After watching "Auspicious Ruyi" last night, it was midnight, and I was very excited to send WeChat to my friend: Dapeng is too good this time! Barabala said a bunch of things, but there was no reply to the message, it should be sleeping, not important, I just want to unilaterally sigh.
Dapeng has directed two plays and is China's youngest "1 billion director" ("Pancake Man"), but in most audiences, Dapeng is still a comedian, a small person who is close to Liu Yan in "Di Si Man" and talks to Qiao Shan in the foot-washing city.
If "Auspicious Ruyi" is a multiple-choice question, just list the four directors' options, and in any case, the 2B pencil will not be able to paint Dapeng's name.
However, it was this Dapeng who made an artistic masterpiece.
In 2017, Dapeng pulled the team to shoot the "Sewing Machine Band" in his hometown of Ji'an City, Jilin Province, and after the killing, he suddenly had the idea of patting his hometown village, which was close to the Spring Festival, and he had not returned home for several years.
The film is divided into two parts, the previous "Auspicious" is a regular documentary, but strangely Dapeng did not appear (only as a questioner), starting from the perspective of the third uncle's daughter Li Li, whose parents divorced more than ten years ago, and Li Li never returned to the village.
Li Li buried the biggest stem on her body, and it is with her that "Auspicious Ruyi" is so special.
The third uncle Wang Jixiang was originally the chief of the security section of a large state-owned enterprise, twenty years ago he had a brain disease, his physical function was doubled, he ate buns, but his IQ was only equivalent to that of a child, and he repeatedly muttered every day.
There are five children in the Wang family, Wen, Wu, Xiang, Gui rank one, two, four, five, the third uncle Wang Jixiang only does not say his own "Xiang" word, this phenomenon is very strange, maybe subconsciously know that they are outside the family?
Dapeng originally wanted to take the lead in filming grandma for the New Year, but just started the phone grandma was seriously ill and hospitalized unconscious, so he replaced the central character with the third uncle and daughter, and inserted an interview with brothers and sisters in the middle, the third uncle was capable when he was young, according to the words of the eldest brother: "Made great contributions to the family."
Li Li has not returned for more than ten years, the family's memories of her are still stuck in her childhood, the third uncle can not recognize the daughter, which makes her very distressed, the first half of Li Li is a bystander, she and her relatives can not talk about how deep feelings, but it can be seen that there is a debt to her father, so she takes her father to a haircut, hoping to rebuild the father-daughter relationship.
Just on the eve of the Spring Festival, my grandmother's condition deteriorated and died, after the funeral, the Wang family brothers and sisters ate a reunion dinner, the first half was fine, everyone said some words of liver and gallbladder, but more and more wrong taste, all kinds of contradictions broke out.
The central problem is still the third uncle.
For so many years, the second uncle took care of the third uncle's living, although he had no problem in moving, but there were people around him at all times, which was very energy-consuming. When he was young, the third uncle helped the second uncle solve the hukou problem, which was considered to be a favor, but who had taken care of him for more than ten years also had resentment.
The second uncle couldn't listen to anyone's words, sprayed the brother's wheel over and over again, this scene was too real and suffocating, and even said the angry words of "killing the third elder".
According to the rules, the younger children did not come to the table, but Li Li was equivalent to attending in place of her father, although the elders did not complain about Li Li, but they knew that everything was because of her, and when they were excited, Li Li knelt on the bed and apologized to the second uncle.
The quarrel turned to the quarrel, before leaving or came a group photo, the old man is the center of the family, Dapeng mother said that the old man left "the tree fell down and scattered", this big family is difficult to get together so neatly anymore.
Dapeng did not understand how to solve the problem of the third uncle, and the short film ended in the long shot of the third uncle in the snow, full of red firecracker wreckage.
"Auspicious" won the Golden Horse Best Creative Short Film Award the previous year, if it stops here, it is at best an excellent short film, but as soon as the next "Ruyi" comes out, it is a higher level of artistic creation.
"Ruyi" deconstructs "Auspicious" or Dapeng itself.
The transition between the upper and lower parts is very clever, the long shot suddenly retracts back to the theater screen, Dapeng looks at the figure of the third uncle on the side, and the witness becomes a bystander.
To put it simply, "Ruyi" is a record of the filming process of "Auspicious", a bit like the previous year's blockbuster Japanese film "Camera Don't Stop", and it is very different.
Dapeng appeared on camera, and the audience will find that Li Li, the daughter of the original third uncle, is played by an actor, and her name is Liu Lu.
Before the start of the shooting, Dapeng said that I was not sure what I would shoot, stepping on the watermelon peel and watching Providence.
So where is the real Lili? She was also on site! The two look a bit alike.
The reason for finding an actor was initially because Li Li was not there, and there were fewer people in the family, but when she heard the news that Dapeng was going to make a movie, Zhen Lili returned to the village.
You ponder the delicate relationship inside, Zhen Lili is back, why doesn't Dapeng replace the actor?
There are several possibilities, 1, Zhen Lili does not want to appear on camera. (So why did she come back?) 2, Dapeng does not want to replace. It can be clearly seen that Dapeng has a more obvious indifference to Zhen Lili in "Ruyi", and she has left her father for more than 10 years and ignored it, which may represent filial piety in Dapeng's eyes.
At the discussion, actor Liu Lu asked Li Li a question: I still don't understand why you haven't come back for ten years.
As soon as these words came out, the scene fell into the embarrassment of silence, and Li Li was speechless.
In "Auspicious", I did not realize that Li Li was "fake", the uncles behaved very naturally, just like treating their nieces, they did not know how Dapeng communicated with relatives, and they may not have seen each other for 10 years, even if they knew that they were actors, they would not feel too awkward. (I haven't seen buddha-figures much anyway)
There are two points in "Ruyi" that are very poignant.
On the day of the old lady's death, the third uncle, who usually did not recognize people, suddenly burst into tears, and the juniors next to him cried with tears: The third uncle cried, the third uncle cried, smashed the bones and tendons, and the thickest blood relatives at this time surpassed the brain disease, almost like a biological instinct.
Dapeng said that he could shoot what to see God's favor, which was really the feeling of the muse of the movie coming, and this plot was definitely not designed. (The third uncle is usually unable to communicate normally)
Then there is the family at the dinner table for who to take care of the third uncle to make a mess, the actor who plays Li Li just finished crying, a waist dodged the camera and ran to the next door, this juxtaposition shot is too great, the fake Li Li is calming the sad mood, and the real Li Li has to brush the mobile phone without caring about it.
Seeing this, I can probably guess Dapeng's intentions, he hopes that Lili is a perfect sister, not a selfish and indifferent stranger, the fake Lili's personality is well-behaved and sensible, and looking at her father's sleeping face will be full of guilt.
Find an actor to appear on camera, and cast a thin layer of dreaminess on this slightly cruel family story. So the last big group photo was also taken by fake Lili.
Dapeng's artistic intuition is fantastic, and he is really impressed, this kind of movie can only be made once in a lifetime, the time and place are favorable and fully equipped, a bit like the Buddha apparitions.
The ending is also very good, a video of returning to his hometown in 2008, when Dapeng was still an unknown small host, the camera was full of childishness, and grandma was still tough, watching the gifts brought back from Beijing by his grandson.
"Wedding Feast" that issue I talked about, family is the most difficult relationship in the world, far and near is difficult to grasp, the tradition of the family world makes the Chinese family particularly complicated, "Auspicious Ruyi" shows the family black and white gray, in 1991 Huang Jianzhong directed a "New Year", and "Auspicious Ruyi" has a similar core. (All the actors in "New Year" have played at the top level)
Although the contradiction is expressed, Dapeng does not deny the value of the family, the Chinese-style family is essentially a dual mutual aid structure of spirit and material, the third uncle suffered, the daughter has no conscience, if it is not for the help of brothers and sisters, it is even more miserable to see.
Last month, my 96-year-old grandfather left, although he was not rich and noble in this life, but his children were filial piety, paralyzed for ten years, his family took good care of him, and he did not have a single bed sore on his body. We all cried on the day of the funeral, but we weren't too sad, and if I could live to the age of Grandpa, I would have to celebrate with a whip, he was a blessed man!
Now that there are no old people in the family, I don't know if a big family can get together during the New Year's Festival, I very much hope to get together, and I am willing to listen to the elders nagging a few words.
Although the above is exaggerated, but! "Auspicious Ruyi" is not a commercial film, or quite artistic, only want to entertain the students, please save this ticket money, keep watching the Spring Festival stalls.