Let Him Go: Sometimes Thriller is more elegant

Author: Han Haoyue

In the first half of "Let Him Go", there are about ten details of the character turning on and off the faucet, unscrewed, the water "rushes" down, closes, turns around to face the trivial life, the faucet seems to have a symbolism in the film, it becomes a tool to relieve tension.

A great director has a magical ability to make a slow-paced film full of tension, firmly controlling the audience's nerves from the first shot. Deliberately checked the information of Thomas Bozucha, the director of "Let Him Go", the 56-year-old only has four directorial works, but without exception, he is also a screenwriter, a choreographer, and a body and mind are accommodating, which will show the strong control of the film.

In the story, "Let Him Go" is flawed in logic, the son died inexplicably, lacking the necessary explanation, the daughter-in-law married someone else and flew away, there was no foreshadowing, as for the climax of the film - grandparents came to the door to rob the grandson who was abused by the new family, in the face of unprecedented danger, the two people's approach is also quite immature. But these are not important, as a thriller, crime movie, these plots, just a task of the director, need to be completed, his performance focus is not on this, but elsewhere.

The film focuses on portraying the "disabled" side of family emotions. The mother-in-law has a superior posture to the daughter-in-law, the action is soft, the language is soft, but it is irresistible, she takes the grandson who is still a baby from the arms of the daughter-in-law, puts it in the basin of water at the right temperature to bathe, she likes to lie in her arms after the bath, at this time, she has a mother-like expression, this is a kind of transgression, from the psychological level, it is jealous of the existence of the daughter-in-law, replacing her position in the son's mind. The melancholy-faced son, who fell off his horse and died shortly after the opening of the story, seems to have some indication.

Of course, the "disability" of the grandparents' family, and a layer of thick and creamy happiness wrapped around it, looks normal. The daughter-in-law's newly married family, the villain family in the film, is a room full of manic. The right to speak in the villain family is also controlled by the grandmother, who has a serious separation anxiety disorder, not only arrested the escaped son, but also controlled everyone around him, and for the grandson of other people's families, he is never allowed to leave half a step... The film becomes a war between two grandmothers, although the desire for control is not on the same level, but they meet, such as Mars hitting the earth, do not produce a fight.

It is worth noting that the film also has a young Indian living in the wilderness, as he complains, he is also "disabled", he has lost all his relatives, and more painfully, he has lost his native language and can only speak simple English...

Thinking of the story of "Let Him Go" took place in the United States in the 1950s, you may be able to understand the director's intentions. The United States in the 1920s and 1930s experienced the Great Depression and World War II, the United States in the 1960s and 1970s experienced the Vietnam War, the anti-war, and the civil rights movement, and the 1950s were very calm, as calm as the family life of grandparents in the film.

But under the calm, revolution and division are taking place, and the beautiful life that Americans of that era tried to maintain was extremely fragile inside. Released in 2020, "Let Him Go" brings the audience's attention back to that era, or it is easy for people to breed some feelings about history. The baby who was forcibly taken away and snatched up was a symbol of the insecurity of that generation, which needed a harmless, peaceful baby to fill and comfort.

The grandparents arrive at the villain family and have a tense and suffocating confrontation at the dinner table; the grandfather, whose fingers have been cut off, drives back to the villain family to steal the baby and is found, causing a series of killings and counter-killings - these two plots are typical of thriller and crime movie routines. Stripped of these two plots, Let Him Go is closer to a picturesque Western family life film. Snowy mountains, pastures, forests, roads, the melodious melody of the film, reminiscent of the heart-warming western scenery filmed by Ang Lee in "Brokeback Mountain". Such a scenery, suitable for love, "Let Him Go" spends more space on the emotional life of grandparents who are still tied up after entering old age, making it closer to a movie about love in their later years.

"Dances with Wolves" director and star Kevin Costner, played Grandpa in "Let Him Go", 65-year-old Kevin is no longer agile, domineering, and has lost combat effectiveness, but has a wisdom and calmness to see through the years; representing Diane Lynn as "Sunset Bridge", playing Grandma in the film, 55-year-old, deliberately dressed up older, but this does not affect the indescribable beauty she shows in the film. This kind of beauty, mixed with the elegance of mature women, the willfulness and impulsiveness of a little girl, the restraint of fierce emotions, and the laissez-faire of the free side of the heart, are superimposed to make this grandmother often exude a touching temperament. It is indeed rare for a woman, at grandma's age, to put her hand in her boyfriend's pocket and snuggle up to him and walk like she did when she was in love.

In the movie, those women who still have a strong literary and artistic temperament after getting old are always prone to bloom a sense of light, which is a sign of success in resisting the erosion of time. After Kevin shoots the battered horse, Diane says something in the horse's ear, and the horse dies peacefully. When Kevin was about to die after a few shots from the villain family, Diane said something in his ear. What did Diane say to Ma and Kevin? The film does not explain, the audience has no way of knowing, but it can be guessed that it will be a language that can pour out pain, give up nostalgia, and be sweet, and women with this language ability can be weak, can be strong, and have a strong ability to create and resist risks, because they have eternal curiosity and expectation for the world, and have a "witch" approach to dealing with problems, so they usually do not really grow old.

If it weren't for the family affair, Kevin and Diane's life in the Western Ranch would have gone on gracefully. Bring simple meals to the table, turn on the radio to listen to music at breakfast, say a few love words when your children and grandchildren are not there, pursue a sense of ceremony even if you go out for a walk...

Even if there are deep and shallow cracks in the family, this beautiful life scene will make it patiently repair. "Let Him Go" is simply an excellent teaching film in terms of telling elegance, and the director is really a master in dealing with atmosphere, expression, subtle expression, etc., and the strength of this aspect completely makes up for the lack of storytelling and logic of the film.

Wang Xiaoshuai recently said when sharing his filming experience: "A hundred directors can shoot the air and the taste, just like Ozu Yasujiro, like Hou Xiaoxian." This statement is also very appropriate for Thomas, the director of "Let Him Go". Thomas not only shoots the air and smell, but also shoots the mood and rhythm, so the immersion of "Let Him Go" is very strong, and such a movie is enjoyable. (Han Haoyue)

Source: Beijing Youth Daily