The film tells the story of two minors, William and Joe, who are incarcerated in a juvenile detention center for committing a crime and are forced to live their lives in a routine way, the presence of William left a spark in Joe's life, and they fall in love with each other. When Joe is told that his incarceration is to be extended for three months, both are quite hurt, and in a show of defiance, William sets fire to the training room. William, who is now an adult, is then imprisoned and a long sentence awaits him.
After watching it, I was quite disappointed and confused. The psychological portrayal of the characters is so inadequate, two people fall in love with each other just after meeting, there should at least be a gradual process here. Because of this, I didn't feel the pain that the two people felt afterwards because they were about to be separated. And then there's William's motivation for arson. Is three months of deferred imprisonment really a long time? I can understand if it's three years, would three months to be with someone whom you love so torturous? So, the logic here doesn't make sense to me, and I really couldn't empathize with the characters.
There were also some things I liked about the film, such as the monologue that appeared twice
"We'd go up to the ice and walk on it when the water was frozen solid. In the middle of the lake, we'd sometimes see fish trapped in the ice, lined up beside one another. Like a family. When I was a kid, I thought they hibernated, like bears. I thought they spent winter there, then woke up in the spring. I thought they would come back to life and breathe again, like before. Like before winter. But now I know: A fish caught in the ice never comes back to life. It dies. "
This monologue is very poignant and sets the tone of the film from the very beginning. It depicts himself inside the juvenile detention center, thinking that walking out of the gate that held them would give the teenagers their lives and freedom back, but a part of them died within the walls long ago. The film is also translated in China as 'Paradise within the Walls', which I think is a more appropriate title for the film, as Joe and William are repulsed by the idea of being outside the walls, having been incarcerated in a juvenile detention center for delinquency. And being in this state of restraint for so long is something they're familiar with. So, when William learnt that Joe was leaving, his first reaction was not excitement but sobbing, and within the walls were memories that belonged to them. Outside the high walls, can an antisocial personality really be fitting in society again? If we follow this logic, it may explain why William finally set the fire, they chose to go to a more restrained place to prolong their love, inside the prison.
And finally, what about writing a monologue from Willam's heart when he learns that Joe is leaving:
Now you are about to have the world and freedom, and I'm about to lose them.
