THE HOUSE (NETFLIX 2022)

This is a very cleverly conceived film with a lot of details and metaphors. It requires a certain knowledge to understand it, especially a certain understanding of European modern history, economy and system.

From the perspective of the three stories, they are coherent and is a sequence.

I “And herd within, a lie is spun”

The doll's house at the beginning of the first film is the same as the big house they moved into later. Note that the dolls in Mabel's hands are two big mice, and the protagonist of the second film is a mouse, the rude tenants are the mice Mable is holding.

In these two shots, the blue and white porcelain tableware placed above the fireplace and on the cabinet can reflect the approximate time of the story.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, Europe did not have the ability to produce affordable blue-and-white porcelain in batches. Most of them were exported from China. At that time, it was a symbol of vanity for the European middle class and the powerful. It was once sought after and fanatic in the upper class.

There is a shot later, the owner's relatives asked about the cabinet. there was an English furniture engineer named John Mayhew. He was from the late 18th century. At that time, he produced a series of furniture works. Now collected in the American Museum. From the description of the lines, the cabinet is the legacy left by the owner's father, so the narrator’s grandparents should be living in the late 18th century. In the mansion they moved into later, there are high-end gas lamps, the British did not popularize electric lamps until the late 19th century, so it is estimated that this story is probably in the early 19th century.

In the early 19th century, Britain was in the era of the Industrial Revolution, with rapid political, economic and social development, and class warfare promoted political and institutional reforms. Since then, it has entered the Victorian era, Britain has established the huge empire （el imperio en el que nunca se pone el sol).

In the first story, there are many details that reflect the background.

For example, being deceived into a new house by the lies of the capitalists, on the one hand, after the family fall into the working class category, the father’s vanity makes him ashamed in front of their relatives. On the other hand, it is to abandon the old system, such as burning old furniture and demolishing old houses.

Later, the dining etiquette of the long table in the new house was also a civilized phenomenon formed in the Victorian period.

There is a shot in the middle where the steps are being demolished. Nine-year-old Mabel, with Isabel who is babbling, is starving but she can't find a ladder to go downstairs, then she sees the housekeeper crying:

"There is no ladder to go downstairs at all, He changed the design of the house again, I've had enough, I'm just an actor... He gave me a script, I can only do things according to the lines, I can't take it anymore..."

A "ladder" could meant the way of different "classes" going up and down. The design of the house that changes back and forth could be the chaotic reform phenomenon in the UK at that time

Another interesting point, the baby name of the first story, and the baby name of the second story, are both called Isabel. In the first story, the old woman among the relatives said with a look of disgust: Oh, another girl! It shows that the phenomenon of patriarchal preference still existed at that time.

At the end of the story, the couple, under the lies of capital, became a screw in that social system, constantly abused, working hard day and night, and paying with the price of their own life. In the end, shouting to let their two daughters escape from the house and from the system.

II ”Then lost is truth that can't be won”

The second story comes to the modern age and begins with a renovated house in a new look, in stark contrast to the old house next to it. Next to it is a scaffolding at work, and in the trash can at the door are throwing old items such as the sewing machine that appeared in the first story.

There is a TV background that explains the time of this story, which is 2020.

According to a report from the World Wide Web on August 14, 2020: According to the latest data released by the Office for National Statistics on the 12th, the UK’s gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 20.4% in the second quarter, which is the largest ever recorded in the UK. Quarterly GDP decline. At present, the UK is not only in recession, but also faces a huge crisis in political and social aspects. The wave of "independence" in Northern Ireland and Scotland is on the rise again. Due to the lack of foreign investment in infrastructure such as water and electricity, the heat wave has caused water and power outages in many places. Free trade talks with New Zealand, Japan and the United States have stalled between the Johnson administration, which follows the United States. Regarding the future of the UK, just one day before the GDP data was released, Prime Minister Johnson issued a warning to the public: "It will be a period of hardship, and this period will not be short, and the road to recovery will be long and difficult."

If you are interested, you can search for it online. The reported details are consistent with the TV dialogue in the film.

Faced with an old house that has gone through nearly two hundred years, it can be said to be dilapidated. The protagonist of this story may have inherited this house from his ancestors. Therefore, during the hard times of economic downturn, he hopes to renovate it to sell well price.

Everyone knows the story behind it. Constant moth-eaten and insect-killing are useless. A lot of people come to see the house, but no one buys it due to the economy recession. The last bunch of them pretending to be interested turned out to be parasites.

In the end, he was taken back to "home" and finally became a member of the parasite army in the room.