Poster of "The Lodger of hearts"
The film depicts loneliness through six people and three stories, telling several different needs of lonely people. The three stories seem to have nothing to do with each other, but they all happen to the residents of the same apartment. One pair is the former actress Jenny and the teenager Charlie; the other is the American astronaut John and the old woman Hamida; the other is the female nurse on duty at the hospital and the paralyzed uncle. They are all lonely individuals, met because of various wonderful fates, welcomed guests who warmed their hearts, and brought comfort and companionship to each other's lives. The style of the film is like a trickle, the moisturizer is silent, people can't guess when they watch it, and after watching it, they have endless memories.
What do lonely people really need?
1. American astronaut John McKenzie and old woman Hamida
The old woman, Hamida, lives alone in the apartment, occasionally bringing something to see her son in prison. NASA astronaut John landed on the roof of his apartment because of an orbital calculation error, and had no choice but to borrow Hamida's house to wait for NASA people to pick him up. Hamida always made couscous for him to eat, because her son thought that the couscous she made was the best in the world, which showed that the old woman treated John, who "fell from the sky", as her own son.
John helps Hamida fix the water pipe and talks to her about the TV series, like a harmonious picture of a mother and son together. Despite the language barrier, John and Hamida's communication was not limited, and when Hamida asked John what space looked like, John took out paper and pencil drawings to show her, and patiently gave her a comparison, explaining in body language.
For Hamida, loneliness is simply the inability to communicate. Because her son was in prison, the opportunities and time for visits were limited, so when John arrived, even if Hamida did not speak English at all, she could get a little comfort from the conversation with John. And when John left, he brought him a box of couscous, as if it were a bag for his son who had left home.
2. Female nurse on duty and sloppy uncle
At the beginning of the movie, the uncle is introduced to the state when he is alone, because he lives on the second floor and does not need an elevator, so he refuses to exchange money for the elevator, so he is deprived of the right to use the elevator. Unfortunately, within a few days he had to use the elevator to go upstairs because of a leg injury. Under pressure, he had to calculate the time when everyone used the elevator, quietly go out in the middle of the night, and go to the vending machine of the nearby hospital to buy potato chips to eat. When buying potato chips, there was a oolong, that is, he had already invested money, but the potato chips were hooked. He was so angry that he kept shaking the vending machine and smashing its glass. Many viewers were amused by this scene, but I was distressed to see it. The uncle's loneliness does not only come from being alone, but he is not only alone, but also worried that the neighbors will look at him with strange eyes. Sometimes, inner loneliness makes people feel lonely.
Before going out, the uncle was watching "The Dream of the Covered Bridge", so maybe he also envied the love on the screen, and when he met the nurse on duty in the hospital, he would try to talk to it. He lied to the nurse that he was a photographer, but the nurse didn't seem to be interested and quickly left. The second time he went, he brought his camera and promised the nurse to show her his photos tomorrow night, only to say the next day that he would take a good picture of the nurse, so gradually the relationship between the two people began to be closer.
In fact, the nurse on duty is also a lonely person, otherwise she would not have come out alone every night to breathe. It seems that the first time she and her uncle met was when she left in a hurry, but this is just the norm for lonely people. Obviously, I need someone to talk to me, but when someone really comes, I start to resist, and the reason why there is a story between the two of them is because of the uncle's persistence and sincerity.
To rescue a lonely person is actually very simple, you don't have to be with him all the time, you just need to make him feel that he is needed and has something to do. So, even if he was trapped in the elevator, he managed to get out, limping from night to dawn, coming to the nurse, confessing his previous lies to her, and taking the agreed photos.
3. Actress Jenny Mel and teenager Charlie
Although the teenager Charlie lived with his mother, except for the note written by his mother at the beginning and the lunch money marked for Charlie, his mother did not appear in the film once. After Jenny moved across from Charlie, Charlie began to intersect by helping her fix the elevator and find someone to unlock. He discovered that Jenny was a once-popular actress, and watched her previous movies with her, and even helped Jenny make short films to fight for the role.
Jenny burst into tears after drinking because she missed her boyfriend Anthony, saying that she wanted Anthony to be with her, so when Jenny lay down and rested, Charlie also came in and lay by her side with her. Some people in the comments complained that this arrangement was a bit too much, and felt that the two people were far apart in age and were not suitable for any emotion. But I felt that it was not so much the absurd emotional line between the two as it was just a warm gesture made by Charlie to comfort Jenny. Because Charlie understands the feeling of being abandoned and uncared for, he chooses to stay by Jenny's side when she needs it, which is a comfort to Jenny, and Charlie himself is accompanied.
What do you do when you're lonely?
In the past, when the Network was not so developed, everyone relied on watching TV to relieve boredom, so the three stories all appeared on the TV screen alone, and other furniture did not have this treatment. Especially at Jenny's house, because she only lives here temporarily, so her luggage is almost always unopened, except for the TV. Television seems to have become a tool for our communication and emotional expression, giving us a place to find a picture to imagine in our loneliness.
What is your loneliness like?
There are three scenes in the film of the old woman Hamida's home pipe leaking, the plumber has not come to repair, so John helped her repair, but still can not repair. In fact, this water pipe is like a hole in Hamida's heart, how can it be filled? Although she could treat John as a son, the truth could not be changed, nor could it stop John from leaving.
There is a detail that runs through the three stories of the film, which is the strange sound of a child crying, which is revealed at the end of the film, which is a garbage can that is not closed, suggesting that loneliness is actually a door that cannot be closed. As independent individuals in the world, everyone cannot avoid loneliness, but when we talk about this topic, we always deny it and dare not admit the fact that we are lonely.
In fact, if you think about it, why aren't we the ones who will not close the garbage bin? There is a pile of "garbage" in my heart that has nowhere to go, but I am reluctant to close myself completely. On the surface, it seems that he does not want anyone to come near, but inside he has been looking forward to being rescued. Through the narration of these three stories, "The Heart Tenant" allows the audience to experience the process of "closed" and "open" with the characters in the story, so that people unconsciously map the emotions of the characters to themselves.
The film's translation is called "The Lodger of hearts", but the original French name is "Asphalte", which means "asphalt". Asphalt is adhesionable and can glue stones and the like together, such as the current asphalt road. So this is actually a metaphor for the characters, indicating that lonely people cannot be relieved by themselves, and what they need is to be warmed by people, so as to open themselves up and connect with the outside world. The film uses a 4:3 frame, which frames the characters in this small frame, so that the characters are highlighted more and the loneliness is magnified at the same time. What is more interesting is that when two characters appear in the same picture, their distance will be closer than the wide screen, and this film reflects the proximity of the character relationship, implying that their inner distance is not far away, and they only need to take a few steps forward.
Although the plot of the film is slightly exaggerated, after all, the real astronauts are absolutely unlikely to land on the roof, but this is just a beautiful fantasy of the director, hoping that every lonely person can be rescued. Even if it's just for a while in your life, it's enough to keep you warm for a few days.