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Essay / Sympathy for Inanimate Objects in Chungking Express
Chungking Express (Hong Kong, 1994) is a film directed by Wong Kar-Wai, with the narrative divided into two different stories. The first part of the film follows the life of "Officer 223 (Takeshi Kaneshiro)" while the second follows the life of "Officer 633 (Tony Chiu Wai Leung)". Although the two stories are distinct and consist of distinct characters and events, there are a few elements in the film that show their similarities and differences. In the film, both officers are distraught as they deal with heartbreak from their recent breakups. This short essay compares and analyzes two specific scenes – one from each story – to highlight how the two stories are "the same but different." In both scenes, the two protagonists use their loneliness to empathize with inanimate objects. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In the first story, about thirteen minutes into the film, Agent 223 explains how he buys a can of pineapples every day, especially the ones that expire. May 1st. The reason he buys a can of pineapples every day is because his ex-girlfriend, May, loves pineapples and May 1st is her birthday. On the night of April 30, Agent 223 is frustrated not to find any can of pineapple expired on May 1 on the shelves. When the cashier explains to him that the pineapples are already practically expired, Agent 223 defends the species of pineapple by responding with annoyance: “At your house, it’s always “out with the old, in with the new!” Do you know what it takes to make a pineapple can? The fruit is grown, harvested, sliced – and you throw it away! How do you think pineapple feels? » (18:47-18:51) In the second floor, Agent 633 recounts his nightly routine to comfort the "sad" inanimate objects in his apartment. “Since she left, everything has been sad in the apartment. I must comfort them all before I go to sleep” (57:27). The film continues with Officer 633 talking to a bar of soap with low self-esteem, a crying wet towel, angry stuffed dolls, and a lonely polo shirt. These two scenes are similar because they both show the heartbroken officers transferring their sadness onto lifeless beings. objects after being dumped by their girlfriends. Throughout the film, both characters generally lack a support system to help them deal with their unhappiness. Since they are both very alone all the time, it makes sense to me that they would end up talking to inanimate objects. Not only are the two scenes similar in terms of plot and theme, but they are also comparable in a visual sense. Both scenes take place on calm nights. Since the scenes take place at night, the lighting in both scenes is very dark and dull in color. The dark lighting and lack of background noise in both scenes emphasize the loneliness that both protagonists feel in their stories. Although the two scenes have very significant similarities, they are also very different. The two scenes are different in three main ways: the orientation of the characters, their communication toward the inanimate object(s), and the way the scenes are presented. In the first scene, Agent 223 emphasizes expiration dates and the lack of time when he talks about cans of pineapples. His main emotions are frustration and despair as he hoped his ex-girlfriend, May, would try to contact him before the cans of pineapples expired, but time is running out and she has received no news from him . On the other hand, in.