Who Doesn't Have a Little Girl's Heart?
The battle continued. The fight between the other Bandaged Man and the mercenary leader, Ayame, was full of power and grace. However, with the monster beneath their feet stirring, no one could escape their fate.
thump--
Defeated and falling into the water, Ayame looked at the light reflected on the water's surface and reached out her hand, but more darkness enveloped her body.
In an instant, all the ships were swallowed up and sank by the nameless darkness, and only the eternal sea occupied all of Ms. Merritt's thoughts.
When humans are in the Deep Sea, they will be in a superposition of both confinement and openness.
In that dark and gloomy world, some unknown thing was stirring, stirring up the deepest fears in the human heart.
The vastness of the ocean, and the various creatures hidden within it, inspire endless reverie and unrestrained imagination.
Since ancient times, the ocean itself has been one of humanity's fears, and along with the sky and the earth, it has been deified.
Now, Ms. Merritt understands this feeling all too well.
For a moment, she felt like she was suffocating.
It was an indescribable sense of suffocation. The air in the screening room Shana became as heavy as the sea, making it difficult to even breathe. Ms. Merritt couldn't help but hold her breath, feeling a tightness in her chest. Her legs involuntarily struggled, like a drowning person.
In this situation, she saw a huge, unimaginable black shadow rising from the seabed, and all the people who had fallen into the water, the fragments of the ships, the shrapnel of the shells, everything seemed to be tiny and insignificant.
Within that enormous shadow, even death cannot be called eternal.
Those who fell into the water were enveloped in blackness, silent and still. No one knew their final fate: were they devoured and torn apart by the shadows, dying in Affliction? Or were they dissolved and vanished without a trace? Or were they simply transported to the ocean miles away, unharmed?
The unknown is the greatest fear.
Ms. Merritt even felt that the whole room had darkened.
The oppressive, stifling air of the humid early summer in the French countryside pierced her lungs like a ghost, like sticky glue, gradually blocking her airways. As clouds obscured the last ray of moonlight, the projection room became pitch black, with only the projection screen emitting a faint light to illuminate the room.
Silence reigned, with only the faint sound of ocean currents passing by her ears filling Ms. Merritt's body.
She stretched out her legs, gripped the sofa armrests tightly, her eyes wide open, and looked like a drowning person, her face ashen.
Until the camera is pulled out of the water, revealing the protagonist's face, who is pulling the camera's main perspective up to the surface.
For the first time, Ms. Merritt thought this person was incredibly handsome.
She realized that it was the female protagonist Amber, who had been pulled up.
All around were the wreckage of ships; the remains of the unfortunate hadn't even floated on the water. Amber coughed up a lot of seawater and lay on the wooden plank, her whole body soaked.
Ms. Merritt noticed that her body, which had been charred from using the prayer, had recovered, and the moonlight shone on the girl's body, making her radiant.
French films often emphasize the beauty of a young girl's youth, and in this scene, a desolate sea, a huge dark shadow that could appear at any moment, and the cold moonlight, amidst which stands a pure and innocent girl, is a scene that can touch the heart of any viewer.
To Ms. Merritt's relief, the director did not immediately introduce a romantic relationship between the male and female leads, as is the case in some traditional films. The two drifted at sea like survivors, intoxicated by the illusions reflected in the matchbox. After drying their clothes, Amber fell into a deep sleep while holding the dog, and the male lead gentlemanly stayed by her side.
Some directors like the "suspension bridge effect," which manifests in the presence of a sex scene before a major battle or a kissing scene after a crisis. Ms. Merritt believes that this simply means they don't understand how to gradually portray emotions and can only force two people together in this way.
Now, in the interactions between Amber and the male protagonist, what Ms. Merritt sees is only a bewildered young girl and a persistent mercenary, a scene of the two helping each other and overcoming difficulties together.
The drifting at sea was unsettling, but the dog could still catch fish. The two people and the dog warmed themselves by the fire on the wooden planks. The girl ate food that wasn't "elegant" for the first time. The excitement and exhilaration of encountering the island, and their interactions on the beach—this part of the story brought a sense of calm.
Despite the long and perilous journey ahead, and despite being stranded on a deserted island where survival is a struggle, at least for now, the two of them have nothing to worry about but each other.
Ms. Merritt was very familiar with this feeling. After thinking for a moment, she realized that this was the kind of everyday portrayal that island nation films excel at. Unlike many European and American films, many island nation films do not have many clear goals or a sense of rhythm. Many times, they simply depict the daily lives of the protagonist and the people around them, but they do not make people feel bored or dull. On the contrary, they make the characters more vivid through these little details.
Many art films from Europe and America are truly artistic; they can put people to sleep. The various neon-lit scenes, montages, stream of consciousness, and actors with sullen faces all stimulate the audience's sleep-inducing nerves.
When Ms. Merritt saw this scene, she couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy.
Because Amber is a girl who has been burdened with responsibilities since birth, she may have grown up according to her family's plans and had no freedom of her own.
And now, without a doubt, is the freest time of her life.
Ms. Merritt knew very well how precious such moments were, because she knew that later in the story, they would surely continue their journey and eventually reach their destination. The freedom and comfort they enjoyed now were just a fleeting dream, and they would eventually wake up.
This feeling of lamenting the fleeting nature of Good Times is like a light wine; it goes down the throat and then rises to the heart.
The so-called "mono no aware" (the pathos of things) may be such an emotion.
Even when the protagonist discovered the pirates' camp and was able to steal the pirate ship to continue to their destination, Ms. Merritt felt a pang of disappointment.
Without a doubt, she was completely captivated by the characters in the story and immersed in it.
Drifting at sea, they arrive at Changfeng Island and pretend to be siblings living there, teasing the little girl. Amber says she wants to give up her responsibilities and stay there as an ordinary girl. This part of the story perfectly resonates with Ms. Merritt. She feels that this is the warmth and healing she wants, a coming-of-age story that is both artistic and touching.
Even looking at Lu Ban, she felt he was somewhat handsome.
Who doesn't have a girlish heart at first?
If the story ended here, Ms. Merritt's rationality told her that it would certainly not be perfect.
But she also hoped the story would end there.
However, the director certainly didn't want the story to end there, and a turning point occurred.
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