"Takeaway or drink here?"
Elizabeth Wiseman paused for a moment. "Takeaway." She had just finished watching the late screening of "Like Crazy". It was already half-past ten at night, and she had to head back to write her review.
As a contributing film critic for The New York Times, she had to maintain composure and objectivity in evaluating movies. However, ever since watching the premiere of "Like Crazy" that afternoon, her thoughts had remained in a state of turmoil. She couldn't find a clear line of thought.
The story of the film seemed deceptively simple, yet upon reflection, it revealed a complexity. The intricate details lent a unique texture to the movie, evoking thoughts of two other films, "(500) Days of Summer" and "Blue Valentine". However, Elizabeth personally favored "Like Crazy".
Yet, she wasn't entirely sure whether it was because the film had stirred memories of her past relationships or because its realism blurred the line between reality and fiction, clouding her judgment. Despite being a film critic, she was first and foremost a regular human being.
She attempted to regain her composure, detach her emotions, and write her review. But the surging thoughts couldn't be halted. Every moment of quietude brought forth scenes from the film in her mind – fragments, disjointed and incomplete, yet overwhelming with intense emotions.
After being cooped up in her hotel room for three hours, she came to a realization: not a single word could be written.
This sensation wasn't uncommon. Many classic films could resonate so profoundly, which was one of the greatest allure of cinema – invoking intellectual resonance, triggering mental storms. When she first watched "2001: A Space Odyssey", she had been stunned for a full three minutes without regaining her senses. She had spent a week contemplating it afterward, and even watched it six times more. Though she had understood it, her mind's reflections just wouldn't cease.
Thinking of this, Elizabeth wore a wry smile. She had absurdly compared "Like Crazy" with "2001: A Space Odyssey". Ridiculous, indeed. But the truth was that she couldn't quiet her mind. And so, she found herself back at the cinema, ready to watch the film for the second time.
Tickets for the afternoon screening had sold out rapidly. After having dinner, she had to wait for the third screening in the evening.
Five minutes had passed since the movie ended. The bitter and hollow feelings still hadn't found much relief. Nonetheless, her thoughts were starting to settle, after all, this wasn't a brain-twisting film. More accurately, it was a movie as simple as a white shirt, yet it had truly moved her.
It had been a while, a long while, since a film had incited such tangled emotions in her. The last one was... "Brokeback Mountain". Yes, "Brokeback Mountain". Of course, "Like Crazy" didn't quite reach the level of "Brokeback Mountain" in terms of accomplishment, but there was one thing these two films shared – they were both remarkably beautiful yet brutally cruel.
How should she write her review?
"It's Jacob's fault, I'm telling you. It's because he didn't love deeply enough! Otherwise, he would have gone to London! He should've abandoned everything in Los Angeles and gone to London!"
"That's not true! If Jacob didn't love deeply, would he have called Anna willingly? Would he have flown to London just because of a few words from Anna?"
"Then why wouldn't he go? Anna was the one who confessed first. He's just an unlikable otaku, so he eagerly agreed. His love has never been as profound as Anna's!"
"You weren't paying attention while watching the movie. You didn't pay attention!"
"Where wasn't I paying attention? I'm speaking the facts!"
"No, you didn't hear Jacob's later conversations. He tried, he flew to London multiple times, he and Anna applied for visas together, they tried to find possibilities for their future together, but they both failed! Jacob's efforts were no less than Anna's!"
"Then why didn't he go to London?"
...
A couple walked into the cafe, their voices rising in argument. Clearly, the woman was defending Anna's side.
Elizabeth's lips curled upwards involuntarily. This was why she loved movies – they built bridges of communication between people, taking real, surreal, and artistic stories, processing them, and making them a medium for exploring the realms of the human spirit and real life.
Indeed, why didn't Jacob go to London?
Elizabeth found herself asking that question, and even pushing it further: "Yes, why didn't I want to move from Manhattan to Brooklyn back then?"
Much like the movie "The Squid and the Whale". In reality, distance and time weren't the greatest enemies of love; it was just that we couldn't find the answers. So, we attributed the blame to each other, to distance and time, and comfortably continued living.
Even if it wasn't Los Angeles to London, just the distance between Manhattan and Brooklyn could tear two people apart, even disintegrate a family into fragments.
Suddenly, it dawned on her – she understood why she liked this movie so much. Much like the quarreling couple from before, they, like the director, were asking themselves the same question. And like Jacob and Anna, they were both adrift and bewildered.
"Ma'am?"
Elizabeth heard her name being called and looked up, accepting her coffee. However, she didn't leave the cafe. Instead, she walked over to a nearby seat, took out her notebook, and began typing swiftly.
"This is a film that's heartbreakingly despairing yet irresistibly captivating."
As she finished typing the first line, Elizabeth briefly lost herself for a moment. In her mind, she saw Jacob's expression in the final scene again. A tinge of bitterness flooded her tongue. She exhaled a long breath, then her fingers danced rapidly on the keyboard.
"Drake Doremus tells an elegantly simple story, so simple it can't accommodate any superfluous characters:
American youth Jacob and British exchange student Anna fall in love, but due to Anna's visa violation, she's sent back to London, barred from re-entry. The young couple, who deeply and fervently love each other, are now stranded on opposite sides of the Atlantic, trying to find a way back to their past.
The film's shots tenderly, sensitively, and vulnerably focus on these two young people, constructing a world around them. Undoubtedly, it's a deeply personal, introspective, and bourgeois story. In its compact script, it scarcely carries the weight of societal issues. It rests entirely on the love life of these two young individuals.
So, when people hear this story, they often make intuitive judgments."
"Why couldn't Jacob go to London, then he and Anna could start a new life there? Or, why couldn't the two of them get married and reunite through a marriage visa? Or, why couldn't they move to another country and start anew? Or is it that they can't end it here, liberate each other, and liberate themselves?
Things seem simple, with countless solutions. Finding any one solution could lead to entirely different outcomes. However, "Like Crazy" explores a sense of belonging through this series of "whys".
Why do people fall in love with someone in the first place? Do we love the person, or the time and place they appeared, along with that fleeting feeling?
People always believe there's someone most special in this world, tirelessly searching. Yet perhaps, such a 'special someone' never truly exists.
Life is filled with countless "someones" around us. In a specific time and place, one person happens to be near, reachable, and they're believed to be that "special someone", leading to the irresistible attraction.
But the truth is, it's not that "someone" who's special; it's the time, place, and feeling that turn that "someone" into "the one". Does that mean, in another time, place, and feeling, another "someone" could become "the one"?
Deep in memory, there's always an irreplaceable person. People often have the illusion that they've found "the one". But perhaps, what we miss isn't "the one"; it's the lost beauty, the vanished youth, and an irretrievable past. People often think they deeply love someone. Sometimes, they're just nostalgic for their former selves – the unrestrained, exuberant selves.
Time changes everything. Even if we eventually regain everything, that person is no longer "the one". In the moment of departure, "the one" is no longer the one in memory. We ourselves are no longer who we used to be. That similar feeling ceases to exist.
The reason Jacob refused to stay in London is that he couldn't find a sense of belonging in that unfamiliar city. Anna was willing to go to Los Angeles because the land held cherished memories for her. But ultimately, Jacob chose Anna, and Anna chose Jacob, because they once belonged to each other, yet no longer did.
This is the most realistic and captivating core idea of the entire film. They once belonged to each other, they once deeply loved each other, they still love each other now, but they ultimately missed that moment, that place, that instant. Hence, they missed each other.
Cruel, bitter, sorrowful, yet real, rendering one powerless."
Lifting the coffee cup from the table, taking a sip, the bitterness of the Italian espresso burst on her tongue, even causing her heart to curl up. Elizabeth turned her head to gaze out the window. Snowflakes started drifting down gracefully in Park City, and the entrance of the cinema remained bustling. A large crowd of audience members appeared in sight, getting ready for the midnight screening.
In the distance, staff members were taking down the "Like Crazy" poster template. Seeing this, warmth surged in Elizabeth's eyes. Tonight, it would be another sleepless night.
Bringing her gaze back, Elizabeth continued typing swiftly on her computer.