Preface
In the information age of the 21st century, the Internet and mobile phones have become an indispensable link in people's lives, connecting everyone closely.
The movie "Sniper Phone Booth" is based on such a background, telling the experience of the protagonist Shi Du in the modern city of New York.
As a publicist, Shi Du seems to be infinitely glamorous and can handle all kinds of affairs with ease, however, his life is not as simple as it seems.
"Sniper Phone Booth" skillfully uses a lot of metaphorical narrative techniques in just 80 minutes, and although the film is not long, it provides the audience with profound inspiration and food for thought through these metaphors.
The director uses various metaphors to convey thoughts and emotions, making the film not only a simple thriller, but also a work of art full of philosophy and metaphors.
While enjoying the tense and exciting plot, the audience can also think deeply about the relationship between people in modern society, loneliness and estrangement in the information age, and other issues.
1. The metaphor of the character's identity
The turning point in the story occurs when Shi Du walks into a phone booth and answers a strange call.
The incoming call embroils him in a game of death threats, with a mysterious voice on the other end of the line warning him that his life is in danger if he dares to hang up and take a step away from the booth.
Thus, a tense and exciting psychological war began.
When watching this movie, you will notice that there are a lot of metaphors in it.
Metaphor plays an important role in cinema as a way of understanding the world.
It is not only found in language, but is also widely used in non-verbal fields such as fine art, film, and patterns.
In these fields, the metaphorical "text" can be a painting, a montage of imagery, or a concrete model, all of which have the potential to be carriers of metaphor.
By constructing metaphors, people are able to achieve the integration of ontology and metaphor in essence, so as to obtain a deeper experience.
In the movie "Sniper Phone Booth", the role of the sniper is given multiple metaphors, reflecting the alienation of people and the alienation of identity.
Identity alienation refers to the blurring of the meaning of an individual's identity, which becomes a symbol with multiple representations rather than specific references.
The identity of the sniper in the film has multiple meanings. First of all, he is a killer who can end Shi Du's life at any time, but he was not born this way, but for some reason he embarked on the path of assassination.
Before Steo, two people had already died at the hands of his guns.
Viewers may speculate that the killer is a pizza delivery man who was previously insulted by Shi Du, but the progress of the film shows that things are far more complicated than they seem.
The second metaphor of the sniper is God, an omniscient and omnipotent being who seems to see through everything.
He knows everything about Shi Du, and Shi Du has no secrets in front of him.
This begs the question, where and why did God come from? Why did you choose Shi Du as the target of punishment? The film reveals that although Shi Du is not a big evil person, his hypocrisy, treachery, and lies make him a hypocrite.
His actions violated moral standards, and as such, the sniper came to punish Shi Tu on behalf of God, as well as for everyone who was guilty.
The sniper's third identity metaphor is another Shidu, that part of the superego of Shidu's consciousness.
Although Shi Du has a bad side, he still has a conscience in his heart, and when he calls his lover, he will consciously take off his wedding ring, showing his inner contradictions.
As a metaphor for the superego, the sniper reminds him of the existence of his conscience, prompting him to struggle between the id and the superego to complete the process of self-confession and redemption.
Through these metaphors, the film "Sniper Phone Booth" not only tells a tense and exciting story, but also deeply explores the alienation of people, the alienation of identity, and the themes of morality and redemption.
Through the multiple metaphors of the role of the sniper, the film leads the audience to think deeply about human behavior and moral choices in modern society.
2. The metaphor of space
Through the careful construction of the environment and the proper arrangement of the background, the film "Sniper Phone Booth" not only enhances the narrative tension of the film, but also deeply reflects social reality and moral issues.
The phone booth in the film, as the central location of the story, is endowed with multiple symbolic meanings and becomes an important tool for the director to express his thoughts.
First of all, the situation of the phone booth reflects the shrinking of public space and the erosion of personal privacy in modern society.
With the popularization of mobile phones, public phone booths have gradually lost their original functions and status, and have become forgotten corners.
The phone booth in the film, the last remaining one on Manhattan's West Side, symbolizes the disappearance of traditional ways of communication and the widening distance between people in modern society.
Shi Du's experience in this phone booth can be seen as a metaphor for the loneliness and helplessness of modern people.
Secondly, the phone booth serves as a place for Shi Du to talk to the snipers, and it also symbolizes a modern version of the confessional.
In this enclosed space, Shi Du is forced to face his crimes and hypocrisy and carry out a spiritual confession.
Through this setting, the director hints at the dilution of moral concepts and the prevalence of utilitarianism in modern society, as well as the spiritual and moral needs that people may ignore in the pursuit of material interests.
The sniper's identity as a Vietnam veteran adds another layer of profound metaphor to the film.
As a highly controversial military operation in the history of the United States, the Vietnam War not only brought profound disasters to Vietnam, but also left psychological wounds that were difficult to heal for the US soldiers who participated in the war.
The sniper in the film, as a Vietnam veteran, his extreme behavior reflects the marginalization and misunderstood situation of this group in society.
Through this role, the director calls for the society's attention and understanding of Vietnam War veterans, and also expresses his reflection on war and the cherishing of peace.
The success of the film lies in the fact that it not only provides a visual and emotional impact, but also provokes the audience to think deeply about society and human nature.
3. Use imagery to express the emotions of the characters
The film "Sniper Phone Booth" profoundly explores human nature, morality and social issues through concise scene layout and imagery selection.
The three main imagery in the film – the window, the phone booth and the rubber bullet – each carries the director's deep message.
As an important image in the film, the window symbolizes people's desire to peep into privacy in modern society.
In the tall buildings surrounding the phone booths, the countless windows become a metaphor for people's voyeurism into the lives of others and their indifference to the misfortunes of others.
This peeping is not only reflected in the role of bystanders in the film, but also reflects people's curiosity about the privacy of others and their indifference to what happens to others in real society.
The telephone booth, as the main place of the story, is given the symbolic meaning of a confessional, in which Shi Du is forced to face his own crimes and hypocrisy and carry out a spiritual confession.
The setting of the telephone booth reflects the neglect of people's moral and spiritual needs in modern society, as well as the opportunities for self-reflection and redemption that may be lost in material pursuits.
With the dismantling of the phone booth, it also symbolizes the disappearance of this opportunity for self-reflection and redemption.
The imagery of the rubber bullet reflects the director's tolerance for humanity and belief in redemption.
Although Shi Du was wrong, his mistake was not unforgivable.
The setting of the rubber bullets suggests that the sniper's real purpose is not to kill Stu, but to punish him so that he can realize his mistakes and repent of them.
This reflects that even in modern society, there are still opportunities for salvation through self-reflection and repentance.
The end of the film leaves a cliffhanger, and the sniper's whereabouts are unknown, but his purpose has been achieved.
After experiencing this test of life and death, Shi Du finally let go of his vanity and mental pressure and was ready to start a new life.
However, this salvation is conditional, i.e. Shi must remain honest or the sniper will return. This shows that salvation is not a one-time thing, but requires sustained effort and self-discipline.
epilogue
Through carefully constructed scenes and imagery, Sniper Phone Booth not only tells an intense story, but also deeply explores themes of humanity, morality, and redemption in modern society.
Through these symbolic elements, the film guides the audience to reflect on themselves and society, reflecting the social responsibility and influence of film as an art form.
The source of the information in this article is "Sniper Phone Booth".