水母2022

　　时间是1918年，中华大地饱经磨难，战火连连，内有军阀割据，外有强梁入侵，中国的命运前途未卜。湖南长沙，以毛泽东（保剑锋 饰）、蔡和森（陶帅 饰）、萧子升（钱枫 饰）等一众忧国忧民的热血青年组织起新民学会，共同探讨祖国的未来。为了筹措赴法勤工俭学的款项，毛和朋友们辗转北上，来至北京大学投奔恩师杨昌济。经恩师介绍，毛在北大图书馆人管理员，在此期间他结识了辜鸿铭、陈独秀（李子雄 饰）、李大钊（石梁 饰）等文化巨擎，更接触到了改变了他乃至全中国命运的马克思主义。
　　与此同时，毛泽东也与杨昌济的女儿杨开慧（周冬雨 饰）谱写了一段乱世恋情……

　　Fraught with over obvious symbolism, Hartley's early feature is nonetheless a joy to watch. Hal here shows us his uncanny ability to cast his characters perfectly came early in his career.
　　Adrienne Shelley is a near perfect foil to herself, equal parts annoying teen burgeoning in her sexuality (though using sex for several years); obsessed with doom and inspired by idealism gone wrong she is deceptively – and simultaneously – complex and simple. Her Audrey inspires so many levels of symbolism it is almost embarrassingly rich (e.g., her modeling career beginning with photos of her foot – culminating her doing nude (but unseen) work; Manhattan move; Europe trip; her stealing, then sleeping with the mechanics wrench, etc.)
　　As Josh, Robert Burke gives an absolutely masterful performance. A reformed prisoner/penitent he returns to his home town to face down past demons, accept his lot and begin a new life. Dressed in black, and repeatedly mistaken for a priest, he corrects everyone ("I'm a mechanic"), yet the symbolism is rich: he abstains from alcohol, he practices celibacy (is, in fact a virgin), and seemingly has taken on vows of poverty, and humility as well. The humility seems hardest to swallow seeming, at times, almost false, a pretense. Yet, as we learn more of Josh we see genuineness in his modesty, that his humility is indeed earnest and believable. What seems ironic is the character is fairly forthright in his simplicity, yet so richly drawn it becomes the viewer who wants to make him out as more than what he actually is. A fascinatingly written character, perfectly played.
　　The scene between Josh and Jane (a wonderful, young Edie Falco . . . "You need a woman not a girl") is hilarious . . . real. But Hartley can't leave it as such and his trick, having the actors repeat the dialogue over-and-over becomes frustratingly "arty" and annoying . . . until again it becomes hilarious. What a terrific sense of bizarre reality this lends the film (like kids in a perpetual "am not"/"are too" argument).
　　Hartley's weaves all of a small neighborhood's idiosyncrasies into a tapestry of seeming stereotypes but which delves far beneath the surface, the catalyst being that everyone believes they know what the "unbelievable truth" of the title is, yet no two people can agree (including our hero) on what exactly that truth is. A wonderful little movie with some big ideas.

　　在这部犀利而真诚的特辑中，安德鲁·舒尔茨分享了他人生中最疯狂的时刻— 成为一名父亲。