The screening of "Lu Binghua" has ended, and short reviews have been released. It has received almost unanimous praise, which naturally makes many movie fans look forward to it.
Especially for fans of Baodao, Li Yi's reputation in Baodao is no weaker than that in other places. It's just a pity that Li Yi has never filmed a Baodao story before, but this time it is different. Li Yi filmed The story of Treasure Island, and the key is, there are so many local filmmakers, film critics, and media people from Treasure Island rushing to praise it.
For them, this is absolutely an honor.
To put it bluntly, Li Yi's current status in the film industry is naturally guaranteed by the movies he makes, and their influence is not small.
Take this time as an example. Although "Lu Binghua" has only had one screening so far and not many people have watched it, the effects have already begun to appear.
After all, although there were not many film critics and media people from Hong Kong and mainland China to attend the screening this time, the key point is that those who could come were all big media and well-known film critics.
The influence of these people cannot be compared to that of ordinary media and film critics.
Soon, Baodao film critics couldn't wait to start interpreting this film. After all, this is a Baodao story. Can film critics from Hong Kong Island and Mainland China still take the lead?
In the past, they reviewed other movies, but China has such a large population, the film critic profession is not well-involved, and their reputation is not that great. In addition, those movies themselves are not telling the story of Treasure Island, their The advantages are very limited.
But this time, it's completely different. "Lu Binghua" tells the story of Treasure Island from the bottom up.
And soon, it was publicized that "Lu Binghua" was adapted from real events, which immediately made countless Baodao film practitioners feel like they were in a panic.
What many people didn't expect was that this time the person who topped the list of critics for "Lu Binghua" was not a film critic or a media person, but a local director from Baodao.
Ke Bai!
Ke Bai can be said to be a thoroughly local director. He has made many movies, but almost all of them are about stories that happened on the island.
It's a pity that Baodao's movies have never taken off, and there were one or two movies that were just short-lived.
This makes filmmakers like Ke Bai, who are committed to developing local cultural film and television works on the island, also troubled.
Other film critics and media people may be more concerned about whether the movie is good or not, but Ke Bai and the others are concerned about whether this movie can find a way forward for Baodao movies?
After watching the screening, Ke Bai reviewed the movie in his mind for a long time, and it really made him feel enlightened. So he stayed up all night excitedly and carefully crafted a movie review.
"Before this, I heard that Director Li Yi's "Lu Binghua" was about the local Baodao film. I was skeptical. After all, Director Li Yi has never lived in Baodao, so I was once skeptical about him. I'm skeptical about whether this film can be made well.
However, after watching the movie, the previous doubts were completely eliminated. He is worthy of being an internationally renowned director. Even though he has never lived in Baodao, and even though this film is a local story of Baodao in the 1990s, he still showed A lot of original stuff came out.
And more importantly, maybe we Baodao filmmakers can find the right path for our Baodao movies from this film.
In the past, we always felt that our movies and our stories could not be accepted by audiences outside the island due to geographical restrictions. However, it was not until I watched "Lu Binghua" last night that I realized that it was not possible at all. It's not for these reasons. It turns out that our treasure island has always had stories, and there are many of them.
It’s just that we are all lost in the sharp editing style that deliberately pursues techniques, but we have overlooked that what the audience always wants to see when watching a movie is actually the story, story, story!
The style of "Lu Binghua" is actually very retro. Yes, retro. The film even makes you feel that the techniques are still stuck in the last century. The films of that era, whether from mainland China or Hong Kong Island, were all of the kind that were very good in scripts and performances. The line that pays more attention to and has a more plain expression is completely different from the style of deliberately pursuing technique that pays more attention to sharp editing nowadays. Of course, it is not convenient to discuss it here, but what I want to say here is that "Lu Binghua" follows that kind of style. A down-to-earth style that focuses on scripts and performances.
"Lu Binghua" does not have any ostentatious skills, the story is straightforward, and even has a strong retro style.
We have been thinking about why Hong Kong Island movies were once so brilliant. A land of sugar pills, a region smaller than the treasure island, can have the reputation of Oriental Hollywood? Apart from those well-known objective factors, in my opinion, it has a lot to do with the narrative style of the movie.
Baodao also had a glorious period of filmmaking in that era. Looking back now, Baodao's films in that era actually won more international awards than in all the years combined.
why is that?
I think it’s because many of us filmmakers have overlooked that no matter what techniques we use when shooting a movie, they must serve the story. Telling the story well is the first priority. As for what to use, It doesn't matter what form it is. Many literary films in the 1980s and 1990s used plain narrative methods, but paid special attention to the advancement of the story and details. Therefore, the movie-watching experience was like flowing clouds and flowing water, and it was a kind of enjoyment.
And now? Many of us have forgotten this. Once a movie fails and does not sell well, we blame it on the story and the audience. As everyone knows, the reason has always been that we did not seriously tell a story plainly.
There are always many good stories in any place, whether it is Hong Kong Island, the mainland, or even the treasure island, but how many of them really tell stories seriously?
"Lu Binghua" is a children's movie in terms of subject matter. It tells the story of a child from a poor family who has a talent for painting. The story takes place in the countryside of Baodao, and the huge gap between rich and poor fully reflects A real social situation in Baodao at that time.
The shots of the film are surrounded by the beautiful scenery of lakes and mountains. After watching the film, it seems like a poignant poem full of sorrow. The most touching thing is the words that the sick young protagonist Gu Aming said to his teacher after he failed to win the painting competition due to family background: "Children from rich families are better at everything." This Even the treasure island of those days is a widespread phenomenon in the Chinese world today. In today's mainland, I think this situation is equally common. There are differences in opportunities for children between big cities and small cities, small cities and rural areas. Too many, not to mention family background, a factor that is never fair?
When the movie tells the story, it uses extremely plain techniques, without deliberately arranging anything. Everything feels natural and a real story.
I believe that the audience will feel this way after watching the movie. It is even more amazing to hear that this story is adapted from real events.
I believe there is no doubt about Director Li Yi's artistic attainments. As the winner of a Grand Slam of international awards, no one would doubt this.
So let's look at "Lu Binghua" again. Will the ending of this movie feel extremely "familiar" when we watch it?
Yes, it is very familiar. This kind of plot may seem a bit cliché to people of this era, but is it really cliché?
No, it should be said that it is true, not deliberate, and not deliberately avoiding this ending because it will make people feel cliche.
At the end of the film, Amin's painting won first place in the international children's painting competition, and people realized that there was an undiscovered genius around them, but the deceased Amin would never know the news. The memorial service On the Internet, my sister said these words on behalf of her father who did not speak Mandarin: "I am so sorry to let everyone stand here and bask in the sun for the sake of a dead child." These are heartbreaking words and a reflection on society and the school. The greatest irony. No one appreciated him while he was alive, but becoming famous after his death has become a basis for people to be proud of. For Amin's family, this cannot be regarded as an honor, but only adds to the sorrow.
In fact, if you think about it carefully, this ending is truly ironic and helpless.
The irony is that those who had doubted A Ming before now claim to be a genius, seem proud of him, and seem to have a share of credit for his achievements.
The irony is, yes, Teacher Guo took A Ming's paintings to the exhibition and won an award. Did he give them a hard slap?
But what's even more ironic is that this is actually a good thing for them. They have done so many unfair things to Amin. The township head's politician-like face, indifference and selfishness are the biggest beneficiaries of the results. It's still him.
I have to say that this is the most intriguing part of this ending.
And what did Gu Aming, the biggest contributor to these achievements, get?
A certificate and the name of a so-called genius, but he will never see it again.
As for A Ming's sister and his father, all that is left to them is sadness. However, there may be a period of enthusiasm for media reporters to come to interview after hearing the news. The township head may pretend to be generous and give A Ming The family’s tea plantations are sprayed with pesticides, but that’s all.
After that, they will still be who they are and nothing will change.
Of course, the film may not just want to be satirical. From another perspective, the ending actually highlights the theme, "Lu Binghua"!
The name of the film, Lupine Flower, is not the flower with the scientific name Lupine Flower, but a small flower planted in the gaps between tea trees in the tea garden. It is said that the most famous mountain rain and mist tea in Baodao is more fragrant because of the company of this flower. Fragrant.
The lupine flowers withered in winter and turned into fertilizer to make the tea trees grow more luxuriantly. After Amin's death, his hometown and school also received the glory they dreamed of because of his paintings. This is the meaning of the movie's title!
Of course, another aspect of the film is also about borrowing from the past to satirize the present.
In the movie, I saw the river water, the muddy ground after the rain, and the crazy growing weeds. In fact, they are not just the countryside of Baodao. To a large extent, they represent all rural areas and the simplicity of farmers. , stubbornness and inherent sadness.
Gu Aming is just a very ordinary Hakka rural boy, with the naughty, unmotivated and sudden genius of most children; and Guo Yuntian is just an ordinary art teacher from the city, like all half-hearted artists, he has no rights, but Idealism. Amin's father's stubbornness and restraint, and Amin's sister's forbearance and strength, are naturally and tenaciously rooted in their personalities. The considerate teacher took a fancy to the dazzling talent of this poor child, but he couldn't get support from anyone, including the child's parents, so he had no choice but to move away. Finally, when Teacher Guo returns to the village after winning an international competition with A Ming's painting, A Ming has passed away. The end of the movie shows the green mountains and green waters of the village, and the wild weeds that are still growing wildly.
I like this movie, but what do I like about it? It's definitely not the ones I analyzed. Liking has little to do with rationality. I like the grass in the lens. It grows very tall and fast. When A Ming died, his father and sister went to find him. They walked across the thick weeds, and the sound of their shoes stepping on the haystacks seemed particularly clear; and on the day when Teacher Guo came back, he went to see the weeds buried in the grass. They burned A Ming’s grave, his paintings and certificates, and Teacher Guo kept frowning. I seemed to see those weeds growing wildly until they were all submerged, and time stopped...
The story of the movie is very simple, but this movie is really not simple at all.
Because the movie does not tell us preachingly what should be done, the movie just tells a story and tells some people.
There are not many subjective things to show to everyone. Many things are very objective. Because they are real, they make us feel that you can identify these people with the people around you.
For example, the township chief in the film.
This cannot simply be regarded as a "bad guy" or a "good guy", because compared to many politicians nowadays, in fact, has this township chief done evil?
Really, not really!
Let’s think about it carefully, what did he do?
It is natural to pay back debts. Of course, from the perspective of the audience, at that time, he took back the debt, so that Dad Gu could not save A Ming.
But thinking about it carefully, did he really go too far?
We always sympathize with the weak, so we think that if he doesn't help, he is being rich and unkind, and if he collects debts, he is adding insult to injury.
Of course he is not a good person, but he is definitely not a bad person.
In fact, the really bad people are more often the voters in schools.
Don’t they understand that Gu Amin’s paintings are better?
I am a layman, but I just feel that Gu Aming is not good at it.
Their interests have changed them beyond recognition, and the irony is that in reality, such people abound. What kind of choice would we make in such a situation?
Seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages? Or stick to yourself? "
