This film beautifully captures angst.....

By far my favorite parts of this movie are the scenes where you get to see Julian's deeper side. For example, the scene where you see Julian fantasizing about finally making physical contact with his love interest is just so extremely beautiful and sad. It's one of the few scenes where you can see that he actually has a human side. The track "Sister part 1" perfectly conveys this sad longing within Julian to be able to lead a normal life. You learn later in the film that what it is that's holding him back are the sins of his past and his manipulative mother. Which is so tragic. Because Julian is genuinely a decent person deep down that's been warped by his family. The other scene that beautifully captures the angst is when Julian has just gotten viciously beaten and his mother is speaking to him as he bleeds out. Again, "Sister Part 1" beautifully captures the sorrow. Especially when she says "I don't understand you.......and I never will." Here we see his mother at work, playing with Julian's desire for her approval. And it's beautiful at the end, when Julian finally rises against his mother and saves the life of Chang's daughter. We see Julian overcome his family bonds and do what he believes is right. It's a beautiful character arc in my opinion, and one that seems underappreciated. And I think that Chang understands Julian's struggles, which is why he spares Julian's life and only takes his hands. What a strange and beautiful film.