The condition of the revolution and its weight are hidden in an expressionless mask.

Obviously, it is a film with great merits, but it directly deals with the subject of revolution and has a strong progressive tendency to clearly reveal its limitations.

"Absolute power must fall". "Violence for the greater good is justified." Etc

Since the narrative is continued based on controversial topics, opinions cannot but be shared according to viewers' ideological tendencies and personal values.

It seems that the film uses exaggerated expressions, but if you focus more on the background depicted in the film and focus on the philosophical message containing the revolution, I think it is a pretty good film.

Official Trailer

Background setting analysis

Even the aforementioned thesis would have had to express a world so extreme that no discussion was necessary.

As a result, I chose a background that reminds me of totalitarianism and socialism.

Which period this background describes will depend on the viewer's values.

V=Vendetta=Blood Vengeance

The person called V in the movie is a person who leads the revolution, wearing the mask of Gaipoks, a symbol of resistance, who was captured and executed while attempting to blow up the parliament building.

It is characterized by the enjoyment of lines quoted from Shakespeare plays and famous poems, and in the aftermath of human experimentation, he have a strong power.

It wasn't my sword that killed you, it's your past

This is a quote from Count Monttechristo. Revolution means breaking out of the current system for a better society.

And in the process, numerous old forces were eliminated.

All the characters of the old forces in the movie are in the form of villains, and it was not V that defeated them, but because of their past.

V, who does not reveal his face, is only a symbol of resistance and does not take the form of a single person.

If V is a symbolic existence created by oppression that violates human rights, he is one who only wants revenge and revolution without any memory of life.
It does not mean a specific individual, but a symbol of the past.

In other words, it can be seen that the content of the movie where beings born by the oppression of the old forces punish them has something in common with the above content.

Where does the power for revolution come from?

Social transformation has been accomplished through the rise of the people who have always held their breath.

It shows that those who were usually indifferent to politics will be able to gain the power they need for the revolution the moment they decide to participate.

He awakens the will to freedom of those who fear the state.

Each of the small dominoes gathers to complete the pattern of V. Several small individuals like this come together to complete the whole.

Freedom, its sublime value

Evie is a person who represents this change.

In the early and mid half, Ebi regarded V as a criminal and attempts to punish it through the system of the society who incurred it.

However, V's excellent ability to show the truth in a lie teaches us how to escape from this thought and enjoy true freedom.

Evie escapes from the cell and comes out to V's terrace. And Evie is by the pouring rain and makes an ecstatic expression.

It was reborn as a fighter for freedom, not as a small citizen who is no longer breathing in oppression.

V is a being born in the flames of the institute.

The fire here is a symbol of oppression, and the V reborn in this flame means the fighter of the revolution.

Conversely, Evie, who was reborn in the rain, represents a new generation of people who will live freely in a new world.

The sadness of the individual behind the mask

V in the early and mid-movie shows a cold look like a machine rather than a human.

However, as the film progresses, Evie (Natalie Portman) gets closer to V, and his human side gradually emerges

Extraordinary affection for art works, The instinct to not show a ugly appearance in front of others,

From the strange feelings of being attracted to Evie and the appearance of tears being unable to achieve him,

As long as the mask he is wearing is no longer a mask, he feels as if he is a human face.

The weight of revolutionaries and leaders

Nevertheless, V does not neglect what he has to do as a revolutionary leader.

It is a revolution that can only be achieved with a noble will and shed a lot of blood.

If you know the weight of countless sacrifices, the revolutionary must put off personal impressions and look ahead with a sober eye.

Knowing this, V was prepared to throw his own life and valiantly practices it.

The one who wields the sword must bear its weight. The weight must not be overlaid on others.

He know that if the surviving forces of the old system remain, the people who will live in the new social system will have to put blood on their hands again,

He's the starting point of the revolution, he feels he must break the ring of slaughter and finally wields his sword.

Thus, V, a revolutionary, dies, and Evie and the people who will represent the new world survive.

Inside this mask, there is a belief that cannot be penetrated with bullets.

The longing for freedom and the backlash against absurdity are human instincts and cannot be suppressed forever with violence and agitation.

Even if you can press it for a while, it means that you will return with greater willingness to the future generations.

I don't know who you are, but I still love you.

I think this is an ambassador that well expresses the revolutionary spirit that I want to talk about in this movie.

The revolutionary in the movie dies without enjoying the benefits of the new world.

After all, the revolution is not done for yourself, but comes from a deep sense of responsibility for society and affection for future generations.

I don't know who they are, but the revolutionaries who gave their lives are saying that they love them.

There is no coincidence.

There are several lines saying that there is no coincidence.

As I mean by the aforementioned "it was your past, not my sword that defeated you,"

Punishing the wicked is not an individual's revenge, but the instinct of the community to punish their evil deeds.

In other words, it seems to emphasize that the oppression is bound to collapse by the power of the people.

The artist tells the truth in a lie.

The film itself is a fictional story with a fictional background.
In other words, I think it means the will to show real history and reality through fictional movies.

Total review

As I said at the beginning, I think it's a movie that has its strengths, but its weaknesses are also clear.

First of all, if you have an ideological disposition to this film, or if you have an antipathy for the violence that accompanies the revolution, this film will be very rejected.

Also, considering that even though it is a formalist film, it actively contains the will to reflect reality, I also felt that the expression in the film was a little exaggerated.

Also, it seems that there are many people who feel rejection due to the setting where poetic lines are lined up.

In other words, there are enough aspects that make you feel a sense of disparity by putting only the ideal aspect in the movie too much.

This was a huge deduction factor in my case.

However, if you look only at discussions about revolutionaries and leaders, I think this movie is a good movie that shows the true meaning of the revolution and what the revolutionary should aim for

Among those working for social transformation, I often wonder how many people understand the transformation or understand the pain of many people who may be sacrificed by that transformation, and who can fully bear the weight.

Those who want a revolution will suffer in the current system, but those who do not want a revolution will suffer in the new system.

In the movie, I expressed it to the extreme, but in reality there is no absolute evil.

In the end, the weight of the revolution is unimaginable, because there are bound to be people who suffer in any system, and this should never be done by individual dissatisfaction or needs.

The revolution is not a pursuit of the comfort and honor of a new one, but only those who have a great affection for society and can bear the weight can be held accountable.

In reality, I am worried that there are many people who emphasize the fact that they are awake or that they wear revolutionary masks to offset personal dissatisfaction with the current situation, and use people's power to incite them for comfort.