Overall, the film demonstrates technical skill and design, yet it feels neither natural nor authentic. Despite using scenes that mimic everyday life and casting non-professional actors, it ultimately creates a detached character within an unreal, superficial story.
For example, a Chinese housewife who disciplines her daughter with traditional rules like "Don't talk during meals" or "Don't bring outsiders home" is highly unlikely to be a smoker.
In the post-screening interview, the director and screenwriter mentioned that his scriptwriting was "guided by intuition." However, when looking at the film itself, what's pervasive is not "intuition" but rather presumption and arrogance. For instance, characters often speak lines that reflect the author's own thoughts rather than aligning with their own logic. A line like the daughter's "You've never been happy" is clearly the author's voice coming through, rather than an authentic expression of the character.
From a plot perspective, the story begins with a homemaker accidentally "causing trouble" by injuring an elderly woman. However, the premise itself feels far removed from real life. For instance, why would a seemingly respectable homemaker, who goes to pick up her child from practice, "cause trouble" in a familiar public space that holds importance for her child? Wouldn't she fear the negative impact on her child? In reality, the fear or anxiety over rules and risks is already a primary source of repression for homemakers, so there's no need for an incident like "causing trouble" to symbolize the collapse or oppression in her life. Such a plot device feels overly contrived, almost like pure fabrication.
Moreover, it is the protagonist's husband who ultimately takes responsibility for the incident, leaving the protagonist seemingly free from any real accountability. This diminishes her character even further, making her less of a homemaker and more akin to a "slightly remorseful troublemaker."
Typically, as a film unfolds, even without flashbacks, we should be able to infer aspects of the protagonist's past and development. However, this film's protagonist, despite her "everyday" appearance and routine activities (doing housework, picking up her child, visiting parents), is difficult to envision with a real backstory. She feels more like a constructed character. The author has fabricated a life filled with conflict-a runaway sister, a bad-tempered father, and a mute mother-and given her a turbulent present with an accident and a divorce. Yet, due to the lack of realistic detail, these elements only serve to make her seem even more like an invented figure.
N short, without a genuine depth of observation and empathy for women-or for people in general-even the most seemingly sensitive male director (no offense intended) can only produce a film steeped in male gaze and male fantasy-just like this one.
I'd also like to discuss the use of sound and the design of fragmented, non-dialogue-like lines, but let's leave that for another day.
2024/11/12 @Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival 2024.
