捷瑟敏

1.red room as the Real:
you always see unbelievable things there.
but you're always forced /attracted to go back there.
again and again.


2.The sexual impotent Frank:
the following is what I gathered  from the interpretation of Zizek,
and 2 cents of mine.

Why Frank seem to be the stereotype of the MASCULINE 氣質,
being rude and saying "fuck" all the time.
And why he also be easily irritated by other's looking.

The irony answer is:
Frank is sexual impotent,he never know how doe it feel having sex with people.
so the whole Masculinity appearance is his disguise
to conseal the very fact of his absence of sexuality.
when someone looks at him,he just become anxious,
afraid of others knowing his impotence.

When the hero being in the car with Frank and Dorothy,
Frank once again yells: WHAT ARE YOU FUCKIN' LOOKING AT?
the hero just being nervous and relied: Nothing.
But this accidental answer cracks the secret in Frank's mind:
Indeed,there is nothing to look at.
Under the mask of the stereotype Masculinity ,Frank is unable to fuck.

In a way, we can say Frank doesmt know what sexuality is:
his all seem perverse acts:Lying on Dorothy with a oxygen mask, etc
is just a desperate attempt to imitate sexual behaviour.
Maybe he heard of his parents having sex when he's a kid,
since he only capture the "out of breath" of daddy and moaning of mommy,
and try to visualize the intercouse by his own imagination.
So here we come:
the oxygen mask,the beating upon women,
all are his attempt to actualize the sex scene.

When Frank meeting Ben,a man with heavy make-up,
he frequently saying Ben being SUAVE(文雅?)
But we can ironically refer Suave to Frank also.
Since in a way we see culture/politeness or 禮教 as the disguised form,
to avoid complete showing of the human nature.
and it distorts us in a way,but also protect us in a way,
since sometimes reveal the true self maybe dangerous.

he uses his whole rude appearance to make claims"I'm a man!"
(表現出男子氣概的樣子)
he's afraid to reflect the truth of his own impotence,
and his whole behaviour try to convince others "Frank's such a masculine guy".



3.reality and dreams reprise:

Yes,the whole film can be seen as a dream in a way,
the aim of his dream is trying to RE-GENERATE the desire.
I think the desire might is
to love his dull/typical wife again.
the Laura Dern character might be his wife in real life.
and to repress his desire having affairs with OTHER woman.(Dorothy)
After the whole imaginary adventure with Laura Dern,
and taste the dangerous of the mystery woman,
he learns how to treasure his ordinary life again.

But I don't think its the only answer though.
just dont accept this completely please.