In almost all art forms, the simpler things are, the more difficult it is to describe concretely, and the more simple emotions are, the more difficult it is to fully express them.
"Mr. Church" is told from the perspective of the protagonist Charlie, according to the linear time of the plot unfolds in a flat and direct way, the film revolves around the story between Mr. Church and his grandchildren, depicting a beautiful picture of love and explaining the meaning and value of life.
The film does not have twists and turns, everything happens silently in a calm life, but under the undisturbed water, more and more intense emotions are surging like an undercurrent.
First, save the lonely food
Mary lives with her daughter Charlie, and when Mary is found to have only six months left to live from cancer, her former lover arranges for a cook to take care of the mother and daughter's living quarters, and promises to pay the chef for the six months of work and their entire living expenses, and this cook is Mr. Church.
At first, Charlie did not like the cook, mr. Church's appearance to some extent destroyed her relationship with her mother, their "secret life" was exposed to Mr. Church' intruder's eyes, so little Charlie did not want to see Mr. Church, and even asked his mother to resign him.
But food is a medium that transcends language and transcends national boundaries, which can not only bring people a sense of fullness and visual satisfaction in the present, but also build a bridge of communication between different cultures, and also serve as a link between the two ends of the cook and the taster.
Mr. Church's cuisine is like a key that opens the closed door for the daughters to face life.
It brought a glimmer of life to Mary's desperate life, and instead of telling Charlie of her illness, Mr. Church became the object of her troubles.
It also brings hope and fun to Charlie's life. There is a plot in the film where Mr. Church goes out to buy vegetables, and little Charlie stands on the second-floor balcony and secretly watches Mr. Church return with a load of ingredients.
From the initial instinctive rejection of Mr. Church, to the current expectation of Mr. Church's return, although waiting silently in the dark, it means that Charlie's closed inner world has been opened to Mr. Church.
This expectation is not only on the taste buds, but also emotionally, which is another important meaning of the image of "food" in the film, that is, a missing emotional existence.
In life, when talking about family cuisine, the first thing that comes to mind is the warm picture of a family eating together happily, and this is the life scene that mother and daughter lack.
The appearance of Mr. Church fills this gap, and food becomes the embodiment of this lack of emotion, and Mr. Church's personal role is not limited to a chef over time, perhaps in the film he is like a "nanny", taking care of the mother and daughter's three meals, but in this family that lacks male identity, Mr. Church assumes more of the male role of "top pillar" and "father". He and his delicacies are the healers and saviors of two lonely souls.
Second, the warmth of two-way healing
In Charlie's eyes, Mr. Church is a perfect existence, "Mr. Church is not cooking, is playing the piano, when not playing the piano is painting, when not painting is reading." 」 ”
Mr. Church, who was supposed to stay for six months, stayed in the family for six years. The strong-willed Mary did not live only six months, as the doctors said, but persisted until six years later, when Charlie was about to graduate from high school. During this period, Mr. Church also took care of the family as much as ever, and also made Charlie feel deeply dependent, but Mr. Church showed them the side that was always perfect, and she did not know much about Mr. Church personally.
So one night when Mr. Church was preparing to go home, Charlie asked him about his personal interests and address, but was loudly refuted by Mr. Church, which was the first time in six years that Mr. Church yelled at Charlie, and he felt that his privacy had been violated, and that the time off work was his own, and he did not want to be disturbed by anyone.
No one is born perfect, and those who seem to be perfect know how to hide imperfections after experiencing the baptism of life again and again. The film deliberately blurs Mr. Church's past and what he did when he was not at Charlie's house, in fact, it is to tell the audience that perhaps that part is Mr. Church's imperfect side.
Mary died when Charlie graduated from high school, and then Charlie chose to go to college at a school far away from home, but the university life gradually made her lose herself, unexpectedly pregnant near graduation, and her boyfriend fled like her biological father she had never met. So Charlie returned to the town and found Mr. Church, who wanted to cultivate and prepare his graduation thesis at his home.
Here, Charlie discovers the other side of Mr. Church, Mr. Church has been treated roughly by his father since he was a child, his sexual orientation has been discriminated against, and he has formed a family under the compulsion of his father, but he has not fulfilled the responsibilities of a husband, the marriage has not worked, these encounters have also made him instinctively want to protect himself, only willing to let others know what he wants the other party to know, and once the other party crosses the line, he will wrap himself tight and not let his privacy be spied on by others.
Until the appearance of Mary's mother and daughter made Mr. Church's life change, and the birth of Charlie's daughter Isabel made him feel the warmth of home, the company of Mary's three generations of grandchildren gave him an unprecedented sense of security, so that he was no longer afraid and faced the suffering he had suffered.
Finally, the night before Mr. Church's death, Charlie was left by Mr. Church when she had finished reading to him and was about to leave the room to give him some private space, and this time he did not want to face it alone.
The appearance of Mr. Church heals the mother and daughter in despair, and the companionship of Mary's family also heals Mr. Church in fear. The effect of force is mutual, so is the power of healing, the bright moon decorates your window, and the clarity of the window also sets off the purity of the bright moon.
Third, the inheritance of beauty in the world
"People get weird in the face of death, some people talk about everything except the deceased, some people talk only about the deceased, some people try to comfort you, some people just make you cry, and some people don't say anything because they don't need to." 」
The narration appears twice in the film, the first time at the funeral of their mother Mary, where Mr. Church and Charlie look at each other and smile at each other among the friends and relatives who came to mourn, without encouragement or comfort, and years of getting along have made them understand each other, Mary is gone but each other is still there. The second time was at Mr. Church's funeral, Charlie and her daughter Isabel looked at each other and smiled at the relatives and friends who came to mourn, there was no encouragement, no comfort, and the years of getting along had made them understand each other, Mr. Church was gone but each other was still there.
The two funerals formed a contrast, the people who died were different, the people who participated in the funeral were different, but for Charlie, the warmth in her body was always there, but the object was changed from Mr. Church to a daughter, which was the inheritance of emotion.
The film can be divided into three parts according to the time point, the first part is Mr. Church taking care of the lonely Mary mother and daughter, the second part is Mr. Church taking care of the newly graduated Charlie mother and daughter, and the third part is Charlie mother and daughter taking care of the sick Mr. Church.
With the passage of time, the roles between the characters are also constantly changing, we have forgotten that Mr. Church was just a cook at the beginning, only remember that he was an indispensable presence for this family, in the company of Mr. Church, Mary came out of despair, Charlie embraced life, Isabel thrived, in the company of Mary's grandchildren, Mr. Church had a sense of security, no longer fear, this is the inheritance of companionship.
The morning after Mr. Church's funeral at the end of the film, Charlie hears the jazz music that Mr. Church often listens to in the kitchen, and subconsciously thinks it is Mr. Church, but finds that it is his daughter who prepares breakfast for herself in the kitchen, and her daughter has never cooked, but imitates Mr. Church's way of cooking to make breakfast, and learns to behave in the world under his subtle influence.
Although Mr. Church has passed away, Isabel, who represents the new force, is constantly growing, which is the inheritance of life and hope.
The film ends in a bland way, but it is like a bowl of clear tea, it looks as clear as water, there is no colorful color, but to feel the taste with your heart, you find it refreshing and endless.
I hope this movie can bring a little warmth to everyone in the coming winter.
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