Little is known to us that the Japanese occupation of China is the bloodiest event in world history. And against this background, the events of the film "Living" take place. However, the director does not focus on the horrors of war, he generally tried to avoid horror stories and blood, focusing on something else. In the story, a group of Chinese young patriots wants to kill an important person, a man who works for the Japanese, fights with such patriots. And the main bait they choose a young actress. That's her relationship with Mr. Yi (that high-profile official) and that's the main theme of the film. To say that a film is erotic is to see it very superficially, like filming a man with an umbrella. There are many erotic scenes in the film, they are shot ingeniously, but they are not shot in order to score points from the show of intercourse itself. Here the inner struggle of the characters is important, because each of them, in addition to passion, has a range of other thoughts. Heroes penetrate into each other not only physically, but also emotionally, "it's like a worm sneaking into my heart," but she's in his too. The actress did her job inimitably. Her character wears a mask throughout the film, and she doesn't say much. Emotions hide too. With her facial expressions, her views, she tries to show us all the contradiction of her role. After all, this is a very young girl, behind whom, in addition to the task, there is also a whole cell of like-minded people. And apparently, in the end, the heroine’s nerves give up from tension. . There is so much nerve in this verbose, measured drama that the minutes after the tenth film looks in one breath. To be honest, I was still waiting for the director to add scenes of some torture, torture, to raise the degree, to debunk the halo over Mr. I. But he avoids it, and probably rightly so. The viewer is left to decipher the characters himself. I suspect that many who watched the film then argued, who and what felt, meant and so on. It's more of a plus picture, too. I would describe the film as a masterpiece. Genre as a spy war drama with bed scenes. The work of actors, decorators, operators is great. Two little minuses, I think. The first is the very beginning, it's obscure and crumpled, I almost stopped watching. Second, it would be a good idea for an international audience to give more insight into what the occupation of China was, and why those Chinese who bowed to the invaders are traitors who have no place on earth. For the sake of understanding, China has lost about 20 million civilians, not counting the huge military losses.
This film, based on Zhang Ailing’s short story (in many ways autobiographical: the writer also hovered between Shanghai and Hong Kong throughout the war, although she was not poor (like Li Hongzhang’s great-granddaughter), and also could not get out to her father in London), is built on strong emotions, weakly manifested outside. Facial expressions. The facial expressions here are half the plot. If Western actors, including Russian actors, hold the mask for a long time, like ordinary mortals, so that it can be screened and continue to see joy / sadness / anger / love, then a considerable share of emotions is visible only in the second development. Even small things: here is a Japanese woman takes her eyes away from a person who has fallen into an awkward position - gives him carte blanche to save his face; here is a raped woman daringly looks into the eyes of a rapist; here is a Chinese woman expressing regret in such a way that it would be read as flirtation or patronizing irony.
Here's an Arab jeweler. He is shown in profile, from afar, but you can see how he literally for a couple of seconds delays the look at ... I’m sure he did not identify her, and therefore still alive, and tells us almost the only way to survive in the coming times (may I die sooner).
The fire also plays along - there it is reflected in the portrait of the idol of the romantic youth of the Beast, hanging in the office (and would you dare to hold a portrait of the ideologist of the enemy, with whom there is a war of extermination?), while the photo of the youngest romantic remains in the dark.
Even the refracted rays of colored diamonds are not static - it plays with a kiss on the cheeks. And the ring itself cannot lie quietly: although the one for whom it was born looks into the abyss, although she, looking into the abyss, managed to kill in her own way (and in this, in bloodless murders, Chinese filmmakers are specialists: it is enough to remember the Emperor and the Murderer), although the bed is cold and crumpled, but you need to continue the game.
Even with a heart cut like a diamond.
“He penetrates my soul with a snake, he lives in me and does not let go.” I'm his slave ...
In its 40th year, China is under Japanese rule. Students from the theater circle, caught in the pure and noble idea of liberation from the occupation, begin to cooperate and fall under the influence of much more experienced and emotionless people in this matter. They are no longer freedom fighters, but frightened children who are used as bait. First of all, the main character of the film is Jiazhi, a lonely girl who has only her father and even he abandoned her. Its goal is to charm and ingratiate itself with the influential and disgusting collaborator, Mr. Yi, and eventually lure him to the place where the rest of the operation must kill him. But Mr. Yi is not so simple, and our students are far from the first to try to end him in this way. He is very careful and the case is delayed, and after the bed scene, the rejection of the antagonist increases by an order of magnitude. But in the course of the plot, the authors put all sorts of details that reveal this character and the main character, although she feels hatred for this person, begins to penetrate them and understands that he himself risks no less than her every day.
It's a very layered piece. Politics, war, the excesses of the occupiers remain somewhere far away, and in the foreground only the hatred of the heroine to a person who passes into animal attraction. A rather battered situation of confrontation between two people is presented by the director (Ang Lee) under the sauce, reaching the limit in their frankness, erotic scenes and emotional intensity in them, in which the depth of the characters’ feelings is visible, and in which the feelings are primarily exposed not by the bodies, but by the feelings. I think these are the most important scenes, and that’s where the whole philosophy of the film comes from. It is in these scenes that the affection of two people is born, that the world around them, war, murder, lies disappear and only they exist for them. This is especially true of Jiaji (as we look through her eyes), who had nothing and was alone inside. A man who was disgusting to her at first filled her up on some higher level, and she is to him, presumably, too. The effect of bed scenes is also enhanced by the fact that in China, since Mao’s reforms to the present day, the themes of human “intimacy” remain taboo.
A beautiful and at the same time very difficult psychological film. A war between a man and a woman, taking the form of a terrible mutual occupation. And the historical Japanese occupation of China is a symbol, a metaphor for this relationship. And it is impossible to say who is the occupier and who is occupied, who is the torturer and who is the victim. Thus, Ang Lee breaks the existing combination of Stockholm syndrome reveals a fine line between passion and hatred, adoration and humiliation, beauty and abomination.
As a result, Jiaji faces a choice between betraying the country, the people and the sense of duty and saving the only one for whom she cares, or betraying him and living with it for life. She makes her choice and only one question remains: what does Mr. Yi feel and why does he act in the end as he did? Perhaps for me this character is the most mysterious and interesting hero in cinema.
10 out of 10
I really liked the aesthetic of this film: the atmosphere of the 40s, interiors, costumes. . . The camera work is very good ... makes you admire the close-ups, mise-en-scene. . I really enjoyed watching it.
Currently, the trend is that most of the movies viewed and released are American films. Quite rarely the modern viewer gets something unique and non-banal, but if anything comes, it is a sign that you need to pay attention to this film.
Actor's play. As you know, bed scenes cause the actors the most difficulty. Some of them, even the most talented ones, simply refuse them because of their candor. What I love about Asian cinema is that it goes far beyond the morality of American films. Tan Wei (Mac Tai Tai) and Tony Leung Chu Wai are people who could have safely claimed the Oscars if not for the American Film Academy, which has not updated Taiwan’s application for participation in the ceremony. The movie is teeming with bed scenes! At the same time, they are made so frankly that even when watching it often becomes uncomfortable: how did they even agree to this? Of course, for such diligence, plausibility and frankness wild respect these two.
Entourage, camera work and soundtrack. The entourage here has a secondary function, but it complements well. I also want to mention the painstaking work of the operator. It took a lot of effort to shoot time-consuming bed scenes. Two actors portraying lovers, and the cameraman, trying to remove it all as frankly as possible and not crossing a certain moral boundary – this is the situation that formed in the pavilion at those moments.
Plot. The painting "Living" tells us about the difficult years of the Second World War. Yes, the action takes place at that time, but the main message of the film is not to conduct tactical spy games, which, of course, are present. The meaning lies in human feelings: in love, in passion. At first, the viewer is hinted at the standard actions of the main character, aimed at gaining confidence in the enemy and its early elimination. The main character through force tries to benefit and does everything that is ordered. It sacrifices itself for the common good, for victory in war. Incredulous and mysterious Mr. Yee initially causes a certain feeling of rejection, and after the first bed scene and even gag reflex. Gradually, the authors bring to the film details that somehow change the characters: Mr. Yee is not so cruel, Mac Tai is no longer so afraid of him, although showing in public that he hates him with all his heart, that he causes her unthinkable suffering. Mac Tai becomes interested in a relationship with him: she looks for meetings with him, gets upset when he leaves for a long time or stays late. Here, of course, a controversial question: on the one hand, she does it for a more believable image of the mistress, on the other – maybe this is her real feelings? In the middle of the film there is some uncertainty in the feelings of both Tai Tai and Mr. Yi, but still some hints are present. At this stage, the plot is developing faster and faster. Now there are scenes that bring them together so much that there is no question of sex or falling in love, now we are talking about real love, about real big feelings. I think everyone will find their own interpretation of the thoughts of the main characters.
You have to be patient, because the movie is two and a half hours long. When watching, it is necessary to give great influence not to dialogues, but to the facial expressions and actions of the main characters. It is necessary to understand how they feel, to guess their feelings, although sometimes it is simply impossible to do. I would definitely recommend it, but with reservations.
Director Ang Lee is able to attract the interest of the public with his work. No sooner did the passions about Brokeback Mountain really subside, which brought him another Oscar statuette, as the next year the no less provocative film Lust was released. The genre of this film can be described as a spy thriller, the action of which unfolded in wartime. The plot is based on a classic plot about how a novice actress from a young detachment of militias tries to gain trust in the influential politician Mr. Yi, posing as the wife of a successful entrepreneur. The plot is somewhat reminiscent of Paul Verhoeven's Black Book, but there was more emphasis on the thriller. Ang Lee went the other way, adding some very revealing bed scenes. Moreover, they were so spectacular that strict censorship in China decided to cut them completely, and in the United States the picture was awarded the strictest rating of NC-17, releasing it only in limited release.
In other words, a good film is not afraid of any interference. He'll still find his viewer. Especially since the direction is really wonderful. Despite the large timekeeping, interest in the film does not fade from the moment the main character crosses the threshold of the house of Mr. Yee. In such plots there is always intrigue and tension, since the deception can be revealed at any moment, which will lead to a dramatic outcome. Watching the changes in the image of the main character is also fascinating. What else is she willing to do for a common purpose? Learning to smoke was the least of the evils we had to master. On the other hand, it is equally interesting to see how rapidly the melodramatic line develops. Perhaps most striking is not so much the frank bed scenes as the contrast between modestly lowered eyes in the best traditions of oriental etiquette and animal uncontrollable passion. And this effect would not have been without brilliant acting. It was the looks and gestures of the actors that filled the film with a special magnetism.
Well, the melodramatic climax deserves extra points. What motivated such an act? Is Tai Tai so ingrained in her new image that she believed in love with a cruel tyrant? Or she recognized him so well that she saw in him not only a formidable politician, but also a lonely man who risked no less than herself, trusting her feelings. In any case, she would still be a traitor to either side. So she prioritized her own heart, choosing the sin that would make it easier for her to accept her fate. She was always romantic, and only then she was forced the image of an undercover agent. He has been held hostage to rational decisions. I love those endings that leave an aftertaste. The whole film is aesthetically beautiful. In fact, it could have been shortened after all. Like cutting a murder scene in a house. It was a lot more false.
Mac Tai Tai is a young, beautiful and rich girl, not at all who she claims to be, and even the very cautious, suspicious and influential Mr. And is unable to unravel her secret. Not that he's trying too hard.
A very beautiful, very serious, elegant, sophisticated film about the dangers and victims of underground resistance agents during the Second World War. Stunningly shot and played, saturated and as if even having a strong aroma. But to my great regret, I failed to dive deeper than the colorful picture.
The flow of the film is very slow, the narrative leaping back and forth several times in time, which was a bit confusing. The interactions between the main characters are mostly silent, but their connection is simply knocked down by its passion, candor and heat. Again, the incredible merit of the creators and performers. The love scenes here were probably the most frank and courageous I've seen.
But I was not touched by the experiences of the main characters, moreover, I even hardly felt them. I didn’t understand the story and the characters, I didn’t understand the basis on which Mr. Yi and MacTay’s relationship was based, and I didn’t understand them in general. Even the ending didn’t give me a clear answer. But maybe that's what it was all about.
The movie remained a mystery to me in a beautiful wrapper.
The plot of “Living” can be compared with the “Black Book” by Paul Verhoeven, published a year earlier: a girl from the Resistance unit enters the enemy camp. True, the pace of the narrative in both cases is different: if Cheka is a kind of spy action movie, where events change each other with dizzying speed, then Lust is slower and slower, but does not lose a single gram in fun. And the difference in accents makes itself felt - if in the first film the relationship of the main character with the enemy side is described in a simple way and quite fits into the melodramatic plot, then in the second it is more difficult to give an unambiguous definition.
The main character Wong is strikingly weak and inert. Yeah, there's a war going on somewhere, but she doesn't seem to care much about that. Of the relatives there is a father who arranges life abroad and does not want to be reunited with his daughter. Flaming speeches about the importance of the struggle of the heart do not hurt, and in the initial adventure she gets involved clearly not out of burning patriotism, which clearly does not suffer, but because of sympathy for the student who knows how to speak beautifully, but can not confirm words with deeds (and, most likely, clearly does not fully understand what she is going on) but the inability to insist on her own. They said that they had to play in a play on stage - legs in hand and goes to play. They said we had to kill the enemy of the people - well, let's go rock. They said to take an oath to get even with the enemy - he will bring even the last. It is an amazing lack of will, indeed.
For the image of Mr. Yee creators want only to praise: believe in him. However, it is visible only through Wong’s eyes, except for the last few minutes, so all conclusions about its character remain on the level of solid guesses and assumptions. However, the image is easy to believe: tough, sometimes to the extreme, not used to sentiment, distrustful and harsh. At the same time, it does not give the impression of a person who is openly cruel by nature, rather, a person on whom his work left its imprint. And what is not quite a heartless bastard, in the end you can see perfectly (unlike the story in which Mr. Yee appears quite impenetrable wood). The only thing is that it is hard to believe that he did not understand that Mac Tai Tai is a sent Cossack. Except that this is something from the category of “it is not difficult to deceive me – I am happy to deceive myself.” Or the passion really clouded his mind. Otherwise, it is difficult to believe that the honorable Mr. Yee bites professionally trained spies like nuts, and only his subordinates know about the true essence of the inexperienced girl, and then for some strange reason they do not report.
And if you can say more or less definitely how Mr. Yi treated the girl, then Wong’s attitude to her enemy will not work. More precisely, there is so much confusion that to call it one crummy word "lust" somehow does not want, especially since it is lust on her part is not particularly visible. Perhaps fear (no matter what, but this man is dangerous), perhaps the charm of the halo of power and power, perhaps discouragement, and the sexual escapades of Mr. Yee clearly played a role. But there is lust on her part, passion and even more love in sight. And the final breakdown, which led to the tragedy, is rather explained by the usual sense of guilt and unwillingness to take responsibility for the death of a person (one thing, when it is only in the future, and quite another, when everything is about to happen before your very eyes). Here, of course, the question arises, what did the recruiters think, sending a young and inexperienced girl on such a task (after all, Yu Min reasonably noted that she did not have the appropriate psychological training). Well, this is not a case in which you can hope for anything.
Anyway, the finale is quite natural. Both wanted to subjugate the other, albeit for very different reasons. In a sense, Wong even won, despite external weakness and infantility, in the armor of the impenetrable Mr. Yi remained a hole with which he will have to live on and pull the strap.
But what good is that?
It's quite a tense picture. I was afraid of excessive theatricality, as is often the case in Asian cinema, but no, everything is surprisingly subtle, realistic, makes you believe. It did not seem to be delayed, although the pace of the narrative is slow. It is a pity that the end is tragic, but probably logical. There are very explicit scenes. And the title ' Lust' does not convey the essence at all - an inaccurate translation, in my opinion. I don’t know what to think about, the picture is rather sensual. Overall, I really liked the 9th.
Throughout its history, Hollywood has witnessed numerous waves of immigration of foreign filmmakers from virtually every country. Many have not been able to gain a foothold in the American film market, and some have not only taken root, but have not lost their unique directorial style and the director of this film is perhaps the most striking example of this rare category of lucky people. After all, the director of this film has long proved his unique talent and always remains true to himself when making films and perhaps this is what makes his tapes more personal and more soulful.
Perhaps so personal and soulful turned out and “Living”, which looks perhaps one of the most trivial and strongest works of the Director. The picture, which not only stands out against the background of other works of the director, but also films on the theme of the Second World War inclusive. After all, a huge number of films about the Second World War have been shot, but the director of the film Ang Lee again does not try to follow the already trodden path and chooses a completely different path. Thus, the Second World War itself turns out to be only a general decoration against the background of an unusual and passionate relationship between secret agent Wang and political figure Mr. I.
The director of the film Ang Lee very subtly revealed the development of the relationship between the two main characters of the picture, which began as a mission to kill the second, but quickly grew into something much stronger and deeper. Even through rudeness, cruelty and harshness on the part of the partner. Elegantly jumping flashbacks into the past of Wang’s heroine, the director of the film Ang Lee seems to be trying to rehabilitate Wang, rehabilitate any choice she makes, regardless of whether she chooses love or her country. All this fully reveals the characters of the picture from an incredibly interesting side, and the story itself, with all the modesty in presenting unexpected plot twists, is no less intriguing and interesting. In many ways, focusing on how the film will end.
Armed with magnificent scenery, themed costumes and technique, Eng Lee literally immerses in the atmosphere of Shanghai during the Second World War and with filigree accuracy, with indescribable beauty of the narrative through the eyes of the operator of the picture Rodrigo Prieto, Lee draws the image of a real work of art and the same work of art film remains even in scenes of a sexual nature. They were shot very erotic, passionately and for all their frankness, it was not at all vulgar and did not go and it cannot but impress when watching the tape.
Tony Leung Chu Wai has always been famous for his ability to play positive and negative roles with equal dignity. Now the actor has moved on. The image itself turned out to be ambiguous and it is impossible to call it bad or good. However, Tony Leung played so expressively and vividly that his character is impotent and repulsive at the same time. Damn good in the picture my favorite actress Tan Wei, for which this role was the first major work in the movie. Despite the seemingly lack of experience, it was just amazing and at the moment it is by far the best work of her career. Very natural, bright, lively and insanely sexy. Both in the context of explicit bed scenes and outside.
8 out of 10
Lust is a very deep, non-trivial, artful and heartfelt story of passion between those who are not meant to be together. No love story, but something much more, which is demonstrated as a real work of art and certainly wins the strongest acting and luxurious directing of the famous Ang Lee.
He doesn’t just walk into me, he crawls into me like a snake to my heart. . .
For me personally, Lust is a surprisingly strong film built on contrasts. The elegance and brilliance of the dresses of the ladies ministers, restaurants, diamonds - and poor neighborhoods where lines line up for a cup of rice. The noble idea of resistance - and the dirty methods of implementing this idea: in fact, the heroine is deliberately put in bed with Mr. Yi. In addition, in general, good and kind guys and girls become cowards and murderers: remember at least the scene when they stabbed Yu-min to death familiar Cao. In any case, the director does not give ready-made answers - the viewer himself decides how to perceive this or that action of the characters and the ending of the film itself. Of course, I wish there were less hints and more clarity. But hints are also one of the highlights of the film. In addition to contarsts, perhaps, this is another technique, thanks to which you do not want to take your eyes off the screen - understatement. You look further and expect to be explained... And you sigh when you realize that you have to figure it out yourself.
And yes, I would probably agree with those who say after watching the movie that you have more sympathy for the Secretary of Homeland Security than you do for a girl who pretends to be a McTai. As with those who think the title of the film is mistranslated. Or it's called too primitive. Because the feelings between Mr. Yi and the imaginary Mrs. McTai are much stronger, more complex and deeper than ordinary lust. This is when for a while your whole world narrows down to a single person in whom you drown, in whom you dissolve. there is no place for pretense, some manners, only emotions and the desire to remain forever in the body of a loved one. In my personal opinion, that’s why she couldn’t get the job done: she realized how much she was loved and trusted, and she realized that if she betrayed that trust, she would never forgive herself. Like a lot of things. Therefore, she accepted her execution as inevitable. It was a logical conclusion for her. Besides, if you remember, old Wu immediately told her that there was no way back and burned her letter to her father. And Mr. Yi, despite all the love, knows perfectly well that this is how it will not be, plus he will lose everything he has at the moment if he leaves the heroine alive ... so, the end is natural. . .
And it hits the heart... And Alexander Despla’s great music sounds and sounds in his head for a few more days. It's as deep, light and sad as the movie itself, for me personally. . .
Like a serpent he penetrated into my soul, into my heart.
occupied Shanghai. '40s. Domestic tensions. A simple girl becomes a spy to destroy the Japanese enemy.
The plot is the most common and familiar that is in this film. Further development, details, dialogues become more difficult to perceive. But you keep an eye on what's going on, keep an eye on it. Despite the timing, the picture can not be called long: the viewer is kept in the same tension as the main characters. And frank erotic scenes remind that the film is not about war, not about spies, not about deception, but about people whose feelings and desires can outweigh everything in this life.
An amazing cast did its job. Tang Wei, Tony Leung Chu Wai and Wan Lihom created the atmosphere of a real Chinese cinema: sustained, leisurely, but psychologically strong. A huge plus to the director Eng Lee, whose paintings are famous for ambiguity. That’s what I mean by “lust.”
The film made a very strong impression on me and made me think about it for a long time. That’s the kind of film I prefer and that’s why I love Asian movies!
Let me tell you right away: this movie couldn’t end well. It's a pity, because until the last shot, I still had a faint hope for the usual Western happy ending. I thought, “Can the clock hit 9 instead of 10?” And yet, had the ending been different, this film would hardly have left such a deep mark on the heart.
How sorry I was for the main character throughout the film! Although at first glance the film is about betrayal and traitor of the homeland (and those who fight it), I think the film is really about another betrayal and other traitors. And the devoted (in every sense) person here is only 1 - the main character.
It is not at all like the Red Komsomol, rushing into battle with a fascist. She's not. She is just a fragile and completely clean girl who agreed to play a role in a student play. So why does she agree to play another, such a dangerous role as a spy, and as many as 2 times? Not out of patriotic feeling, as I thought. Remember the moment when the students swore to deal with the enemy – she took the last oath, while so languidly looking at the leader of this “group”. The answer is love! A light shone in her eyes, but she did not know that the flame would burn her like a moth. Her innocence was trampled, betrayed. She was sacrificed by her “friends” before she knew it. But nothing came of them, the object left, and the honor cannot be returned by a girl.
And now, they meet again in a few years. And the guy who got her into that trap finds her. And he said to her, "I was looking for you..." And no, to say that he loves her (and he loved her!), so no, sends again on a mission. Again, she agrees. But the spark is gone. Quite the opposite: she has nothing more to lose, life has already betrayed her. And now, the beloved again betrays her, but she is unlikely to hurt from this. After all, he confessed to her at the end, and she answered him, pushing back: “Why didn’t you do this 3 years ago?” And I say, Why didn't he even do that when he found her? It wasn't too late.
Well, as for the traitor of the homeland, about whom and about the relationship with which there were many reviews written here and without me, he was just a deeply lonely and introverted person. Such people cannot be happy, because they do not know how to give happiness, and they expect only set-ups from others. But after all, our heroine was not happy, and betrayal was full, and loneliness. That's why they agreed. How she hugged him the first time! Because it was real. They seemed to see in each other the painfully familiar loneliness, but the way to salvation from it was also in them. And the eyes shone again, and a real fire of feelings began. Love, hate, despair and happiness - here was everything.
Here is just one thing I want to add: who was a traitor to the homeland, everyone understands, but who was the main traitor in this picture? It's up to you.
Ang Lee’s films are always distinguished by their mysterious atmosphere, beautiful but very sad story. This director really creates beautiful and amazing films that carry the whole range of emotions and immediate cinematic value. Lust is a movie that I couldn’t help but watch, because I’ve seen all the other works of this wonderful director. This war drama with elements of thriller and erotica balances between the history of World War II and the belief in a better life, but for this better life, it was necessary to fight and remove some people who interfered with universal peace.
We see a young campaign of people who decided to kill this powerful politician, and after this event everything must turn around. One girl from this company has to work undercover and learn everything about this influential person, and they start a love affair, and we see passion, tenderness, and the secret that the girl carries, and the consequences may not be predictable, which we see.
The movie was good and I enjoyed watching it. The drama shows the elements of the time, and believes that you are in a dark and turbulent time of war. Actor Tony Leung Chu Wai perfectly always plays different roles, both positive and negative. With this controversial and complex role, he coped, and played as always with conviction and confidence. I love this actor and a lot of his movies are masterpieces to watch. Young and previously unknown to me actress Tan Wei perfectly got used to the role, and played very emotionally and sensually. This actress did a great job and I was intrigued after this movie. I liked these actors and remember them well.
In this movie there are many beautiful and passionate erotic scenes in which I play the main characters of the film. Sometimes it seemed to me that everything was not played out, but as if they were really making love, but this is all a good hand of the director, because he shoots everything as if it were true. The movie turned out to be worthy, and I think it deserves attention and only positive reviews. Lust is a drama about war, about friendship, about love, about what is important and what a person can do when he has a choice between duty to the country and his love.
9 out of 10
Se, jie is a strange movie. It evokes many, often contradictory, feelings, among which: horror, déjà vu, pride, admiration, excitement and emptiness. It is these factors that bring the film to an unattainable level for the average viewer. The movie, which tells an ordinary love story against the backdrop of the war, carries “notes of aesthetics”. Because of this, the language does not turn to recommend this movie to everyone. It, as befits the time in which everything happens, is very difficult and viscous.
Horror. This aspect includes many instruments, but the basis is the naturalism of most scenes. Cinematography is like trying to grab the most unpleasant shots, showing them with special sadism. And if at first consciousness rejects what it saw, at the end comes an understanding of how successfully all this ultimately played on the overall impression of the picture, on its atmosphere.
Deja vu. I always felt like something like this had happened. Already painful plot twists, the ending and the overall atmosphere seemed familiar. And it really is. If you remove particularly tough scenes and change the protagonist’s gender, then immediately comes to mind Operation Valkyrie, where Tom Cruise also during this very war took the path of resistance to fascist oppression, trying to remove the most dangerous criminal of the 20th century. It is Brian Singer’s film that will appeal to more viewers, but this overly licked work lacks human emotions, experiences and plausibility.
Pride. You cannot ignore the very idea of resistance, which is raised in the film, although it fades into the background in the end. It is pleasant to realize that there are so many young people in our world who sacrifice themselves every day for the sake of their own good, the good of their people, and countries, forgetting about the future, about their past, ready to lose friends and not lose their minds. However, one mistake can cost not only life, but also the collapse of the idea, which in this case is more important.
Admiration. First of all admires the unobtrusive soundtrack, which wrote no less pleasant Alexander Desplat. About the camera work says at least a prize at the Venice Film Festival and there is nothing to complain about. It is also worth praising the acting of Asian guys who not only played a role perfectly, but created their own world in which they delight the viewer from and before.
Arousal. The film is rated NC 17. Erotic scenes on the verge of porn are shown here in such a huge, and most importantly different amount, which is even frightening. However, despite the general disgust of what is happening, it is impossible not to note the excellent production, which fascinates and awakens animal instincts.
Empty. I want to make it clear that this is not a simple love drama. Initially, this movie tries to convey to the viewer that nothing good is worth waiting for. This is especially true of the finale, which puts a fat point in the romantic genre. Despite the devastation in the finale and soullessness throughout the work, you begin to appreciate more such small joys of life as going to the movies or meeting friends. After all, this is almost the most important thing in the situation that the director showed us, and in ordinary life too.
The verdict: Love always wins.
Taiwanese director Ang Lee, at the moment, perhaps the main Asian director of Hollywood. Skillfully combining his native folklore motifs with the needs of the mass audience, time after time, with each of his films he kills several birds with one stone: Breaks a big jackpot from the studio, wins viewers, and at the same time film critics and awards. This happened with the recent philosophical and religious parable “Life of Pi”, which in turn repeated the success of the gay drama “Brokeback Mountain” and the martial arts film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”. Between these unconditional box office and festival hits, Lee shot several not so noticeable, but, nevertheless, not inferior to them in quality tapes. And the most notable among them is “Living”, released jointly by the United States, Taiwan, Gongong and China, in 2007.
The action of the film takes viewers to the middle of the 20th century - a time when almost all countries were engulfed in the fire of World War II. It was no exception that China was captured by a smaller and much more organized Japanese army. Unwilling to put up with the occupation, the drama club of one of the local universities decides to fight against the system. One of the girls, an inexperienced and young Mac Tai, is sent to schew with a high-ranking official, Mr. Yi. However, he is too careful and, despite the spark that has passed between them, he does not allow himself to be seduced. And then he leaves, forcing the young terrorists to postpone their plans. Four years pass. Tai Thai becomes a real oriental beauty, Yi remains the same high-ranking, and the spark that smoldered for several years turns into a real fire.
Acting out the old combination of Stockholm syndrome, Ang Lee, whose work and in general is characterized by a certain secondary, nevertheless does it masterfully. A rather battered situation is served to them under the sauce reaching the limit in its frankness of erotic prices and emotional intensity between the characters. Forever attractive to the West for its exoticity and mystery, the Eastern atmosphere also does its job. Concentrating on the relationships and personal experiences of the characters, Lee does not forget about all the other necessary attributes of Oriental cinema, intended primarily for America and Europe. Here and the cruelties of war, and everyday trifles, and those very mysterious rituals and customs of the East, so incomprehensible and at the same time so attractive. Smoothly lying on almost three-hour timekeeping, all these details are not pitfalls in the way of the plot and do not interfere with its perception. On the contrary, they rather serve as an extra pair of oars and a steering wheel, accelerating the path of the viewer in the plot of the film. And most importantly, “Lust” is not a schematic and carefully calibrated mechanism, attractive from the outside, but in fact full of only cogs and wires. Wong Lee made his film, as they say, with a soul and full dedication. Not the last role in creating such an impression was played (really played!) by the actors chosen by the director. Especially strong is the image known from the films of Wong Kar-Wai, Hong Konger Tony Leung Chu Wai. His Master Yi turned out to be equally impressive, in the form of an exquisite gentleman, a fan of sado-maso and the leader of the firing squad. The same can be said about the film itself. Without falling into separate parts, looking whole and fascinating, "Living" combines many details, valuable in themselves, but even more valuable together.
How do you believe the truth?
There could be fakes.
There may even be a fake light.
fake love,
with the voice of the evil...
What kind of love did Ang Lee write about – real or not? This question cannot be answered correctly. You can only do it your way.
Lee is wise. He knows that the enjoyment of ignorance is the same as that of knowledge. And they should always be there. They have to hide in each other. And open each other up. And to justify it. Isn't that the perfect atmosphere of a spy movie? About spy love...
Did Minister Yi know or did not know, dried up by civil unrest and weathered by a cruel century and unmerciful politics, that a possible enemy, a murderer, was next to him?
Tai-Tai - trembling, tender, sweet, inexperienced - knew or did not know that he was not an enemy, a murderer, but trembling at her look and smell, dreaming of real pain and tears, useless, weak and unhappy person?
In each of them lived an enemy and a lover. Each became for the other executioner and salvation, victim and traitor - a desperately faithful traitor.
Each died and rose again because of the other.
Their passion was born in an atmosphere of duplicity, confusion, panic, total distrust, surveillance, control. That's why it looked at first like war - blows, blood, wary looks, torn clothes, unwillingness to betray yourself to the enemy, to surrender, to fall out of the game.
I remember "The Night Porter." I don't think so. Does the age affect love, turning it into its painful reflection – aggressive and sick? Someone beats, someone takes blows, someone falls so that another takes off, counting, like a sick chronometer, minutes of love, minutes of hatred, drops of blood.
Ang Lee made an intriguingly opaque story. A story about a time that is no more, no more important, no higher than love... but at the same time can terribly disfigure it, become its worst test, crooked mirror, executioner, executioner. Whatever you want, but I don’t think it’s the winner.
Like L. Cavani, E. Lee has the main proof of the victory of love over time and over a person who resists it - death. But his victory looks more true. Her torture of betrayal is over. It has just begun...
Yi is alone on an empty bed, where until recently their bodies struggled, snaked, shivered, melted, torn on a white sheet, he is alone - with a black conscience and the memory of the one whom he was saved, but whom he killed. She gave him that right. Right of point. The betrayal of those who trust him.
Like Cavani’s Portier, Lee’s terrifying finale is a happy ending. In the general atmosphere of hostility, suspicion, distrust and disbelief, both heroes had the strength to believe in love. Paradoxically, he believed in her when he heard from Tai-Tai "I hate you"; and she when she understood his trusting and happy look, with which he confessed his love in a jewelry store, where her hatred was supposed to find an outlet.
There are so many contradictions in this film. How many obscure, underdrawn psychological portraits, how many unspoken words, imperfect actions, ineptly composed, collapsed plans. How many darkened, muffled by color, dim light frames. As much as unspoken truth and hopeless lies.
And as the outcome - the radiance, the brilliance, the clarity of his last gift - an impossible beautiful ring. And the brightness of the white and white sheet in her forever empty room.
Tai-Tai entered it - all! - not recoiling from the dead mustiness, mold and dust, entered, as they enter an abandoned, long empty house, she inhabited it, she kindled the fire in it, she filled it with her smell, the beating of her heart.
And he didn't let her out of that house, even ordering the southern quarry.
Yi counts the beats of the clock – 1.2,...10, as if counting the last tremors of his heart. It’s like waiting for his life to stop with the last tenth. Yes, it will stop, because he will never let anyone into it, will not open anyone, will not believe anyone, will not love anyone. But he will believe in her until the last blow.
Is lust a fake, a trap, a game? Or is this the only real thing that two people who got lost in a fake, evil world - in the 42nd, in Shanghai?
This question cannot be answered correctly. You can only do it your way...
Somewhere between mere organic desire and deliberate decision lurked lust, and politics was on the way from impartial objectivity to cold prudence. The two golden middles intersect at a dangerous angle, too steep for some and deceptively safe for others. You are oppressed or you are tyrannized - the difference is unprincipled, you will not be able to breathe freely anyway. Scandals, intrigues, investigations; conspiracies, conspiracy, assassinations - blood slowly moves in a small and large circle, carrying oxygen, necessary in a stiflingly stinking atmosphere of mutual distrust. Calculation and sex are two cherished molecules, liberating and fettering at the same time, attracting careless or, on the contrary, self-confident moths who decided to fight either with each other or with the nature of chemical compounds.
The woman is responsible for the sensual component, the man for the pragmatic. The parties of Jiazhi and Mr. Yi are painted to the smallest detail, and they follow their emotional line with Asian accuracy. With the endlessly sad eyes of a guerrilla lamb, she looks at her stone target, alienatedly malignant in occupied China. An hour and a half of glances and fittings, conversations and omissions in surprisingly cramped rooms, as if there was a need to whip up an already heavy atmosphere of alertness, a clumsy pendulum moving from slow waiting to feverish agony. The trap is placed by both sides, each of whom intuitively feels threatened, but is eager to test his heart for strength. A thick tension with a tenacious varnish settles on the laying of Jiazhi, ahead of the capitalist pin-up by a dozen years, and the loud silence creates a beautiful acoustics for hissing the blood of Mr. Yi boiling from excitement - in that trap there is power, over himself and others, the subject of the quest of all politicians, but are not women the most skillful of them?
Ang Lee realized in time that he was not filming years like flowers, but about electricity sparkled by hormones, lust, and the desire for absolute domination. The sudden bitterness of almonds in the filling, the claws of a captured lioness on the sheets, he relieves the tension that has become unbearable. Everything that came before was forgotten with relief, to be inevitably remembered in a few minutes on a crumpled bed: it does not matter who is the oppressor and who is the freedom fighter of his country, nor does it matter that the finale is predictable and too quick compared to the length of the foreplay. However, moments of pleasure are always quick - once, and already the credits, a farewell "thank you" without a promise to stay. Lee unwinded the tangle of emotions faster than expected, which is why thoughts of inertia continue to cling to the momentary cracked balance between the executioner and the victim. Oxygen starvation turned into its overabundance, but such sharpness is quite in the spirit of the last minutes of ecstasy, replaced by empty alienation. Played and played, but did not win the coveted power, losing even the vaunted Asian composure. You never know what you will find at the intersection of two sought-after middle ground, which in fact are not so attractive. Be careful with your desires – they tend to come true.