Text | Lin Xiyan
Letters from Heaven is an old film released in 1992. The plot of the movie is simple, telling the story of a pair of grandchildren who accompany each other. Chenchen's parents have been working abroad for a long time, and they have been gone for several years, so they left Chenchen to his retired grandfather to bring, and the two depended on each other. Day by day, the feelings are getting stronger and stronger. However, when Chenchen's mother returned to China, the balance between the grandfather and grandson was broken, and on the issue of Chenchen's education, her mother and grandfather clashed, and in the end, the grandfather decided to move back to his old house.
The film has won the International Children's Film and Television Center Award at the 43rd Berlin International Film Festival in Germany and the Best Film Award at the 10th Chicago Children's Film Festival in the United States, and has touched countless people.
The adoptive father of film director Wang Junzheng, like the grandfather in the film, is also a postman. Wang Jun is in the process of shooting this movie, pouring out all his feelings for his adoptive father. She later said in an interview that if the technology allowed at that time, she could play subtitles, she must write: "I would like to dedicate this film to my adoptive father." "
Today, I will deeply interpret this niche family film from three levels: character characteristics, narrative style and practical significance.
In the film, Grandpa and Mom present two completely different educational styles, Grandpa relies on Chenchen in everything, from Chenchen's mentality, while Mom has strict requirements for Chenchen's high standards. It seems to be different, but the starting point of the two is a deep love for Chenchen.
(1) Dedicated grandfather, the postman to the extreme, but also love the grandson to the extreme
Grandpa was a postman with more than 50 years of service and was responsible for delivering letters to people. One day, he took Chenchen to deliver the letter, and tried every means to find the address of the recipient, who lived on the 12th floor, but it was not a coincidence that the elevator was cut off, in order not to delay the other party to get the letter, the two people decided to climb up to the 12th floor. After climbing up breathlessly and knocking on the door, he found that he had sent it to the wrong place, and it turned out that the address was written wrong. When the real recipient was found after several twists and turns, it was found that the other party had already been buried. Grandpa has retired, but this professionalism is admirable.
Although Grandpa is older, he is actually an "old naughty boy", and he and Chen Chen are both grandfathers and friends. When Morning Morning goes to kindergarten, Grandpa will pedal a tricycle to send him, and sometimes, Morning Morning will also pedal in front of him, attracting the surprised eyes of passers-by. When watching TV, Grandpa would rip the sheets to cover the TV and prevent Chen chen from watching his favorite cartoons. Chen Chen also covered Grandpa's eyes with a sheet, and the two grandchildren laughed together on the sofa. Grandpa changed his tricks every day to play with Chen chen, but after all, he was old, the wind and candles were dead, and the medicine could not leave his body.
In my opinion, Grandpa is not only the guardian of Chenchen, bringing Up Chenchen, but also the fun companion of Chenchen, accompanying Chenchen to grow up slowly. The first scene of the film is the scene of Grandpa flying a kite in the square with Chenchen. On that day, the sun was shining, the breeze was blowing, and the ears were full of laughter and laughter from the elderly and children.
(2) "Little Adult" Chenchen, a cute and sensible little boy image
At the beginning of the film, the director uses the perspective of morning morning to feel the cold and warm of the world. Under the favor of grandpa, Chen Chen did not learn badly, but became incomparably sensible. After eating, when Grandpa was busy cleaning up, ChenChen put on a small apron to help, living like a little adult. The scene of Chen Chen standing on a small bench washing dishes is really painful. At the same time, because Grandpa's heart is not good, Chenchen, even when playing, does not forget to remind Grandpa to take medicine: "Grandpa, left coat pocket, first aid kit, under the tongue with a piece!" "
5-year-old Chen Chen, a typical left-behind child, can't even remember what his mother looked like. In his limited memory, the person who accompanies him the most is his grandfather, so he is closest to his grandfather, and in front of his grandfather, he can make trouble without scruples and really be himself. On the contrary, after my mother returned, she became a little restrained.
The growth of every creature depends on the care of the mother. Due to biological factors, human juveniles need more time to spend with the mother. But in the stage when Chenchen needs her mother's company the most, she is not around. In order to create better material conditions for her children, the mother chooses to go away from home, but behind the "running away for love" is the loneliness and expectation in Chenchen's heart.
(3) The "negative character" mother just does not want her child to lose at the starting line
One day, Chenchen's mother suddenly returned to China, and she came back with love in the dust, but she broke the balance between her grandfather and grandson.
Because of years of separation, Xiao Chenchen had long forgotten her mother's appearance, and when she first saw it, she turned her head and hid, and her mother was very unhappy. Later, in the car, Chen Chen finally got acquainted with his mother and slept with his mother at night. But in the middle of the night, Grandpa looked at the empty bedside, and his heart was probably lost.
Again and again, the contradiction broke out. Mom was not accustomed to being spoiled chenchen, and asked chenchen to attend english, piano and other tutoring classes. At the same time, he also began to drastically tidy up the house, the room was renewed, but accidentally threw Chenchen's "old friend" pet Dutch pig downstairs, and Chenchen was heartbroken, and began to resist his mother. Grandpa was sandwiched in the middle, not a man inside and out. Unconsciously, the chopsticks on the dining table became knives and forks, and I also needed to change my shoes when I went home, this neat and strange home, Grandpa seemed to have no sense of belonging.
In my opinion, there is no right or wrong approach between mom and grandpa, just because the two generations have different ideas of life.
The pace of this film is very slow, the plot layout is not compact, there is no unified storyline, no fierce conflict, no fancy routines, and no magnificent pictures, but only by connecting a large number of daily pictures, using trivial details such as playing, washing dishes, eating, and chatting to express the true feelings of the characters.
(1) Use a slow narrative rhythm to express the emotional ups and downs of the characters' hearts
The whole film is faintly narrating the trivial life between grandchildren and mother and son from beginning to end, these ordinary days, simple and plain, but real and warm, as if the interpretation is the story of each of us, some fragments touch people's heartstrings, let me can't help but think of the scene when I was a child with my grandfather, during which I cried several times.
Grandpa pedaled three wheels to send Chenchen to school, and Grandpa asked, "How is it today?" That will, Morning morning is in a bad mood.
When the grandson pedaled three wheels to carry his grandfather, Chen Chen asked, "How is it today?" "That day, Grandpa was in a bad mood, he knew he should move out and live, it was time to leave Chenchen.
These scattered fragments, like scattered pearls, are strung together as sparkling necklaces. Each picture, seemingly unrelated, but filled with the same warmth, this "scattered culture" narrative style, scattered and not scattered, every frame is telling the warmth of family affection.
(2) A large number of details of life reflect the flow of emotions between people
Director Mikhail Röhm once said that "cinema has more expressive details than any other art." "
There is a detail in the movie that when Morning Morning ran out, Grandpa did not forget to wear clothes and hats, worried that Morning Morning would catch a cold. A lot of love is probably like this, wrapped in small things, moisturizing things silently, if not carefully perceived, or even perceived.
Another detail is that after Chenchen came out of kindergarten, he ignored his enthusiastic mother and plunged into his grandfather's arms, nagging about the experience of this day at school. Seeing that ChenChen ignored himself, his mother stayed next to him, and an embarrassed look appeared on his face. When she listened to other children call their mothers, she was extremely disappointed.
When Grandpa sent Chenchen to kindergarten for the last time, the "see" behind "Re" did not say anything after all. He took the initiative to leave Chenchen and returned to the old house, holding the tape recorder alone to listen to Chenchen's voice, lonely and helpless. Grandpa is about to celebrate his birthday, Chen Chen took the piggy bank to buy a greeting card for Grandpa, but the money is not enough, he clutches the card tightly and refuses to let go, the small greeting card is intended to prepare a surprise for Grandpa. In the end, the salesman was impressed by Chenchen, she said: "I also have a good grandfather, but unfortunately he died." This sentence is also a metaphor for the death of Grandpa Chenchen.
The film does not deliberately portray family conflicts, but only uses details to let the audience feel the flow of emotions between people, and can't help but cry.
(1) Anxiety about the education of the next generation is a problem that exists in every era
People's anxiety about children's education has become a norm. Anxious children's grades are good or not, anxious children have no special skills, and every link has an unfinished heart. Mom's high standards for Chenchen stem from the anxiety of this reality, she does not want her children to lag behind others, so she requires Chenchen to study hard and hope that he will have the ability in the future.
Grandpa did not have so many expectations for Chenchen, only hoped that he was healthy and happy, and naturally carried out "free-range" education for Chenchen, not to mention, he was old, more than enough and insufficient.
When the mother sees that other children are more excellent, she can't help but compare and want her children to catch up, but the child loves to play by nature, and her "good for the child" approach makes ChenChen unhappy. Different expectations for children and different educational concepts will bring about very different educational styles.
(2) Death education is an indispensable lesson in the process of children's growth
Grandpa is old, getting older day by day, he himself does not know how long he can live, his deepest attachment in this world is the young morning. He was worried that his grandson would not be able to bear the pain of losing his grandfather in the future, so in his lifetime, he consciously or unconsciously educated Chenchen on death.
Chen Chen asked Grandpa childishly:
The first time Chen Chen faced death, he went with his grandfather to deliver a letter. When he knew that the recipient was dead, Chenchen did not understand what death was, and Grandpa did not hide from Chenchen, nor did he feel that this matter was very obscure, but said to Chenchen: "Tie the letter to the kite so that the other party can see." Grandpa used a warm story to explain death to Chenchen. Later, Grandpa died, and Chen Chen also wrote a letter, he said: Grandpa, I miss you.
The second time ChenChen faced death, it was Grandpa teasing him in the hospital, pretending to be dead, Chenchen panicked to find a doctor, and later learned that Grandpa was deceiving himself, so angry that he ignored Grandpa, he could not accept Grandpa's departure. The third time Chen Chen faces death is the departure of his pet "Dutch Pig", although he is sad, he has learned to digest this sadness silently. The fourth time Chen Chen faced death was the death of his beloved grandfather, and whenever he missed his grandfather, he wrote to him, tied to a kite, and foolishly waited for his grandfather's reply.
This kind of death education is imperceptible, like a seed sown in the heart of a child, so that the child slowly grows up in a loss after loss. Without this education, the child must be difficult to bear in the face of a sudden blow.
In the midst of Morning's howling and crying, Grandpa's eyes were unwilling and he fell into a deep sleep. Candles that were supposed to be used to celebrate birthdays were lit one by one. A happy event becomes a funeral, a birthday becomes a day of death, but in a way, it may also be a kind of consummation. Life, old age, illness and death are an inevitable outcome for everyone.
I believe that every child raised by grandparents or grandparents will be touched by this film. This movie has been nearly 30 years ago, the whole film has no subtitles, and the picture pixels are not high, but with this sincere feeling between grandchildren, it still touches countless people. The warmth between people will not fade with the passage of time, but will last forever. These bland and real life scenes are the easiest to poke people's hearts. Life rolls forward, and even if the movie ends, life has to go on.