Love Contract: finished!
Sep. 8th, 2006 02:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dangermousieI was watching episode 20 of Love Contract and crying non-stop. Unpretty, messy bawling. God. Either being miserable or happy and typing stuff up as I go because if I didn't take breaks every few minutes, I'd scream.
I love it that when Feng is lying, catatonic, unmoving, on her bed, what she is dreaming of is her and Ken, in a bizarre all-white version of heaven and they are painting a white column whiter and she is coaxing him to play instead.
And then it's a year past, and she is the same and he still comes around every day, and according to Feng's mom he is always apologizing, and the boy must be going nuts by now.
And I love him standing by her when she is in the wheelchair, and then kneeling and stroking her hair and tying her shoelaces, and then taking the wheelchair and pushing it down the street, to all the places they used to go.
And there is an image of him carrying her inert body down the stairs and it's intercut with the times when she used to jump on his back and demand to be carried and laugh and tease.
And he takes her to the acquarium too. But my favorite is when he takes her to the train crossing and tells her (he is always talking to her), that here was the first time they held hands. And she was angry at him. And he views the train as a time machine, and he wishes he could go back to the day she was angry at him. And he starts repeating 'I want to return to the Xiao Feng I once knew' over and over and over like a mantra.
And then he does take her to do things they've never done. They finally go to a movie, and he just holds her head on his shoulder. And he cooks for her and he asks her what she'd like to be in the next life and then says he'd like to be a stone, because it lives a simple life and has no troubles. The worst that can happen it to be stepped on and it won't hurt.
And then he asks again who she wants to be and answers for her 'I've already thought it out for you. You can be wind (that's her name actually). Because wind is one of the world's cleanest thing and it can blow on rocks and move them, until eventually a rock becomes sand and they can be together.'
And the thing is, there are these bits with either her 'mental' self (because she can hear everything as they've established earlier) even if she can't react) or his imagining her actually interacting with him and there is a lovely image of her coming up from behind him and hugging him, and going 'Dummy, you are supposed to add sugar and vinegar to this dish, why'd you add salt' and she is kissing his face and stroking and and going 'don't cry,' very tenderly, as he is sobbing. But of course, it's her spirit only, and she can't express it in a tangible fashion and he can't feel it and he keeps demanding 'say something.'
And later he is yelling at her to speak up or move or anything and then he just starts cursing God out because what has he (Ken) ever done to deserve this and you see Feng (once again, either her inner self or his imagining of her. This really is a fairy tale with a fairy tale feel) come up and hug him and tease 'don't yell at me, I can't help not moving' and then she asks him to sing for her because he's never sang for her, and he quietly starts singing a song and his voice is still hoarse from crying, and she joins in and they are singing together, sort of swaying, with her hugging him from behind and then she comes over and they are slow dancing together, and they are both barefoot and she is standing on his feet with hers and then he just hugs her really tightly and I am BAWLING LIKE A MORON.
FRELL.
TPTB are frelling sadists!
And then they are at the beach and he unbinds her hair and takes her in his arms and carries her in. Double suicide. Chirpy. FUCK.
And I am bawling.
And then there is a voice going 'wait a minute' and the water's brought her to (because she has such a phobia), and they both come out and there is horizontal kissing and it's all amazingly wonderful.
But then, things get very confusing, because it's 'wait again' and some time later, and they are in wedding attire on the same beach and her scar is gone (I guess she did get the surgery) and I assume they just got married but here is where it gets really weird, as their friends are there, including the guy who died in the crash.
I've seen people toss around the theory that it means they are dead and they did drown and are in Heaven (and I am OK with it, because they are clearly happy and together), but that doesn't make sense to me. For one, that would mean all their friends kicked the bucket and also, heaven as a random steely-watered beach? Doesn't work for me.
What I really think it is, is it's all true. Because this story is a fairy tale. A romantic fairy tale for grown ups and is shown again and again. And characters keep mentioning fighting reality (friends mention early on in 20 that Ken is fighting against forces of reality that are trying to separate the OTP) and they win through. At the end, Ken says 'and some people don't believe in myths' and this is clearly a myth and a fairy tale about true true love. And of course true love triumphs over death or comas or what not, and the couple ends up together living happily ever after (and their friends are safe too). Their emotions override reality and make it anew.
Does the ending work? It's certainly out there. I think, if I didn't know that the ending was odd beforehand, I would have been very taken aback. But as it is, since I knew it, I actually liked the ending and what it has to say about nature of stories.
Awwww, hell. They are together at the end. I don't care why and how.
I love it that when Feng is lying, catatonic, unmoving, on her bed, what she is dreaming of is her and Ken, in a bizarre all-white version of heaven and they are painting a white column whiter and she is coaxing him to play instead.
And then it's a year past, and she is the same and he still comes around every day, and according to Feng's mom he is always apologizing, and the boy must be going nuts by now.
And I love him standing by her when she is in the wheelchair, and then kneeling and stroking her hair and tying her shoelaces, and then taking the wheelchair and pushing it down the street, to all the places they used to go.
And there is an image of him carrying her inert body down the stairs and it's intercut with the times when she used to jump on his back and demand to be carried and laugh and tease.
And he takes her to the acquarium too. But my favorite is when he takes her to the train crossing and tells her (he is always talking to her), that here was the first time they held hands. And she was angry at him. And he views the train as a time machine, and he wishes he could go back to the day she was angry at him. And he starts repeating 'I want to return to the Xiao Feng I once knew' over and over and over like a mantra.
And then he does take her to do things they've never done. They finally go to a movie, and he just holds her head on his shoulder. And he cooks for her and he asks her what she'd like to be in the next life and then says he'd like to be a stone, because it lives a simple life and has no troubles. The worst that can happen it to be stepped on and it won't hurt.
And then he asks again who she wants to be and answers for her 'I've already thought it out for you. You can be wind (that's her name actually). Because wind is one of the world's cleanest thing and it can blow on rocks and move them, until eventually a rock becomes sand and they can be together.'
And the thing is, there are these bits with either her 'mental' self (because she can hear everything as they've established earlier) even if she can't react) or his imagining her actually interacting with him and there is a lovely image of her coming up from behind him and hugging him, and going 'Dummy, you are supposed to add sugar and vinegar to this dish, why'd you add salt' and she is kissing his face and stroking and and going 'don't cry,' very tenderly, as he is sobbing. But of course, it's her spirit only, and she can't express it in a tangible fashion and he can't feel it and he keeps demanding 'say something.'
And later he is yelling at her to speak up or move or anything and then he just starts cursing God out because what has he (Ken) ever done to deserve this and you see Feng (once again, either her inner self or his imagining of her. This really is a fairy tale with a fairy tale feel) come up and hug him and tease 'don't yell at me, I can't help not moving' and then she asks him to sing for her because he's never sang for her, and he quietly starts singing a song and his voice is still hoarse from crying, and she joins in and they are singing together, sort of swaying, with her hugging him from behind and then she comes over and they are slow dancing together, and they are both barefoot and she is standing on his feet with hers and then he just hugs her really tightly and I am BAWLING LIKE A MORON.
FRELL.
TPTB are frelling sadists!
And then they are at the beach and he unbinds her hair and takes her in his arms and carries her in. Double suicide. Chirpy. FUCK.
And I am bawling.
And then there is a voice going 'wait a minute' and the water's brought her to (because she has such a phobia), and they both come out and there is horizontal kissing and it's all amazingly wonderful.
But then, things get very confusing, because it's 'wait again' and some time later, and they are in wedding attire on the same beach and her scar is gone (I guess she did get the surgery) and I assume they just got married but here is where it gets really weird, as their friends are there, including the guy who died in the crash.
I've seen people toss around the theory that it means they are dead and they did drown and are in Heaven (and I am OK with it, because they are clearly happy and together), but that doesn't make sense to me. For one, that would mean all their friends kicked the bucket and also, heaven as a random steely-watered beach? Doesn't work for me.
What I really think it is, is it's all true. Because this story is a fairy tale. A romantic fairy tale for grown ups and is shown again and again. And characters keep mentioning fighting reality (friends mention early on in 20 that Ken is fighting against forces of reality that are trying to separate the OTP) and they win through. At the end, Ken says 'and some people don't believe in myths' and this is clearly a myth and a fairy tale about true true love. And of course true love triumphs over death or comas or what not, and the couple ends up together living happily ever after (and their friends are safe too). Their emotions override reality and make it anew.
Does the ending work? It's certainly out there. I think, if I didn't know that the ending was odd beforehand, I would have been very taken aback. But as it is, since I knew it, I actually liked the ending and what it has to say about nature of stories.
Awwww, hell. They are together at the end. I don't care why and how.
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no subject
Date: 2006-09-08 02:36 am (UTC)Just letting you know that I sent you email about stuff from Japan this afternoon, and I just saw your message, so I've resent it. I hope your trip is fabulous! Have so much fun and I can't wait to hear all about it when you get back. :D
no subject
Date: 2006-09-08 03:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-08 02:43 am (UTC)Maybe I will check this out. Have a great trip to Japan if I don't get to talk to you sooner. :)
no subject
Date: 2006-09-08 03:32 am (UTC)Thanks!