At first, I watched it as an inspirational movie. At the age of thirteen or so, the easiest thing to accept is seemingly motivating persuasion: as long as you, like Andy, never lose confidence in any situation and continue to struggle in any circumstance, you will ultimately grasp your destiny.
Then, I felt that this movie actually explores the human inclination to embrace suffering deep in their hearts. When I was young, I often imagined myself being falsely accused and imprisoned. That kind of imagination did not bring pain and fear, but a sense of heroic pleasure. Li Ao always showed off his prison experiences in various occasions, which made me guess that maybe most people have a subconscious tendency to revere suffering like I do. This movie is popular probably because it artistically reflects this human subconscious.
After some time, watching it again, it felt like a philosophical film, with only one key word: 'system.' We all live in various 'prisons'; what confines us is not necessarily iron bars or electric fences, but a more powerful 'system.' At first you hate it, then you gradually adapt to it, and eventually, you cannot live without it. Andy's escape is just an adult fairy tale: imaginable, but unachievable. When we are addicted to it, it is like children being obsessed with fairy tales of princes and princesses; no children become princes, and no one can become Andy.
Watch again, and again, and again. I do not know what else this movie will give me. The movie has not changed; I have.
