Hauntology Practice

This film is about redemption. It tells a story of a bunch of people experiencing relation and conflict due to their different inner nature. They are all “haunted” in some way, except that only the protagonist achieves the resolution. If we look at each character, our protagonist, Stan, is a lost individual, haunted by the sense of existence without meaning. He has been indulged in his doubt and misery, choosing to follow orders even it’s not his will, until Rick, the antagonist, provokes his awareness of the boundary of his soul, thus he gains the power to take initiative to change the situation. Rick, however, is manipulative and sophisticated, having strong motivation and dominant position. However, haunted by ideology of the spectacle, his power lacks moral fibre, and leads to monarchy and destruction. Leo, the sidekick, is a curious figure, like most of Chinese people, a walking contradiction. He seems chilled and doesn’t care at the beginning, but when it comes to approaching the unknown, he shows a superstitious and cautious attitude. Haunted by the uncertainty, he choose alcohol and cigarettes, part of the so-called ritual, which inhibit consciousness. When drunk, he’s fearless again, telling jokes and citing poem, sentimental somehow. Like the quotes of Satre in the beginning, existentialism is key to understanding the theme.