In both Red Lantern and In the Mood of Love the protagonists struggle, mostly in silence, without their partners. In both films, each protagonist forces himself to live a certain way based on the ideologies he has declared. In the opening scene of Raise, the protagonist Songlian announces to her stepmother that she will marry for money. She tied herself to this destiny. In Love, both Mr. Chow and Su Li-zhen suffer silently because they refuse to uphold the marriage code they also swore, even though their partners have already broken it. All the characters are lonely, and War Kar-Wai and Zhang Yimou make this clear by purposely excluding their spouses from the films. This conscious choice isolates the main characters and makes them more thoughtful individuals. The viewer studies each character individually. Both films are artfully shot, carefully trapping each character's melancholic emotions in a beautiful setting. This effect dramatizes each character's isolation and makes the viewer more connected to their personal struggle because that is all the viewer has seen. In Raise, Songlian begins the film as a frustrated young woman. She angrily accepts this marriage. The close-up of his face as he states his decision shows his true emotions about what he is agreeing to do. This close-up makes the viewer look directly at her face and no one else. Songlian is warned by her stepmother that she will only be a concubine. Dramatically and full of emotion, Songlian asks her, "isn't this our destiny?" His apparent disenchantment combined with his ferocious nature allow the viewer to identify with the fight he has chosen. When she moves into her new husband's compound, it is large... half the size of the paper... to further show these societal restrictions. The effect of each director's choice to show only the main characters, and not their partners, changes viewers' perception of the narrative. The viewer becomes dependent on reading the scene from the individual emotions of the main characters. Both directors' conscious choice to isolate all the main characters ultimately makes them more self-reflexive. The viewer is forced to study each character individually and understand how isolation affects each personality. The way both films are so artistically shot, and the way each scene is so carefully composed, further isolates the emotions of each character, each framing a beautiful picture of discontent. This effect dramatizes each character's isolation and makes the viewer more connected to their personal struggle because that's all the viewer has seen.

Topic > In both Red Lantern and In the Mood of Love the protagonists struggle, mostly in silence, without their partners. In both films, each protagonist forces himself to live a certain way based on the ideologies he has declared. In the opening scene of Raise, the protagonist Songlian announces to her stepmother that she will marry for money. She tied herself to this destiny. In Love, both Mr. Chow and Su Li-zhen suffer silently because they refuse to uphold the marriage code they also swore, even though their partners have already broken it. All the characters are lonely, and War Kar-Wai and Zhang Yimou make this clear by purposely excluding their spouses from the films. This conscious choice isolates the main characters and makes them more thoughtful individuals. The viewer studies each character individually. Both films are artfully shot, carefully trapping each character's melancholic emotions in a beautiful setting. This effect dramatizes each character's isolation and makes the viewer more connected to their personal struggle because that is all the viewer has seen. In Raise, Songlian begins the film as a frustrated young woman. She angrily accepts this marriage. The close-up of his face as he states his decision shows his true emotions about what he is agreeing to do. This close-up makes the viewer look directly at her face and no one else. Songlian is warned by her stepmother that she will only be a concubine. Dramatically and full of emotion, Songlian asks her, "isn't this our destiny?" His apparent disenchantment combined with his ferocious nature allow the viewer to identify with the fight he has chosen. When she moves into her new husband's compound, it is large... half the size of the paper... to further show these societal restrictions. The effect of each director's choice to show only the main characters, and not their partners, changes viewers' perception of the narrative. The viewer becomes dependent on reading the scene from the individual emotions of the main characters. Both directors' conscious choice to isolate all the main characters ultimately makes them more self-reflexive. The viewer is forced to study each character individually and understand how isolation affects each personality. The way both films are so artistically shot, and the way each scene is so carefully composed, further isolates the emotions of each character, each framing a beautiful picture of discontent. This effect dramatizes each character's isolation and makes the viewer more connected to their personal struggle because that's all the viewer has seen.