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mumblemumble) wrote2024-10-29 09:46 pm
mumblemumble) wrote2024-10-29 09:46 pm
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Land of Broken Hearts (2024)
I finally watched Long-ge's manic pixie dream boy movie over the weekend, and I think I'd have to watch it again to have some more interesting things to say about it, but here's some random thoughts anyway:
- That was not the movie I expected from the trailer? Or bits of it were. There were definitely a lot of elements of the manic pixie dream girl trope, but it felt less like she was in service of his story than it could have? The scene where he yells at the boss alien that she needs to live was very Eternal Sunshine. And the montage of them having fun and making each other less sad also felt very formulaic, but not in a bad way.
- Their dimly-lit room of intimacy was very good. All these scenes were very strong, and I liked the funky little cartoon sex scene very much. It was unxpected but didn't feel out of place.
- I had a discussion with someone who thought the kissy ending kind of muddled the message that you don't have to be in a relationship and follow societal expectations to be happy. He broke free from the script that brought her into his life, but then he ended up with her anyway, so he didn't really break free all that much. I can kind of see that interpretation, but in my mind the script was "have a brief fling with her and then she dies," and he actively thwarted that, and then actively made himself experience joy again, without her. So he's in a better place when they meet again, and she also seems to be less haunted, so they can try this again with much less baggage, and then who knows what happens.
- But also, the fact that she just shows up on the beach where he opened his little bar that he named after the place that was meaningful to her-- is clearly fate? So is everything predestined anyway? But sometimes fate is good? BEARD STROKE, BEARD STROKE.
- I should have started with this, but my god, he was so sad. He was so, so sad. Sometimes I just had to pause because I couldn't take how sad he was. His sad little Office Space job. His sad little rice and mayo meals. His sad little abandoned career dreams.
- The actress did a much more mature and nuanced job than I, again, expected from the trailer. I really enjoyed her and her sad backstory and her stubborn attempts to still fling herself at life despite everything. She was so kind to his sad inner child. (I loved those scenes.)
- SAPPHIC ZHU ZHU SCENES!!! Sapphic Zhu Zhu scenes. <3
- I like that we learn that he could have easily ended up as just another person who meets the manic mystery girl and falls in love with her until she flits out of his life again. But he decides to find out more about her, to actively care about who she is, and this is what saves her from dying? And what saves him from his meaningless life of quiet desperation in turn? I mean, that's how I interpreted it. Who really knows with the alien film crew meta-narrative. That was certainly a choice!
- His happy little travels. :'))))
- Some views on love that the movie proposes:
-- "Love doesn't require them to be the same. It only requires them to both long for love."
-- "Love is hell. It's hell for you or for the other person."
-- "Once upon a time, a man caught a very strange disease. He tried many doctors, but none could help. So he looked for the [right?] doctor for ages. He finally found the doctor, but the doctor was even sicker than him. So the man decided to help the doctor get better, so the doctor could cure him."
-- "[He] no longer thinks about love. He quits his job and gets married."
-- "Meow meow meow."
- BLACK BEAN BEST BEAN 🥹🫶
- It was certainly not a perfect movie, and it took me a while to watch it, but I did enjoy many elements of it. I really hope he'll make more like this. Just ambitious, odd little arthouse things that let him shine without careening all the way into Only The River Flows territory. Let him cosplay Charlie Chaplin! Let him do tasteful sex scenes! Let him have fun little beach concerts!
- In conclusion: "When nudity becomes art, it becomes sacred. When morality becomes hypocrisy, it becomes vulgar." <3
- That was not the movie I expected from the trailer? Or bits of it were. There were definitely a lot of elements of the manic pixie dream girl trope, but it felt less like she was in service of his story than it could have? The scene where he yells at the boss alien that she needs to live was very Eternal Sunshine. And the montage of them having fun and making each other less sad also felt very formulaic, but not in a bad way.
- Their dimly-lit room of intimacy was very good. All these scenes were very strong, and I liked the funky little cartoon sex scene very much. It was unxpected but didn't feel out of place.
- I had a discussion with someone who thought the kissy ending kind of muddled the message that you don't have to be in a relationship and follow societal expectations to be happy. He broke free from the script that brought her into his life, but then he ended up with her anyway, so he didn't really break free all that much. I can kind of see that interpretation, but in my mind the script was "have a brief fling with her and then she dies," and he actively thwarted that, and then actively made himself experience joy again, without her. So he's in a better place when they meet again, and she also seems to be less haunted, so they can try this again with much less baggage, and then who knows what happens.
- But also, the fact that she just shows up on the beach where he opened his little bar that he named after the place that was meaningful to her-- is clearly fate? So is everything predestined anyway? But sometimes fate is good? BEARD STROKE, BEARD STROKE.
- I should have started with this, but my god, he was so sad. He was so, so sad. Sometimes I just had to pause because I couldn't take how sad he was. His sad little Office Space job. His sad little rice and mayo meals. His sad little abandoned career dreams.
- The actress did a much more mature and nuanced job than I, again, expected from the trailer. I really enjoyed her and her sad backstory and her stubborn attempts to still fling herself at life despite everything. She was so kind to his sad inner child. (I loved those scenes.)
- SAPPHIC ZHU ZHU SCENES!!! Sapphic Zhu Zhu scenes. <3
- I like that we learn that he could have easily ended up as just another person who meets the manic mystery girl and falls in love with her until she flits out of his life again. But he decides to find out more about her, to actively care about who she is, and this is what saves her from dying? And what saves him from his meaningless life of quiet desperation in turn? I mean, that's how I interpreted it. Who really knows with the alien film crew meta-narrative. That was certainly a choice!
- His happy little travels. :'))))
- Some views on love that the movie proposes:
-- "Love doesn't require them to be the same. It only requires them to both long for love."
-- "Love is hell. It's hell for you or for the other person."
-- "Once upon a time, a man caught a very strange disease. He tried many doctors, but none could help. So he looked for the [right?] doctor for ages. He finally found the doctor, but the doctor was even sicker than him. So the man decided to help the doctor get better, so the doctor could cure him."
-- "[He] no longer thinks about love. He quits his job and gets married."
-- "Meow meow meow."
- BLACK BEAN BEST BEAN 🥹🫶
- It was certainly not a perfect movie, and it took me a while to watch it, but I did enjoy many elements of it. I really hope he'll make more like this. Just ambitious, odd little arthouse things that let him shine without careening all the way into Only The River Flows territory. Let him cosplay Charlie Chaplin! Let him do tasteful sex scenes! Let him have fun little beach concerts!
- In conclusion: "When nudity becomes art, it becomes sacred. When morality becomes hypocrisy, it becomes vulgar." <3
no subject
You definitely make it sound appealing, even apart from the Zhu Yilong factor. :)
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FWIW that's how I interpreted it, too.
Sapphic Zhu Zhu scenes. <3
YESSSSS. ♥ That was an awesome surprise! I knew Zhu Zhu was going to be in the movie, but had no idea what her character would be like.
I did enjoy many elements of it.
I did, too.
no subject
Same! I wanna say I saw a glimpse of the dance scene, but edited in a way (in the trailer maybe?) that suggested to me that Huang Zhenkai was there to see it, and it was some kind of "playing gay for the dude" setup? IDK! But this was nice! I kinda hope they'll get in touch again. Maybe Zhu Zhu can break free from her script too.
<3
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The ending was so lovely. SOMEONE SHOULD WRITE POST-CANON FIC WHERE SHE STAYS THE NIGHT, and etc.
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