In almost all art forms, the simpler things are, the more difficult it is to describe them concretely, and the more simple emotions are, the more difficult it is to fully express them.

mr. church is told from the perspective of Charlie, the protagonist, and unfolds the plot in a linear time. The film revolves around the story between mr. church and his grandparents, depicts a beautiful picture of love and explains the meaning and value of life.

The film has no thrilling twists and turns, and everything happens silently in a quiet life, but under the calm water, more and more intense emotions are surging like undercurrents all the time.

First, save the lonely food

Mary lives with her daughter Charlie. When Mary was diagnosed with cancer and only had six months left to live, her ex-lover arranged a chef to take care of her mother and daughter's daily life, and promised to pay the chef the wages for these six months and all their living expenses. This chef was mr. church.

At first, Charlie didn't like the chef. The appearance of mr. church destroyed the relationship between her and her mother to some extent. Their "secret life" was exposed under the nose of mr. church, an intruder, so little Charlie didn't like mr. church and even asked her mother to resign him.

But food is a medium that transcends language and borders. It can not only bring people a sense of fullness and visual satisfaction, but also build a bridge for communication between different cultures, and it can also serve as a link between the two ends of the chef and the taster.

mr. church's delicious food is like a key, which opens the closed door for the two daughters to face life.

It brought a glimmer of life to Mary's desperate life. She didn't tell Charlie about her illness, so mr. church became the object of her troubles.

It also brings hope and fun to Charlie's life. There is a scene in the film in which mr. church goes out to buy food, while little Charlie stands on the balcony on the second floor and secretly watches mr. church return with all the ingredients.

From the initial rejection of mr. church's instinct to the expectation of mr. church's return, although waiting silently in the dark, it shows that Charlie's closed inner world has been opened to mr. church.

This expectation is not only in taste buds, but also emotional, which is another important meaning of the image of "food" in the film, that is, a missing emotional existence.

In life, when talking about family food, the first thing that comes to mind must be a warm picture of a family enjoying dinner together, which is exactly the life scene that mother and daughter lack.

The appearance of mr. church filled this gap, and food became the concrete embodiment of this lack of emotion. As time goes by, mr. church's role is not limited to a chef. Perhaps he is like a "nanny" in the film, taking care of the three meals of the mother and daughter, but in this family lacking male identity, mr. church assumes more male roles of "pillar" and "father". He and his delicious food are the healers and saviors of two lonely souls.

Second, the warmth of two-way healing

In Charlie's eyes, Mr.Church is a perfect existence. "When Mr. Church is not cooking, he is playing the piano, when he is not playing the piano, he is painting, and when he is not painting, he is reading."

mr. church, who should have stayed for six months, stayed in this family for six years. Mary, who was strong-willed, didn't live for only six months as the doctor said, but persisted until six years later, when Charlie was about to graduate from high school. During this period, mr. church, as usual, took care of the family with all her heart, which also made Charlie feel deeply dependent. But what mr. church showed them was always the perfect side, and she didn't know much about mr. church's personal affairs.

So one night when mr. church was about to go home, Charlie asked him about his personal interests and address, but mr. church loudly refuted him. It was the first time in six years that mr. church yelled at Charlie. He felt that his privacy had been violated, and his off-duty time belonged to him only, and he didn't want to be disturbed by anyone.

No one is born perfect. Those who seem to be perfect just know how to hide the imperfect parts after going through the baptism of life again and again. The film deliberately blurs mr. church's past and what he did when he was away from Charlie's house, which is actually telling the audience that maybe that part is mr. church's imperfect side.

Mary died when Charlie graduated from high school, and then Charlie chose a school far away from home to go to college. However, college life gradually made her lose herself, and when she graduated, she got pregnant unexpectedly, and her boyfriend fled like her biological father. So Charlie went back to the small town and found mr. church. She wanted to cultivate in his home and prepare her graduation thesis.

Here, Charlie discovered the other side of mr. church. mr. church was brutally treated by his father since childhood, and his sexual orientation was discriminated against. He was forced by his father to form a family, but he failed to fulfill his responsibilities as a husband, and his marriage ended. These experiences also made him instinctively want to protect himself, and he only wanted to tell others what he wanted to know. Once the other party crossed the line, he would wrap himself tightly to prevent his privacy from being snooped by others.

Until the appearance of Mary's mother and daughter changed mr. church's life, and the birth of Charlie's daughter Isabel made him feel the warmth of home. The company of three generations of Mary's grandparents gave him an unprecedented sense of security, which made him no longer afraid and face the sufferings he had suffered.

Finally, the night before mr. church died, when Charlie was reading to him and leaving the room to give him some private space, he was left behind by mr. church. This time, he didn't want to face it alone.

The appearance of mr. church cured the mother and daughter in despair, and the company of Mary's family also cured mr. church in fear. The role of force is mutual, and so is the power of healing. The bright moon decorates your window, and the brightness of the window also sets off the bright moon.

Third, the beautiful inheritance of the world

"People will become strange in the face of death. Some people will talk about everything except the dead. Some people will only talk about the dead, some will try to comfort you, some will just make you cry, and some will say nothing because they don't need it."

This narration appeared twice in the film. The first time was at the funeral of mother Mary. mr. church and Charlie smiled at each other among relatives and friends who came to pay their respects, without encouragement or comfort. After years of getting along, they had already understood each other. Mary was gone, but they were still there. The second time was at mr. church's funeral. Charlie and his daughter Isabel smiled at each other among relatives and friends who came to pay their respects, without encouragement or comfort. After years of getting along, they had already understood each other. mr. church left, but they were still there.

There is a contrast between the two funerals. Different people died, and different people participated in the funeral. But for Charlie, the warmth in her body has always existed, except that the object was changed from mr. church to her daughter, which is an emotional inheritance.

The film can be divided into three parts according to time. The first part is that mr. church takes care of the lonely Mary and her daughter, the second part is that mr. church takes care of the newly graduated Charlie and her daughter, and the third part is that Charlie and her daughter take care of the sick mr. church.

With the passage of time, the roles among the characters are constantly changing. We have forgotten that mr. church was just a cook at first, only remembering that he is an indispensable existence for this family. With the company of mr. church, Mary stepped out of despair, Charlie embraced life, and Isabel thrived. With the company of Mary's three grandchildren, mr. church felt safe and no longer afraid. This is the inheritance of companionship.

At the end of the film, the morning after mr. church's funeral, Charlie heard the jazz that mr. church often listened to in the kitchen, and subconsciously thought it was mr. church, only to find that it was her daughter who prepared breakfast for herself in the kitchen. Her daughter had never cooked before, but she made breakfast in imitation of mr. church's cooking style, and she learned how to behave under his subtle influence.

Although mr. church has passed away, Isabel, who represents a new force, is constantly growing, which is the inheritance of life and hope.

The film ended in a dull way, but it looks like a bowl of green tea, as clear as water, without colorful colors. However, if you feel the taste with your heart, you will find it refreshing and memorable.

I hope this movie will bring you a little warmth in the coming winter.

above.