Pedro Almodovar, the Spanish film director and screenwriter, has cited
the Italian director and intellectual Pier Paolo Pasolini as a major
influence on his work. Almodovar has said that Pasolini's films,
particularly "The Gospel According to St. Matthew" and "The Decameron,"
were a major inspiration for his own exploration of Spanish society and
culture. Pasolini's use of non-professional actors, his focus on
marginalized characters, and his use of religious and mythological
imagery are all elements that can be seen in Almodovar's films.
Additionally, Pasolini's use of explicit sexuality and violence in his
films were also an influence on Almodovar's own approach to these themes
in his films.
Pasolini's films are known for their critical and controversial exploration of contemporary Italian society and culture, particularly the lives of marginalized groups such as the working class, the poor, and the LGBTQ+ community. Almodovar's films also often focus on marginalized characters, such as the transvestites and transsexuals in "All About My Mother" and "Talk to Her," and the working-class women in "Volver."
Both Pasolini and Almodovar use religious and mythological imagery in their films to explore and comment on contemporary society. Pasolini's "The Gospel According to St. Matthew" uses the story of Jesus as a way to comment on the political and social situation in Italy in the 1960s, while Almodovar's "Volver" uses the motif of the return of the dead to comment on the social and cultural changes in Spain.
In addition, both Pasolini and Almodovar are not afraid to use explicit sexuality and violence in their films, in order to make their points about society and culture. Pasolini's use of graphic sexuality and violence in films such as "Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom" was highly controversial, as was Almodovar's use of explicit sexuality in films like "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!" and "All About My Mother."
Both Happy Together (1997) and Cancelled Faces (2015) are examples of films in the "boys love" genre, which features romantic and/or sexual relationships between men. These films challenge traditional film conventions in several ways. One is by depicting same-sex relationships as central to the story, rather than as a secondary or peripheral aspect. This is significant because such relationships have historically been marginalized or outright excluded from mainstream films. Additionally, both films feature "beautiful actors", which subverts the expectation that men in same-sex relationships on screen should conform to a certain "type" in order to be considered attractive or desirable. Overall, these films challenge societal norms and conventions about gender, sexuality, and relationships, making them thought-provoking and powerful pieces of cinema.
Happy Together is a Hong Kong film directed by Wong Kar-wai. It tells the story of a turbulent romantic relationship between two men, Lai Yiu-fai and Ho Po-wing, who are both from Hong Kong. The two men travel to Argentina, where they hope to live a happy life together. However, their relationship becomes increasingly strained, and they eventually break up. The film explores themes of love, isolation, and identity, and it is notable for its use of vivid imagery, slow-motion shots, and non-linear storytelling.
Cancelled Faces, the South Korean film directed by Lior Shamriz, explores themes of love, identity, and acceptance, and it is notable for its use of vivid imagery, non-linear storytelling and its ability to show the complexity of the gay community in South Korea. The characters are not depicted as either stereotypes or as idealized figures but rather as real individuals with their own desires, fears, and flaws. In the film Cancelled Faces, the characters of Boaz and Unk are depicted as individuals who are struggling with their identities. Their fear of each other is a metaphor for the fear that many LGBTQ people in South Korea experience as a result of societal pressure and discrimination.
The murder of Boaz by Unk in the film Cancelled Faces is a significant departure from the conventions of the "boys love" genre, which is typically associated with romantic and/or sexual relationships between men. In most boys love films, the ending is usually happy or at least bittersweet. However, the ending in Cancelled Faces is not only tragic but also violent, which is a very different kind of ending that challenges the audience's expectation of what a boys love film should be.
The murder of Boaz by Unk serves as a powerful commentary on the societal pressure and discrimination that LGBTQ people in South Korea face. It highlights the consequences of living in a society that does not accept or support LGBTQ individuals, and it emphasizes the importance of acceptance and understanding.
Additionally, the murder of Boaz by Unk also highlights the complexities and nuances of the characters' relationships. The film doesn't depict the story as a simple love story but rather as a complex and nuanced portrayal of human emotions and relationships.
Furthermore, the murder of Boaz also serves as a reminder of the real-life violence that LGBTQ people face in South Korea and around the world, and it serves as a call to action for change and acceptance.
Overall, the murder of Boaz by Unk in Cancelled Faces is a challenging and thought-provoking ending that subverts the conventions of the "boys love" genre, and it serves as a powerful commentary on the societal issues and discrimination that LGBTQ people face.
In the novel Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut, the characters Boaz and Unk are both members of a powerful and secretive organization known as the "Chrono-synclastic Infundibulum". This organization is able to manipulate time and space, and the characters Boaz and Unk are both tasked with recruiting new members and keeping the organization's activities secret.
In the film Cancelled Faces, the use of the names Boaz and Unk for the main characters may be seen as a nod to Kurt Vonnegut's novel. The names may symbolize the idea of time and space manipulation, and suggest that the characters are also members of a secretive and powerful organization.
Additionally, the name "Boaz" is also a biblical name and it is the name of one of the ancestors of King David in the Old Testament, and it could be seen as a reference to the idea of a powerful and secretive organization in the film. The name "Unk" is not a common name and it could be seen as an abbreviation of "unknown", which could be used to symbolize the idea of secrecy and the unknown.
