I have been looking forward to the movie "A Piece of the North", because of the cold images from the north, because domestic films rarely try to absurd magic techniques and express realism, the best feature film, the best director two awards and thunderous praise at the Xining FIRST Youth Film Festival have triggered strong expectations from the audience, unlike those entertainment blockbusters with IP special effects as the selling point, the expectation for this film is the infection of art and the baptism of the spirit.
The author had the privilege of watching the film in advance, and not only were all expectations met, but there were many additional surprises, such as the original group portrait performance, the simple and unpretentious and charming characters, the strong dramatic expression, and the deep understanding of reality. From the theme point of view, the film and the popular "I am not a medicine god" is about the same thing, a widow known as Kefu was rejected by the neighbors, coveted by the villagers, desperate in the winter, but suddenly yin and yang, because the village woman who was jealous of the wind was shot, woke up and was praised as a "fairy", began to treat the disease and save people's "fairy" career, everywhere is good tea and good dishes, VIP treatment, and the greasy uncle Cheng Yong who has no long things suddenly enjoys the "medicine god" treatment in the process of pouring medicine.
The widow is not a fairy, the uncle is not a medicine god, just our imagination of beauty and compassion, we will always entrust hope to some flesh and mortal people, hoping that they can become the embodiment of compassion, the believer is redeemed, so there is a good "miracle", "The North is a Vast" from the subjective perspective of the two good, the hot pit head in the north, the character smokes a cigarette, whispers and whispers about grief and death, a face of human sophistication, but does the thing of livestock, that kind of habitual indifference and numbness, The strong contrast with the heat on the Xiao Kang table, coupled with the traditional proportions of black and white tones, condenses a unique image style.
"Fairy" two good redemption journey, in fact, is also the most concerned about the reality of all northerners, no one cares about lying on the kang nonsense behind the fourth master is the old-age dilemma of the empty nest old man, there are already 4 daughters still holding the son of the couple, pointing to domestic violence, supernatural and child trafficking, on the surface of the rough hands and feet are actually in debt old classmates, poking at the urban and rural small operators of the business misunderstanding, or the terrible consequences of private lending, including the death of the second good third husband, is the safety hazard of private factories, The gold mine incident is the epitome of the chaos of the development of the mining area, of course, everyone's attitude towards the two good before and after, from love and disregard to high climbing, alludes to the cold and warm of human feelings and delusional and partial listening.
Putting so many questions in a movie, but not at all deliberate and preachy, the excellence of the film is to turn all the problems that exist in reality into bits and pieces in the story, with a vivid and interesting story, silently presented. Everything happened naturally, Erhao sat in the van eating hot pot, shabu-shabu mushrooms, walking in the snow and talking to girls, chatting with the villagers with melon seeds, lighting candles when the power was blackout, adding two wooden straws to the stove in the cold, and the rich human fireworks produced a texture like real life.
Movies are so wonderful, you look at it as if it's all true, but everything doesn't exist, you think it's made up, but it's all so familiar, it seems like everyone has experienced it personally. This is probably the characteristic of magic realism, these pictures in life are silent, no one asks, but placed on the big screen, but people will involuntarily be shocked and pondered.
Therefore, "A Vast Expanse in the North" and "I Am Not a Medicine God" are about the same thing, both are treated in special ways and methods to save people, there is an incredible and magical side, both are the helpless methods of doctors and patients who have to do it themselves, from these two stories, what we see is the most essential desire for life, just like the dumb uncle asked the second good, just pretend? Erhao said that if he didn't, he would have to go back to sleep in the snow nest. It can be seen that the film shows the most basic need for human nature, the problem of how to survive, and there is an essential difference between those entertainment films that do not moan or hard stimulate the senses.
It is commendable that as a work with a strong artistic atmosphere, the entertainment of "A Vast North" is not bad, in the days when Erhao changed from a weak widow to a "fairy", those witty and bizarre encounters will make the audience involuntarily nervous and excited, and will also be moved by her kindness and "righteous deeds", and feel an unprecedented ease and invigorating at the moment when she finally draws an amulet in her arms.