"Mechanical Heart" is a romantic and poignant Gothic love fairy tale created by French director Marcères Marcheu. The film tells the story of a young boy born in the cold winter, Jack, whose heart is frozen, and the witch Madeleine suffers from the mechanical heart of a cuckoo clock for him. From then on, he must strictly abide by the three precepts, the most cruel is that he cannot fall in love, but fate is merciless, jack was 10 years old, playing in a noisy town, falling in love with the beautiful singer Acacia at first sight, and this poignant love began...
The film has won many accolades for its gorgeous and aesthetic style and unique narrative. He has been nominated for the Berlin Film Festival in Germany, the European Film Festival and the César Film Awards in France. The score on Douban is as high as 8.0 points, and more than 20,000 bean friends have given praise. Love is an ancient topic of human beings, although there are countless film and television works that have explained this theme, but there are always movies that can turn out their hearts and make people stunning, and "Mechanical Heart" is one of the masterpieces.
The reason why this film is well received is because it has achieved the ultimate in the following three aspects, so that the film blooms with unique charm:
Romantic expression: to create a fantasy and aesthetic atmosphere
Stunning visuals: Infused with gothic elements and steampunk style
Unique narrative: the fusion of multiple metaphors and song and dance is amazing
"Mechanical Heart" makes extensive use of romantic techniques, adding a fantastic and aesthetic color to the film. Romanticism and realism are opposed, not objectively depicting the real world, but paying more attention to the heart and feelings, using exaggerated techniques and bold imagination to express the heart or the real world. There are many romantic expressions in the film, or render the atmosphere, or portray the psychology, giving people a strong visual impact.
1. Render a poignant and beautiful atmosphere
The beginning of the story is very shocking, there are many exaggerated, thoughtful little details, which are impressive. How do you feel the cold of the weather? The movie goes like this:
The little red birds flying in the sky, flying and flying, were frozen, became ice sculptures, and fell to the ground. There was even a red bird that had been thrust into Jack's mother's hair, like a beautiful hair ornament.
Birds fall into the water, jumping and falling in an instant, and when they jump up, they carry a parabola formed by the splash of water, and finally become a small arch bridge carved by ice.
The tears that flowed from Jack's mother's eyes condensed into ice crystal particles in the blink of an eye, like fine pearls, crystalline and flickering, and accidentally rolled down.
It was warm inside the witch's castle, and when the windows were blown open by the strong wind, the cold air poured in, and from the windows to the walls and floors of the rooms, they began to freeze rapidly.
This exaggerated technique, wild imagination, is based on people's psychological feelings, to render cold weather, let people intuitively and concretely feel the cold, which is the expression of romanticism.
2. Delicately portray the psychology of the characters
In portraying the psychology of the characters and expressing the feelings of the characters, the expression methods of romanticism have irreplaceable advantages.
Jack fell in love with Acacia at first sight, and when he saw Acacia, his little heart thumped and began to smoke. What had popped out of his mind before was the cuckoo, but this time it was Acacia in the form of an elf.
Arthur once gave Jack an egg and told him that when he boiled the egg and ate it, he would think of his wife, which made him feel very happy, hoping that the egg would also bring joy to Jack. After developing love for Acacia, Jack saw the elf-like Acacia from inside the egg, and she climbed directly into Jack's atrium, and then, from the egg, many, many elves flew out, flying around Jack, lifting Jack up.
When Jack meets Acacia in Andalusia, Acacia is performing a song and dance. Jack was fascinated, and his soul unconsciously came out of his mind, and walked over to Acacia and kissed her. Later, his whole being floated up...
These details have great meaning, which can be interpreted as: Acacia entered his heart and opened his heart. Jack's mind is full of lovers, and his heart is full of lovers. Falling in love makes Jack flutter and float in mid-air. When he saw his sweetheart Jack, he was confused and distraught.
This abstract thing of falling in love is embodied through the expression of romanticism, beautiful and sad. These details use exaggerated techniques and magnificent imagination to vigorously render the hearts and feelings of the characters, which is the most typical feature of Romanticism.
There are many more romantic details in the film, and this expression renders the fantasy and aesthetic atmosphere, adding a romantic color to the whole film, diluting the dark and gloomy atmosphere.
The visual effects of this film are very stunning, thanks to the integration of a large number of gothic elements and steampunk elements, which makes people feel sad and beautiful.
1. The integration of Gothic elements
Gothic movies are full of darkness, loneliness, but not complete darkness, and in the darkness there will be a little bit of beauty that people yearn for. Gothic cinema gives the impression of a fiery red rose in front of a grave, always with a bright color in the darkness. Common gothic elements are: lonely castles, black crows, fiery roses, eerie black cats, witches and magic-related things, vampires, etc., all of which are reflected in Mechanical Heart.
Madeleine is a witch who understands magic and can make chocolates out of tears. Her black castle stands on a cliff face, and on the way to the castle, there are flocks of flying crows. Inside the castle, there was a strange black cat, accompanying her.
Anna and Luna liked to rummaging through the graves, dry bouquets, dark red school uniform skirts, etc., all of which were permeated with the smell of corruption and death. When Jack works at the playground scare house, he disguises himself as a vampire, and the owner of the playground looks like a witch.
Acacia likes to wear a fiery red dress and a ring of roses on her head as a decoration, passionate and seductive, in stark contrast to the dark background throughout the play. The dark black, fire-like red, both full of corruption and not desperate, is the typical Gothic style.
2. The integration of steampunk elements
The film is a mix of styles, and in addition to exuding a gothic atmosphere, it is also full of strong steampunk style. Steampunk encompasses both the culture of steam mechanics and the culture of non-mainstream. It is a mixture of art where magic and science can coexist, both imaginative and realistic. There is both a sense of science and technology in the future, and a nostalgic atmosphere, like a dream, sad and beautiful.
The plot of Jack riding a steam train in the movie can be said to be the ultimate interpretation of steampunk. The steam train is full of nostalgia. Sometimes it's 3D animation, sometimes it's paper cut-and-frame. The rumbling 3D steam train suddenly becomes a paper-cut train and travels slowly and leisurely. The thick smoke from the locomotive became a circle of paper-cut, and the white clouds under the blue sky became paper-cut, one flower after another, childish and interesting.
After Acacia boarded the train, the scenery along the way was also very chic, the originally flat ground, with the train moving, a variety of paper-cut buildings rose from the ground, and various landmark buildings in Europe came into view. Finally, the little train climbs to the top of the Eiffel Tower and passes through it.
This creative way of expression brings people into a world that is both dreamy and realistic. The paper-cut is a representative of handmade, implying a nostalgic, retro atmosphere, and the expression of 3D is extremely modern and scientific, the two are mixed together, bringing the audience into a world that is both dreamy and realistic, with a unique sense of beauty that makes people linger.
In addition, the metal spine that Madeleine installed for Arthur, the cuckoo heart installed for Jack, the mechanical clocks scattered throughout the castle, the props and machines used by Jack's good friend George Mérier to make movies, etc., are all the embodiment of steam mechanical culture, full of strong steampunk atmosphere, making the film have a unique temperament. These elements effectively blend past and present, allowing magic and science to coexist. George Mérier has often said that his technique of making films is a kind of magic.
In the way of storytelling, the film uses multiple metaphors to make the connotation of the film more profound. In addition, the film also incorporates a large number of song and dance elements, bringing people a gorgeous audiovisual enjoyment.
1. Use multiple metaphors
Clocks and watches are arguably the most important metaphors in movies, and this imagery appears many times in movies. When Jack was born, his heart was frozen, and the witch changed him to a cuckoo clock. The sound of the clock going was the sound of his heart beating. Because he has a mechanical heart and is very fragile, he must follow three major rules:
First, do not touch the heart parts.
Second, control your emotions.
Third, never fall in love.
Otherwise, his cuckoo clock will stop and people will die.
This setting runs through the entire film, driving the development of the plot, and is also the cause of the contradictions and conflicts in the whole film. Because of the heart of this cuckoo clock, he can't fall in love, but he is still in love. With a fragile heart, even if he wants to kiss his lover, it is a luxury.
In addition to Jack's mechanical heart, the imagery of the clock appears several times in the film. A speeding steam train, in the process of driving, the wheels transform into the image of a clock. The clock is constantly turning, pushing the train forward, which represents a double "forward" in time and space, portraying Jack's eagerness to meet his sweetheart.
At the end of the story, the tombstone of the witch Madeleine is also the shape of a clock. Madeleine herself could not bear children, she adopted Jack and treated him as her own, she gave Jack the heart of the cuckoo clock, and her own tombstone was also in the shape of a clock. Can this be understood as saying that their hearts are going to be together? From it, it also conveys Madeleine's deep and selfless love for Jack.
In addition, the snow in the film is also an important imagery, which explains the background and reasons of the story, and can also render the atmosphere. At the beginning of the story, there is heavy snow, and at the end of the story, Jack climbs to the sky with a still snowflake, and the snowflake is like his ladder to climb the clouds. At the same time, the snow also echoes the whole story.
Acacia's glasses not only create twists and turns for the story, but also have metaphorical meanings. Acacia, who does not wear glasses, cannot see her lover clearly, and the implication is that she cannot see her own heart clearly, and she cannot see Jack's love for herself.
2. The integration of song and dance elements
This movie also has a brilliant place, that is, it integrates a lot of elements of song and dance, which adds a romantic and aesthetic atmosphere to the whole movie, and can better express the feelings of the characters.
The appearances of Jack and Joe are interesting. At the beginning of the film, Jack introduces the situation when he was born in the form of singing, Jack's singing voice, accompanied by strong, rhythmic percussion, interspersed with the "cuckoo" and "cuckoo" sounds of this cuckoo bird, which is very sensual.
And every time the villain Joe appears, he will hide in the shadows for a rap and tell his heart. The fast-paced rap makes people feel that danger is imminent.
In addition, many episodes in the film can fit the mood of the characters and have a driving effect on the film.
Jack mistakenly believes he killed someone, and as he escapes on a steam train, a rhythmic song sounds, "I'm like Big Ben abandoned in the desert, I'm afraid to leave, don't let me go." I couldn't take it anymore. I will control myself when my heart is about to break..."
Jack traveled most of Europe, finding Acacia in Andalusia, dancing passionate flamenco while singing Spanish songs, "Yes, I've been captivated." I love my Don Quixote, ah, my Don Quixote ~" The lyrics sing the scene of their first meeting, expressing their love for Jack.
Jack is abandoned by Acacia and stumbles to catch the train, at this time, the song is obviously sad, the lyrics say, "I am just a humanoid fake who wants to become a human", delicately conveying Jack's inner pain.
At the end of the film, the ending song sings, "Once upon a time there was a girl in a stiletto heel who had the heart of a cactus, and once upon a time there was a clock man whose heartbeat would always be out of order because of love." "It tells the love story of Jack and Acacia, which is touching.
These interludes not only make the film more infectious, but also integrate perfectly with the plot, delicately conveying the inner world of the characters and allowing the audience to better understand the emotional changes of the characters.
The theme of "Mechanical Heart" is not new, it tells a story about love, but its expression, visual effects and narrative methods are very creative.
Director Matthias Magill is not only a director but also a ghost writer, the film is based on his novel of the same name, he enjoys the reputation of "Tim Bolton of French literature", and "Mechanical Heart" is his second novel. In addition, he was the creator of the French rock band Dionysos, whose band created the eponymous album for the film, from which many of the film's interludes were produced.
The director is a person who understands romance and has a taste for life, and he uses his advantages in music, film and writing to turn the common love stories of the audience into new ideas. Magnificent imagination and exaggerated expression interpret the romanticism of the film to the extreme. The integration of gothic elements and steampunk elements gives the film a unique temperament. The use of many metaphors and the integration of a large number of song and dance elements make the whole movie more colorful and breathtaking.