Villeneuve is more like contemporary Kubrick than Nolan

Author: Katherine McLaughlin

Translator: Tan Tian

Proofreading: Yi Ersan

Source: Sight & Sound (August 16, 2021) The difficulty of entering the world of Villeneuve cinema

Violence takes many forms, and it brutally leaves victims with indelible psychological trauma. In the film of Canadian director Dennis Villeneuve , the threat of violence and its consequences often bring about a more complex examination and discussion of deeper social issues, power, identity and human existence.

In addition to " coming " (2016), "Blade Runner 2049" (2017) and the upcoming " dune"-in these fiction movies Newark has not insisted on a particular genre in his nine films so far. But he always uses grand ideas to reveal reflections on reality.

"Advent" (2016)

He once mentioned, Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968) had a huge impact on his visual style, and Spielberg's " third contact" (1977) ) Made him fascinated by movies, while Truffaut made Villeneuve fascinated by French New Wave films.

New Wave movies and Spielberg's movies collided in Villeneuve’s feature film debut "August 32" (1998). In this film, two French-Canadians spontaneously go on a road trip to Salt Flats in Utah. Not only are they outsiders from a foreign country, but their lives have been disrupted due to communication failure.

"August 32" (1998)

The spectacular landscapes often appear in Villeneuve's debut film Interspersed with a bird's-eye view of the vast landscape. In these shots, humans look like dots on the horizon. Deliberately controlled rhythm shots, silent close-up shots and dynamic wide-angle shots also dominate the movie.

In the suspenseful and unforgettable story of Villeneuve, we often think of how insignificant human power is in nature. These powerful panoramic images also convey the deep and tense relationship between personal freedom and powerful government institutions.

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After the nomination, "Scorched Earth" (2010) is a film that truly brought Villeneuve an international reputation. After shooting the romantic and grotesque movie "Vortex of Passion" (2000) with the style of Jean-Pierre Gennet, Villeneuve experienced nearly ten years of calm. Later, he picked up the shooting of feature films again with two violent films about women, "Institute of Technology" (2009) and "Scorched Earth".

"Scorched Earth City" (2010)

"Scorched Earth City" is adapted from a novel based on the Middle East Inner War of Awad Muad The subtitles read: "To our grandmothers." This is an Oedipus-style tragedy that examines war from a female perspective, reveals devastating results through flashback scenes, and discusses the trauma between two generations.

Two stories unfold before the audience: one story is narrated from the perspective of a woman who has experienced torture and witnessed unspeakable violence, and the other story is through her adult twin children Narrated from the perspective.The task of the twins is to unravel the mysteries of their lives and find an absent father to fulfill their mother's last wish before her death.

"Scorched Earth City" confronts the scars of conflict and violence, and asks the truth afterwards. This is not only a requiem for the dead, but also a requiem for those who have been changed by the cruel conspiracy of war.

In a podcast with his old partner Roger Diggins in 2020, Villeneuve will run through most of his later works. The themes such as communication and the extinction of human nature, dual identities and systems, the weaponization of humans and the duality of human nature draw the line.

If you start from the "Scorched City", you will notice the growing development of Villeneuve's works , Great progress in technology. His fascinating and provocative images are progressive, full of hidden thoughts and profound meaning.

Next, what to watch?

's unremitting pursuit of truth,It is the core of Villeneuve’s first film in Hollywood, " prisoner " (2013) and " border killer " (2015). In both films, he collaborated with two industry giants-cinematographer Roger Dickens and the late composer John Johnson . Villeneuve created an atmosphere full of bad luck in the film, where violence lurks ominously and may erupt at any time.

"Prisoner" (2013)

is a low-key realism and thriller filmed in Toronto, Canada. Starring by Jack Gyllenhaal, he is an associate professor of history in the university, Gyllenhaal plays two roles in the film. The film is adapted from José Saramago's novel "Twins". "The Enemy" focuses on the inner conflict between the male self and the self, opening up themes such as destructive male instinct and historical re-enactment. More extensive discussion.

"The Enemy" (2013)

's discussion of these themes also extends to the unique visual poetry of Blade Runner 2049. In ", the latter is adapted from Ted Jiang's novel "The Story of Your Life".

In "Advent", Amy Adams plays a linguist, her task is to translate the mysterious symbols of aliens that have landed from all over the world. When the world powers cut off all forms of communication and decided to launch a war, the fate of the world was in the hands of a firm peacemaker represented by Adams.

"Arrival" (2016)

In "Blade Runner 2049", in "Blade Runner 2049", in search of the missing Ryan Kerspan, 2320span 2320span Dica ( Harrison Ford), shed tears during the journey from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Rick was in Ridley Scott's " Blade Runner" in 1982 Hero.

"Blade Runner 2049" (2017)

This mission that turned his kindness and coolness into a cold eye-opener. The role of change. The background of this film is set in the not-too-distant future, and it tells the terrifying themes of environmental degradation and the decline of human nature in the digital age.

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New Zealand was shot at the time of the span 20 spanAt the same time, "Polytechnic" is also being filmed. However, although the theme of this film is about violence against women, this is an anomaly in Villeneuve’s creative history, because "Polytechnic" is his only A work that directly dramatizes real life events-it turned out to be controversial.

"Polytechnic Institute" (2009)

In December 1989, there was a mass shooting incident in the span 20span engineering school in Montreal. A man who claimed to be "against feminism", this incident eventually led to the murder of 14 women, including 10 women and 4 men who were injured. Nearly 20 years after the shooting, the actor Karin Varnas proposed that Villeneuve film this film to commemorate the people who lost their lives in this tragedy.

After spending a year talking with the survivors and their families, Villeneuve and the crew filmed this film, which witnessed the extremists’ contribution to democracy, feminism, and education attack. For the director, after nearly ten years of calm, this film is a "return of division", but it shows that violence can change a person's destiny after all.

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