"It's a lie from beginning to end, I haven't raped that woman, I haven't raped a woman in my life. ”
In the face of the sexual assault scandal, Luc Besson swore to the sky to prove his innocence.
Whatever the truth, the basin has been detained.
This scandal has already brought Luc Besson into disrepute...
Whitewashed into cannon fodder
This arrest dates back to 2018.
Sander van Roy, Luc Besson's ex-girlfriend.
He has starred in films directed or produced by Luc Besson, such as "Star Agent: City of a Thousand Planets" and "Taxi Express 5".
She accused Luc Besson of raping her on the "Harvey Weinstein sexual assault incident".
On the one hand, she accused Luc Besson of being good at PUA.
During the relationship, she felt like a Barbie doll for the other person, tormented by manipulative and violent sexual relationships.
"I'm like a Barbie doll he controls. He loves to make me miserable, controlling and hurting to make him happy. If I refuse to sleep with him, he will make me feel like a superficial rotten person. ”
On the other hand, she was afraid of the power in the hands of Luc Besson.
In the face of flirting, she did not dare to resist, only obeyed.
"He'd talk to me about how other girls had hurt him, and then how he would deal with those girls. So much so that it made me feel that if I rejected him, I would be banned and unemployed. ”
Played an inconspicuous supporting role in "Star Agent: City of a Thousand Planets".
After that, nine women, including former Luc Besson's assistant, theater producer, and former employee, also came forward to speak out.
Accusing Luc Besson of sexual harassment such as forcibly kissing, scratching breasts, kissing necks, and touching buttocks.
For a time, Luc Besson became the French version of Weinstein.
Faced with the accusation, Luc Besson denied it.
He admitted that the two had a relationship, but the rape was a conjecture and fabrication by the other party, and he hoped that the law would be fair.
In 2019 and 2021, prosecutors dismissed Sander van Roy's indictment on the grounds of "insufficient evidence" in two investigations.
In June 2023, France's highest court ruled that the sexual assault charges were not substantiated, while also preventing Sander van Roy from prosecuting the same charges in France or elsewhere in Europe.
After five years of fierce battles, Luc Besson finally cleared all charges.
Innocence is light.
After 4 years of disappearing from the directorial circle, Luc Besson brought a dog film.
It was first shortlisted for the main competition unit of the Venice Film Festival, with a score of 2.04.
Ranked third from the bottom, he brought humiliation on himself.
The second-to-last score of the house magazine, only higher than "The End of Dawn" and "Aenea"
IMDb6.7，烂番茄新鲜度58%，letterboxd3.1
The professional rating is average, and there is a huge difference with the audience.
The popcorn index is 95%, which contrasts with the freshness
In contrast, the mainland market is a different story.
Douban has a score of 8.3, ranking first in cinema films.
It's a pity that it's not popular.
The proportion of scheduled films was only 1.5%, and the box office was only 6.8 million, and finally became a ball of cannon fodder.
Dog sewing and mending
In the history of film, there are many movies about dogs.
"The Story of Hachiko, the Loyal Dog", "The Adventures of the Red Dog", and "A Dog's Mission", are so sensational that they make their eyes swollen with crying.
"White Dog" and "Dog Thirteen" use a dog to lead to social issues such as racial discrimination and the original family.
"Kennel Horror", countering violence with violence, forced the obedient and cowardly dog breeder into a vicious dog.
"White God", also known as "The Rise of Dog Ball", uses dog revenge to allude to the refugee problem.
Luc Besson's "The Dog God" is not the same as these dog-themed films.
He uses a story of a marginal character and a dog healing each other to convey the common pain of human beings.
The story comes from a real-life case that Luc Besson saw.
A father threw his child into a cage and held him captive for four years.
As a father of five, Luc Besson is deeply touched.
How do weak and helpless children come out of their pain, and how do they face the vicious father's love and indifferent family affection?
The director gave the answer in his heart -
Pain is born of broken love, and love is the only prescription.
Douglas, living in a family with no affection.
His father and brother were like demons, committing domestic violence at every turn.
Once, just because he secretly fed the dog, he was thrown into the dog cage and kept the dog company all day long.
His mother was timid by nature and could not do anything about what she saw.
When escaping from a tyrannical family, he became a poor outcast.
The cold in the world is tattered, and there are dogs to mend it.
As a result, the dog became Douglas's only solace.
When dragging the mutilated body to escape from the clutches of his father and brother, and when he lost his wishful love, the dog always stayed by his side.
What's even more absurd is that violence, indifference, discrimination, lies, all of which need to be digested by Douglas himself.
But the world kisses me with pain and wants me to repay it with a song.
He is kind to others, suffers himself, and uses evasion and disguise to turn himself into another person.
Be a "clown" who brings happiness to others, but tears in your heart.
Performing Shakespeare's plays briefly draws on a little fantasy and hope.
Disguise yourself as Marilyn Monroe and Edith Piaf and cover up what you don't want to see in the corners of the edges.
Even, it has to be packaged as a chivalrous superhero, guarding the weak, fighting against the head snake, and even self-sacrifice.
Luc Besson's cinematic universe usually features a sexy goddess or a neurotic villain.
"Super Body", the Scarlett Johansson who controls everything and becomes invisible.
"Anna", a supermodel spy who is as cold as frost and has long legs.
"Female Prisoner Nikita", Ana Parillo, a bad girl who loves to cry and laugh.
In "This Killer Is Not Too Cold", Gary Oldman created the greatest villain in film history.
Note: It is expected to be screened for the first time in mainland theaters next year.
"Super Body", Choi Min-sik reproduces Gary Oldman, but unfortunately there is still a breath away.
Compared to his predecessor, Luc Besson's authorial style in "The Dog God" is less obvious.
A tragic boy on the edge, instead of a sexy goddess and a girl with a father-lover complex.
The empathetic pain replaces the hearty action scenes that focus on coolness.
This can be regarded as his creative breakthrough.
A French chanson "La Foule" captured fans
Of course, "Dog God" also has a lot of slots.
Douglas and the policewoman represent two story lines.
Both are threaded in pain, but they are not clearly intertwined.
It only hints at it at the end.
The emotional interaction between Douglas and the dog is not enough.
So much so that when we look at their interactions, it seems that there are only obedience and instructions.
The climactic scene of the villain is simply an adult playhouse.
The villain's IQ fell offline and turned into an adult version of "Home Alone".
至于，DOGMAN与IN THE NAME OF GOD之间的寓意关联。
I privately think that although it is a golden sentence, it belongs to the kind given by the director, and there is nothing to be done.
Moreover, the English name of the Italian movie "Kennel Horror" is also called DOGMAN, and even the pet cleaning shop in the film is called DOGMAN.
Whether it's a creative conflict or a reference, we don't know.
The title of the film collides with "Kennel Horror", and the ending of the film collides with "White God".
A slice of aspirin
Although Luc Besson is not a French national treasure, he is definitely one of the best French directors to make Hollywood-style commercial films.
There is a rumor of his famous quote on the bad street:
"Movies can't save anyone's lives, it's not a cure, it's just an aspirin. ”
This may be Luc Besson's attitude towards films.
His films, like himself, are spontaneous and free.
It does not provide a good remedy for the society, but only provides a refuge for the audience to relieve their worries and pain.
"Subway" and "Blue Sea and Blue Sky", two of Luc Besson's most proud French art films
When it comes to artistic creation, Luc Besson is free.
He considered himself a French artist and was never obsessed with Hollywood.
He has the capital and ability to decide what movies he makes, what style he makes, and he can work with Hollywood, but he will never give in.
Regarding the mainland film market's obsession with Hollywood commercial blockbusters, he once issued a warning:
"Don't think that Hollywood is a good environment, no one will make Chinese movies better than Chinese." You must stay here. ”
This admonition is still valid today.
Look at this popularity, worthy of being an old friend of the Chinese people