Analysis+2+WKW

1. What is the plot (what does the character want)? Su and Zhou are in love but due to their marriages, they can't be together. 2. What is the theme (what does the character need)? The theme of this film is the helplessness and loneliness of the situation and the regret for not breaking the rule. The characters need to follow their hearts and go for their true loves.

3.Choose a scene that best exemplifies the theme. Identify and explain how 5 elements within the scene (mise-en-scene, editing, sound, cinematography, lighting) create meaning in reference to that theme.

Editing: The montage of streetlights and clocks helps create loneliness. The streetlight symbolizes solitude because when everyone returned home, streetlight is left with itself,full of loneliness. The streetlights montage with Su tells the audience about her loneliness. Her husband is always out for work so she’s always left at home alone. She goes to eat by herself and she walks by herself. She has to do everything by herself. Just like a streetlight, there is nothing but loneliness. This montage is really effective here because when we see Su doing all these things by herself, a feeling of loneliness emerges when it montages with the streetlight, a feeling of melancholy runs through the scene. Another montage is the “clock”, this shows how time past so quickly, and implies that Su and Zhou have met each other at the wrong time, which also contributes to the melancholy of the unrequited love. This use of montage is constantly telling the audience that time is a problem for them and if they met at the right timing, everything would have been better. Therefore, montage is a great editing technique that has been used in this film.

Mise-en-scene: The director chooses to shoot from the back, creates a sense of distance. Just like their unrequited love, everything has to be done secretly. The streetlights as i mentioned in the editing section, symbolizes the solitude of Su. When Su and Zhou walk pass by each other, all they have is an eye contact. The director also chooses to put on slow motion when this happens. Again, it helps to develop the idea of the unrequited love. Although they might have so much to say to each other, their relationship can not be accepted by the others, so they have to pretend they don’t know each other. The slow motion tells the audience that although they don’t get to talk, the eye contact means the whole world to them. Therefore, makes the audience feel sympathy towards their love.

Lighting: This choice of low key lighting reflects the loneliness and melancholy of the unrequited love. All the settings are like “dark” hallways, “dark” rooms, and “dark” stairs; producing a sad atmosphere. With the low key lighting, it is also created to contribute to the theme of the unrequited love. The blue tone shots of the film with low key lighting gives a melancholy feeling which makes the audience resonate with the struggling process. There are many side lighting happened here. This lighting creates shadows on characters’ faces, contrasting between the light and the dark, ‍symbolizing the inner conflict between to love or not to love, and depicting the torturous process of making decision. This makes the audience sympathize with Su and Zhou because they are separated by the unrequited love. Therefore, the use of side lighting is very effective in this film because the film has a dark color, and the high contrast created by the side lighting really stands out, which makes the audience sympathize with the characters; frustrations.

Sounds : All the musics are slow, graceful and beautiful, just as if Su is walking down the street. The music choice gives the film a tone of melancholy.There is no upbeat songs, not even songs with lyrics. It makes the audience feel "quiet" since the sounding is only background music. Due to the fact that the songs are always slow and bland, the audience get a sense of emptiness and feeling down after watching the movie. With the plot line of the main characters can not be together, the music acts like an obstacle between them, representing the separations and helplessness.

Cinematography: There are many shots that are the reflection on the mirror，also sometimes, the camera was place in front of some sort of furniture so it gives the audience the feeling of hiding. You can’t look at what you want to look; you hide yourself in a corner and watch the others like a stalker. Which is actually what the theme is, during that time period the relationship between Su and Zhou are not allowed so they tried to hide everything, but is eventually stopped by the society’s value‍