I really want to die with you - Dream No. 4

Buddy 2022-03-23 09:02:50

The first dream is eerie and mysterious.
The second dream is gorgeous and moving.
After all the hardships and dangers in the third dream, there was a happy ending.
This fourth dream is only heavy and sentimental.

The first three dreams are all descriptions of fox demons, peach demons, and snow maidens in myths and legends, while the fourth dream is about the ghosts of soldiers who died on the battlefield but did not want to admit that they were dead. If it is said that the first three dreams are the wanton fantasies in people's hearts, then the fourth dream directly points to the cruel and cold reality.

It is no exaggeration to say that it was a nightmare.

In the twilight sunlight, a thin middle-aged soldier was walking in the countryside. He walked into a dark tunnel. It was pitch black in front of him. Suddenly, a ferocious wolf dog emerged from the hole. It ran to the soldier's side and faced him fiercely. Bark, what's on his back? A dagger? grenade? I can't see clearly. The soldier took a few steps back in fright. The dog just barked, but did not pounce on the soldier.

The soldier entered the tunnel, his steps weary and slow.

The soldier walked out of the tunnel, and dusk had turned into night.

The soldier looked back, and the sound of footsteps in the tunnel made the soldier flinch.

"Second Class Noguchi!!!"
Facing the pale-faced subordinate who died in his arms, the soldier was stunned. He had no choice but to tell him over and over again: You are dead. Noguchi pointed to his home, where his parents were waiting. He looked like he was still just a child, and he was so unacceptable to his own death that in the end he could only return to the darkness under the watchful eyes of the soldiers.

Before the soldier recovered, the sound of uniform military boots completely overwhelmed him.
Those soldiers who were lined up neatly with pale faces and expressionless were his subordinates.

"Report Commander, Third Squad, no casualties!"

The soldier finally decided not to run away, he decided to face himself honestly, the entire army of his subordinates was annihilated, his own capture, everything, finally spit out all from the silent mouth, he said earnestly, his body slightly slightly. Leaning forward, the sadness of his words and expressions was so deep, and the ghosts of those soldiers still stood there, expressionless and motionless.

Finally, the soldier pulled his messy coat, stood proudly, and drove his last duty and authority as a commander.

"Third Squad, all turn back!"

The ghosts of the soldiers were always unable to let go of their own deaths, but their conditioned reflexes and long-standing habits of military orders made them irresistible. He turned around and walked toward the dark footsteps, gradually walking away.

Soldiers stood and performed the standard military salute.

When the footsteps disappeared, the soldier fell to the ground, unable to support his body any longer, just as he could not face the heavy past.

Then the barking hound appeared again, its anger and sharp teeth exposed in the night light, it barked around the soldier, but could not hurt it.

At this time, I suddenly realized that the dog had already turned into a ghost.

The dark tunnel forms a huge metaphor, which represents the process of the soldier traversing the painful memories of the past. When he thinks that he has walked out of the dark years and entered a new life, the cruel encounters on the battlefield in the past and the painful Memories still tore at his heart, and he couldn't get rid of them.

Maybe all his life, he can only wander at the entrance of the tunnel, constantly looking back, unable to move forward.

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Extended Reading
  • Ernestina 2022-03-27 09:01:15

    After reading the first three stories, I feel that this is a third-rate work, with 3 stars at most. When I see the fourth one, I think Akira Kurosawa has finally begun to have some humanistic care. I think I can give 4 stars. I like the self-salvation and the way back. The eighth story, even in some concepts, I think Hei Lao has not thought thoroughly enough. Overall, it is a bright spot.

  • Joe 2022-03-21 09:02:49

    【B】Hasn't Kurosawa already filmed "Dream" in "Shadow Warrior"? The nightmares that appear and disappear from time to time, the gait that echoes repeatedly in the editing, and the bizarre scenery, it can be said that at that time, Akira Kurosawa had already fully presented the characteristics of disorder, strong emotion, and broken logic in the dream. But this time I really started to make "Dream", the surreal sensory experience was replaced by straightforward visual effects, and turned to an overly clear visual deconstruction and a didactic view without reflection. Except for the dream about Van Gogh, other dreams are too homogenous in form and composition, and the dwell time attached to empty shots will only make the viewing experience more and more tired. It is just a combination of lifeless shots, not real dreams.

Dreams quotes

  • Pvt. Noguchi: Commander, is it true? Was I truly killed in action? I... I can't believe I'm really dead. I went home. I ate the special cakes my mother made for me. I remember it well.

  • Old Man: Some say life is hard, but that is just talk. It is good to be alive, it is exciting!