This movie reminds me of death.
The price of love, art, depravity, escape and lingering laissez-faire. Art requires persistence. Persistence does not necessarily mean maintaining self. Lucy, for artistic freedom. Fleeing the hypocritical and utilitarian commercial photography, at the peak of its great success, quit the photography world. After that, she only photographed herself, her friends, her lovers, their lives. Fallen and laissez-faire, free and private, she and Greta lost their dreams together for 10 years. The love faded away, leaving only two people who were addicted to drugs, hallucinations, and lost their passion. In order to escape commercialization, the most free laissez-faire is chosen, perhaps only the path to depravity. Lucy went like this for 10 years. Stop cherishing your own genius. West Germany appeared at this time. A sober, aspiring West Germany. Lucy said to Sid: I like being noticed. This is Lucy in the past, Syd in the present. West Germany did not yet know the hypocrisy of art photography and the rules for judging art, which was actually so hypocritical and oppressive.
When West Germany first met Lucy, it was purely an occasional occasion in life. However naive Sid was attracted by Lucy's talent. At the same time, West Germany also has its own ambitions and pursuits. In order to gain recognition and success, she further meets Lucy and their circle of friends.
West Germany started taking drugs, just a small test. Out of curiosity and out of vague vanity. What is depravity, West Germany does not really know. And Lucy, whom she admires, has been deeply involved in this depravity in the past 10 years. Lucy met the naive West Germany, and her passion for creation was once again aroused by her purity and yearning for art. And a big part of this passion is the feeling of love that Lucy is re-inspired by West Germany. When she looked at Sid with fiery eyes. Sid was teased. The kiss scene in the bedroom was a masculine temptation for Lucy, and Sid couldn't help the temptation and excitement, and gradually stepped into Lucy's world.
Lucy couldn't stand the naked business, and the feeling of being exploited left the photography world, and the director showed it very plainly at the Thursday luncheon. The blandness of the whole film is most obvious in this scene. This scene worthy of ironic exposure was actually shot very ordinary. I really like the director, who handles this kind of scene honestly and frankly. Lucy's fall, drug use at a friend's party, Lucy and Gretad's entanglement, the dramatic and exaggerated scenes that will be dealt with by many people are all bland and true. No pity, no pity. Photographers are like this, and they are also tempted to be free and laissez-faire. It's such an inexorable drug addiction. It is this neutrality that enables the audience to calm down and experience the meaning that the director wants to express again and again. The erotic scene is so natural, West Germany is naturally lazy and cute in the car with the window open, seductive and self-aware; next to Lucy, seduced, she calmly says "I want to have sex with you". Good masculine performance. Same-sex love is revealed naturally. This is a couple in love. There are so many lines and scenes from the heart. What makes this film so touching.
The photography of this film is really beautiful, a film that describes the world of art photography. Most lenses are also like artistic photos. Unforgettable scenery passing by the car window, Lucy in the foreground, West Germany next to it. The wind blows all the way. Love each other, attract each other.
And where does the feeling of death come from? The film is light, even dark. The only scene where the sun can be seen is also blurred and cool by the camera (Lucy and Sid are on their way to film). The structure of high art is clear and the plot is slow, but the colors are like all my dreams, there is no light and sunshine. This feeling of familiarity is another aspect of this film that makes me feel intimate, in addition to the still images constructed like artistic photographs. This color treatment, not only did not make me feel cold, but felt very friendly. The feeling of death, the dark tone is unchanged. These are scattered in: Lucy's terminally ill mother, her logically confused language, revealing disappointment and habits for her daughter. Greta sensitively noticed Lucy's affection for West Germany. While Lucy gradually seduced West Germany, Greta committed suicide by overdose to threaten and express her position; a group drug use scene often occurs. (See the same scene in Trainspotting, you will find that the two films are handled completely differently, I prefer the handling of high art) The prophecy of death has always appeared metaphorically in the film. In the end, Lucy's death was spoken so plainly. In fact, the film has already predicted that Lucy would not be able to get rid of the depraved drug addiction life, and was not pulled out by West Germany's love in the end. This ending is full of meaning. It was Lucy's failure and West Germany's failure to pursue pure art.
High art has never been pure and clear, just as Lucy always photographed the people around her, her fallen and close friends, she took drugs and promiscuous. Just as West Germany used Lucy's lust through Lucy's fame and got the position of album editor. The film is full of these details. (Frame editor, editor-in-chief, front desk....)
High art, purity, chance love, ambition, lust, depravity... Many complex propositions are told bit by bit in a slow-paced film.
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