Since its release, "When the Monster Comes Knocking" has always been in the situation of "no one caring".
As of now, the total box office is only less than 12 million, and the popular "Wrestling Bar!" Compared to "Daddy" and "Guardians of the Galaxy 2", it is too deserted.
Of course, this is also more or less related to the special theme of the film.
The following minor spoilers, do not like can be directly pulled down to the bottom.
The protagonist of the story, Connor, is a very bitter child.
Abandoned by his father from a young age, he and his mother depended on him for his life.
Within a few years, my mother had cancer and her life was in danger.
In school, Connor also belongs to the marginalized group, bullied by classmates, and has not made progress academically.
At a young age, you have to endure life and death, suffer from sneering, endure loneliness and loneliness, and so on, all kinds of negative pressures.
It can be said that his life is dark, and there is not a little hope in sight.
It was also at this time that Connor met a tree man friend in a dream.
The Tree Man said that he had been summoned and was obedient, and that he would destroy whatever he wanted.
Is this tree man real?
People who have seen it generally say "no", it is just an image projected by Connor's inner fear.
The Tree Man tells Connor three fairy tales, each of which is a metaphor for Connor's real life.
In the first story, there was once a prince who was abandoned by his stepmother, then killed his lover, married his stepmother, and returned to the kingdom to inherit the throne.
This is clearly a hint at Connor's resentment of his father's abandonment of himself in his early years.
The second story tells of a pastor who, forced by his daughter's serious illness, had to turn to the pharmacist he had spurned for help.
Again, this is to say that Connor is pessimistic about his mother's serious illness and death.
The third story, a transparent man, is always ignored by those around him.
Obviously, this transparent person refers to Connor himself. It is better to say that he is more willing to be ignored than to be ignored, so that he may suffer less.
You see, fairy tales and reality, seemingly clearly demarcated, are carefully choreographed by the director, and finally intersect and are closely related to each other.
Immersed in a fairy tale world, we empathize with Connor's misfortune. It was as if the whole story had been seen in Connor's eyes.
Admittedly, the emotions in "When the Monster Knocks" are very sincere, and the special effects are above the standard, but this unique angle of storytelling is what I really appreciate.
Because it has a kind of compassion.
It is not to say how pitiful people are, but to infinitely narrow the distance between the audience and the protagonist, and to taste the pure emotions from the bottom of their hearts.
Such examples have been given before, most famously, in Pan's Labyrinth.
A little girl who grew up during the gunfire of World War II, her father died, her mother married the German Nazis and was oppressed, and finally, the little girl fantasized about Pan shen to help her fulfill her wishes.
How much the little girl is afraid of the monster she imagined, how much she resists the unfortunate encounters of real life.
There are also classic animations such as Hayao Miyazaki's "Totoro", all of which reproduce the pure and flawless soul of children through fairy tale means.
Unfortunately, nowadays, this kind of movie that enters the heart of children is becoming less and less.
We all know that children and adults think differently, too many movies use the eyes of adults to shoot children's stories, blunt and boring, completely devoid of children's vitality.
This also indirectly reflects a hint of concern for adults, we live too mechanically, too regularly.
As we grow older and more experienced, we will all become more and more mature. Seeing the world is more sensible.
Emotional intelligence is getting higher and higher, interpersonal relationships are handled handily, and they get along better with their surroundings.
We call this growth.
Growing up also has side effects, and the pure innocence of childhood is always unconsciously lost.
In the end, the world you see will become more and more boring, boring, and utilitarian.
You think you're no longer childish, but in fact your heart is old.
10 years ago, Zhou Xingchi filmed a "Kung Fu". Most people set their sights on dazzling special effects and paying homage to Bruce Lee.
Only a very few people saw it, and it was a fairy tale fantasized in the little boy's heart.
Back to When monsters come knocking.
Of course, you can say that the tree man does not exist, which is conjured up by Connor in his heart, and it is the director's artistic expression.
That's right, but it's a bit overdone.
Why can't you take it for granted, like Connor, as it is?
Real life is so hard, watch a movie once in a while, be a child, why not?