The movie "Memory Cage" is a recently released domestic sci-fi film that lacks publicity to almost nothing, and it has not yet been rated on Douban.
This is obviously just an online movie broadcast on iQiyi, but watching its trailer and MV makes me feel like I am watching a Netflix movie.
Out of curiosity, I checked the information, and I found that although "Memory Cage" is not well-known in China, it has gained recognition at many overseas film festivals.
First it was the world premiere in the "Window of Asia" section of the Busan International Film Festival, and later it was nominated for the CAMERIMAGE Golden Frog Award for Best Rookie Photographer.
He also won the competition with international famous directors such as Liu Chengguan's "Mogadishu", Shimizu Chong's "Shuhai Village", and Miike Choshi's "Mole Song", and won the Best Visual Effects Award at the Porto International Film Festival.
In addition, it has also appeared frequently in various traditional genre film festivals, such as the Paris Fantasy Film Festival, the London Science Fiction Film Festival, the Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival, and the Italian Driaste Film Festival, and has even traveled to southern Europe and Latin America.
It seems that this is a movie that has been delayed by publicity.
With the attitude of "rather kill mistakes than let go", I stayed up late to watch this movie.
How to say it? I didn't understand much in the first few minutes, and I was even a little sleepy, and I saw a bunch of shadows of classic movies. I almost wanted to spew, but I held back at the seemingly sincere picture of the movie.
Is it the director's pretentiousness? Or am I shallow? Read on with doubts. Hiss~ What's going on with this goosebumps...
Because I really can't help it, allow me to first talk about my overall viewing experience of "Memory Cage".
After watching this movie, it felt like experiencing an adventure.
I stepped into a world of intense painting style, a world that filled me with expectations one second and disappointed the next. It always jumps back and forth between flamboyant techniques and failures. Several times I couldn't resist wanting to leave, but I was glad I did.
I guess it was the frenetic temperament of the whole film that attracted me to the end. When the movie ended, I thought in silence for a moment, but I wanted to applaud him.
So next, let's talk about this movie in depth.
Would you be willing if someone could give you a satisfying body and keep all your memories? Or...... Would you like to erase your memory and place another person's memory in your body?
The story revolves around an assassination.
The killers Ge Jun and Song Yan received a mission to assassinate a woman. I have to say that the appearance of the two actors is still quite resistant. Especially the heroine Song Yan, this white hair style is quite sensual (also reminds me of "The Fifth Element").
And the combat effectiveness of assassinating targets is very weak, and there is almost no difficulty.
So far, the whole movie has brought me a feeling that is quite big. However, I definitely missed an important message, that is, the memory of the killer Ge Jun was hit hard...
The next target of assassination was a reporter named Meng Bai.
Meng Bai mocked other journalists in front of the mayor: "I'm glad I didn't become a journalist like you." However, the next moment, decadence, alcoholism, panic and other emotions completely defeated him, and he looked like a madman.
Maniac is another form of genius, especially in movies. So, I dug hard and finally found a clue.
Meng Bai stood in an elevator promoting Nova brain science and said helplessly: "You are everywhere." "I guess this scene must be useful.
Sure enough, Ge Jun found a photo during the assassination process, which was exactly a photo of him and Meng Bai. Unexpectedly, the killer and the target of the assassination have known each other for a long time! The point is that he can't remember at all! Things are starting to get tougher.
To be honest, seeing this, I feel a little brain inadequate. From the male protagonist in the hospital gown at the beginning, to the self-talk "Don't investigate, kill yourself quickly", to the "Nova Alzheimer's Institute" and the upcoming annular solar eclipse, to the photo that proves the relationship between the two, and the weird sheep's head that glimpses at a glance.
This explosion of information, this damn suspense, really fascinates me. I decided to fight this movie to the end.
Sure enough, with the killer Ge Jun's behavior of breaking the regulations, we see a research institute like a hospital, where the way to greet is "bright in the head, all light in the head".
Isn't this a proper MLM organization? It seems that all the answers should be hidden in this research institute.
Imagine what China will look like in 2030? Will Cyberworld really come? Red phantoms, psychedelic music, and the constantly rotating holographic Buddha... In such a cyberworld, what is human faith?
As a sports car rushes onto the elevated shelf, we finally see the city of 2030, like the world in the game: holographic projected advertisements, five-colored neon, the whole huge city is full of cold technology.
We have finally arrived at a mysterious research institute.
The show is about to be staged. It's not easy.
Ge Jun, who ran into a wall everywhere, followed the female doctor and saw more secrets in the institute. But danger soon came. A strong man who is completely unhuman (simply Bane from Batman) nearly kills him.
On the other side, the two killers also started a car chase battle with the heroine Song Yan in the underground garage.
Isn't that a good science fiction movie? How Hong Kong-style martial arts, crazy car chases, and suspense dramas are all staged at the same time.
Loneliness is the best aphrodisiac, and if it doesn't work, it's not lonely enough.
Powerful enemies, unknown origins, chaotic memories. Ge Jun that night was undoubtedly the loneliest person. And the only one who accompanies him is Song Yan, who is also a killer.
However, why is Song Yan not lonely? She was his partner, but she was just his partner after all. The meaning of her whole life is to be by his side.
Finally, in a small shabby hotel, the two came together. (The love clip reminds me of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo")
The porter aunt's indifferent expression seemed to witness too much of the loneliness of the city.
Sometimes, memories are like fate, like shadows.
How many children who have suffered from life have finally chosen memory transplantation in the process of fighting fate without success. Are they still themselves?
Of course, there are exceptions, such as this boy named Lu Xiaoxing. It is said that he was the only one who escaped the institute.
There's a shot here that amazes me. Have you ever seen such a murder weapon? A frozen hard fish....... (I thought this was a plagiarized "Crazy", but I found that the shooting time was 2020.) Well, I can only say that frozen fish is your common murder weapon in movies! ）
The fates of Ge Jun and Lu Xiaoxing unexpectedly intersected. As Lu Xiaoxing narrated, a sinful research institute opened its fangs in front of us.
In such a cyberworld, poor people who do not have access to social resources can only provide their bodies for the rich to choose and choose to transplant their memories. The rich will have eternal life, but will the poor still live? Stay alive...
Such a thrilling experiment is of course also risky. If the transplant process is interrupted, the memory will disappear and you will become an idiot. Or after the transplant is completed, it is impossible to fight the rejection from the body, and eventually the memory is confused and self-end.
Technology has always been a double-edged sword. It's just that...... Do you think you can make many choices in your life? In fact, you and I don't have a choice.
Ge Jun finally realized that his memory had been manipulated, and he watched his relatives and friends die one after another. But who is that man? Who is Song Yan again?
Walking through a red bush again, Ge Jun still saw the group of broiler chickens waiting to be slaughtered. It all goes back to that interrupted experiment. The male protagonist endures the crazy anger from the gold lord until he loses his original memory.
Subsequently, his sister was also brought to the laboratory. (may take care of the adoptive sister who has been examined, and the plot prompts the adoptive sister; Here reminds me of "Old Boy")
This endgame of humanity, ethics, and revenge began to play out immediately. I have to say here that the rich are sometimes really frustrated.
One last little question, who is that sheep? I'll not say it, let's see who can guess.
Seeing this, I felt as if I had been shocked by electricity, and I got goosebumps all over my body. All the foreshadowing that was previously laid was unlocked at this moment.
I only have one feeling: is this really a domestic sci-fi movie from 2020?
If you want to achieve a "Netflix texture", perhaps the film "Memory Cage" is far from the narrative level. But I want to say that it must not be the "big net" of your prejudices.
Many netizens who have seen the film said that the world view of this movie is too large, and it looks beautiful, but it is empty inside. Some netizens complained that the plot was brain-consuming, and the amount of information in the early stage was too large, and they had to abandon the drama halfway.
I initially watched another bad net with a mocking mentality, but after watching it, I was deeply fascinated. Recalling the entire viewing process, it is an hour and a half full of sincerity.
Frankly speaking, we can indeed see many shadows and bridges from classic movies from "Memory Cage". But as an entertainment movie, in a relaxed state of mind, it is also enough to entice the audience to walk the whole way in its unique atmosphere.
What I want to say is, please don't be fooled by the low (truth: narrative flaws) of the first half of the film, the second half of the film is absolutely powerful. It can be said that it is not at all like the viewing experience brought by domestic films (including theaters and the Internet) in recent years, but has the look and feel of a well-made American B-grade film.
Through the director's image aesthetics, and in connection with the violent soundtrack in the movie (very noisy, but sharp), it is not excessive to praise the "Cyber Chinese Rhapsody".
Although "Memory Cage" is not really a top production, it is still an independent production. But it is precisely because of this that it can take into account some personality expressions, and can bring the painting style to this extent, and therefore appear full of sincerity.
But it's a pity that this sci-fi movie with a well-intentioned production, strong painting style and a novel story is a single film in China.
Finally, I would like to conclude with a quote from the Paris Fantasy Film Festival Organizing Committee's assessment of the film: "I have been exposed to many blockbusters from China on the SVOD (Film Festival Submission Platform) platform, and although technically sophisticated, the cruel thing is that most of them lack characteristics. You have to find emotions in homemade movies, usually negative ones. And "Memory Cage" barely compromises between technical sophistication and personal character, and its rough and frantic visuals echo echoes from the golden age of Hong Kong cinema. With a touch of sci-fi, Korean crime fiction-like cruelty and dirty violent scenes: this film directed by Zhang Chi creates a new dimension of cinematic, at least informative, with a sense of novelty. ”
原文是这样的：The Chinese blockbusters that reach us on SVOD platforms suffer in their cruel majority from a flagrant lack of identity, despite their technical mastery. You have to look to the auteur cinema to find emotions, often negative ones. Annular Eclipse offers a too rare compromise between these two universes, in a rude visual madness, a surprising echo to the Hong Kong experiments of the ultimate Golden Age. A bit of science fiction, cruelty infused with South Korean crime fiction, and dirty graphic violence: Zhang Chi's film creates a cinematographic dimension that is referential, to say the least, but with a novel feel.
Edit| Riding a rooftop teenager; Please indicate the source of reproduction