write, and has no professional skills, but his girlfriend replied, you have love enough! Such a romantic and warm answer is so false to the Chinese people, but in a world full of love and freedom, all this is actually so natural. In the eyes of the heaven, the elegance of France is red wine, perfume, and leather bags; but in France, elegance is first expressed in conversation. Shaaz is an absolute loser in conversation, but being inelegant doesn't mean he's not kind. We're not looking for an elegant gentleman, really, we're looking for a kind soul first and foremost, and from that point of view, Shaz's girlfriend is an extremely smart woman. Having such a girlfriend is a blessing for Shaaz, so don't think about the father who never took care of him, think about how happy it is to have such a caring girlfriend around.

The story does not explain how Shaz met his girlfriend, but the encounter with Margaret was really an accident. The young and frail female art teacher who was sent to a nursing home by her nephew gave Shaz a profound life reading lesson.

Reading had been a nightmarish experience for Shaaz as a student, so Shaaz never knew there would be so many knowledgeable and moving stories in the book, and the lonely old Margaret just needed a devoted listener. . Reading is the performance of a person's conversation. What kind of book you have read will have the corresponding ability to speak.

Reading is also the double sublimation of libido and aggression. When Shaaz tried to communicate with those diaosi friends in the language he learned from the book, it was obvious that the group of diaosi friends showed more envy and hatred than surprise. "It's making love, not engaging in", sublimating spiritual satisfaction in the physical pleasure experience.

Reading is also listening. Reading the story written by the author is listening to the author's narration. Shatz can be a good listener, but why can't he be a good reader. The kind-hearted Shaz naturally possesses rich and delicate sensibility, but these sensibilities were suppressed by the blame in childhood. He could not feel the love of his mother or the existence of his father, so he thought that he could not feel the cold book even more. world. When encountering the audiobook played by old man Margaret, this desire to talk is felt by the subconscious self. This feeling is like sleeping in a warm cradle and listening to the moving stories from his mother. Shaz grew up The missing maternal love is made up for in this moment.

After all, he was too old, Shaaz had the best time to learn the skill despite his hard work, and the dictionary was too difficult and boring for him, full of obscure alphabetical arrangements and emotionless words. Note, this thick dictionary has too much superfluous text compared to Margaret's reading aloud. Margaret was not frustrated by Shaaz's inability to practice literacy, but instead focused on picking out lively and interesting snippets to read to Shaaz. Thus, one person's reading becomes the interaction of two people. Between reading and listening, both people feel the joy brought by communication and imagination.

Suddenly, if you see too clearly, you can see more beauty, and you will also see some imperfections that you have not noticed. At Shaz's age, it's still easier to be confused, but there are some flaws that illuminate it more warmly, such as his relationship with his mother.

From a psychotherapeutic point of view, the encounter with Margaret also restored Shaz and his mother's original family relationship. At the end of the film, when Shaz found that his mother died alone in a desolate attic, he still shed tears of sadness, and in the process of taking care of his mother's funeral, he also discovered that his mother was hiding something he couldn't express correctly. Love. Although we saw in a clip of the film that the mother drove her boyfriend out of the house to protect her son, and also learned that the mother had already saved enough money to buy a house for her son by working before she fell ill, she is still a person who does not know how to take care of her. A child, a mother who can't express her love, in fact, if the mother hates the son so much, how could she have given birth to him without a father? A mother who can't express has taught a son who can't express, so all the affection can only be expressed in silence.

Last time, last reading. Margaret's fragile and aging body contains the brilliance of life, but Margaret's cataracts and family economic conditions have not allowed her to continue to stay in this nursing home with books. Shaaz understood the old man's frustration and pain, as if he might never hear her read aloud again. Shaz gave her flowers, made walking sticks, and tried to read some short poems and novels by himself. Although his mouth was still so reluctant, he didn't want to lose such an important old man suddenly like losing his mother.

The most beautiful emotion in this world is the communication between people. It can be direct and pleasant, or it can be implicit and refreshing. The

indirect expression is implicit love. "I don't hate it" is "I like him very much". In the circle of friends, Shaz is too direct to be flattered. The mother's love for Shaz is always hidden in the implicit, the girlfriend's support for Shaz is reflected in the implicit behavior, and Margaret's acceptance for Shaz is reflected in the implicit communication. And Shaz, isn't his love for his mother, for his girlfriend, for Margaret, for life also implicit? Although he kept complaining that his mother should not have given birth to him if he didn't love him, although he had always felt inferior and dared not give birth to their child with his girlfriend, although he had always shown enough confidence in front of Margaret, although he was over fifty years old He did not feel that he had had a vigorous experience. And at the end of the story, he made a big splash, picking up Margaret from the nursing home without any permit...


The story about love is not just love, not even "I I love you", but we can still love each other. Implicit love is more tender.

After the afternoon is the sunset, time is hurried, and the emotions carried by language are limited, so the expression of love is implicit. And you, have you read his (her) heart? As long as you feel it with your heart, hope and love, it is never too late.

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Extended Reading

My Afternoons with Margueritte quotes

  • Germain Chazes: It's not a typical love affair, but love and tenderness, both are there. Named after a daisy, she lived amongst words, surrounded by adjectives in green fields of verbs. Some force you yield to. But she, with soft art, passed through my hard shield and into my heart. Not always are love stories just made of love. Sometimes love is not named but it's love just the same. This is not a typical love affair I met her on a bench in my local square. She made a little stir, tiny like a bird with her gentle feathers. She was surrounded by words, some as common as myself. She gave me books, two or three Their pages have come alive for me. Don't die now, you've still got time, just wait It's not the hour, my little flower Give me some more of you. More of the life in you Wait Not always are stories just made of love Sometimes love is not named. But it's love just the same.