The Coen brothers hold the title of best director at the Oscars and the Cannes Film Festival, and they are also under the banner of independent films. Although they are unreasonable to play cards, some people still think that they have gone too far this time. In their previous films, Shang Ke could find the context of the causal connection, but this time it fell apart like a lost soul. What matters is that "Serious Men" has a huge appetite. It is not only satisfied with the ridicule of middle-class life, but also rises to doubts and questions about the existence of God.
The Coen brothers, who are Jewish, use the film to examine their God and religion, no doubt quite introspective. The film focuses on Larry, a middle-aged man, and constantly attaches himself, his wife, children, brothers, neighbors, friends and other aspects of life to him. Wherever the camera can see, Larry is everywhere in reality. I hit a wall, so I started to ask: Is God by my side?
But what followed was the Coen brothers' unruly discussion of the topic, with the actors' neurotic expressions, dreamy shots interspersed from time to time, some casual, philosophical dialogue and a lack of logic. supporting plot. Whether Larry's rival's car accident or his brother's arrest, it's abrupt and for no apparent reason.
It's easy to be confused by such a way of handling it. However, upon careful consideration, the Coen brothers seem to have acquired a true biography of absurd literature, especially absurdist drama. In their previous works, real-life characters tended to fall into unpredictable embarrassing situations unwittingly; if they were not careful, their reasonable actions became the fuse of the final dark humor. Also shake out the trump card: this world is full of absurdity. In this sense, the Coen brothers have taken a step forward. Shortly after the opening of "Serious Man", he throws out his experience of the unpredictable and absurd sense of the world. The rest of the chapters revolve around this experience and seek answers in the psychological contradiction between the need for God and the need for God.
Everyone knows that the absurdist drama has always been hostile to characterization and dramatic conflict, and regards upside-down language and loose plot as its own precious qualities, so it seems that what is not "serious" in "Serious Men" is more There is also forgiveness. And Larry was robbed by his wife and wrote an anonymous letter and could not tell the truth. His living situation was very similar to Gregor, the hero in Kafka's novel "The Metamorphosis", a representative of absurd literature.
"Serious Men" has a sloppy form and structure, and the sense of absurdity is not less secretive. When it is applied to the content, it creates a lot of cold humor; at the same time, it also makes some scenes difficult to understand. For example, the short story at the beginning can be regarded as a small trick used by the two brothers, which is clearly separated from the main part, but it is also possible to use it as the support for the latter. In some details of the film, the Coen brothers' outstanding skills are still revealed. In the film, Larry questioned the priest three times. The director used the sense of space between the table and the door to subtly widen the distance between the characters, and quietly, he explained the change of God's position in his heart.
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