▲ Special edition of the director of the movie "Murder Like Water".
▲ Chen Guo, a famous Hong Kong director known as a "low-cost director" and "grassroots director", will be released nationwide on February 14, 2016. Graph source network.
A calm, bright, and even somewhat warm tragic force
Murder is Hong Kong director Chen Guo's first work on the mainland, and it is also a commercial film he has not touched on much. Prior to that, he had made many low-budget films with excellent reputation and humanistic feelings.
Chen Guo is definitely a film geek, a leader in independent films, not only in the Hong Kong film industry. Some called him "the real director, the director of the director." He has a Wong Kar-wai-style romantic temperament, known for his violent and realistic approach to the Hong Kong film industry, especially good at shooting high-quality films at low cost, focusing on the lives of ordinary people in Hong Kong, known as "low-cost directors" and "grassroots directors".
At that time, Chen Guo made "Made in Hong Kong" with 500,000 yuan of funds and 80,000 feet of film abandoned by others, which made him a blockbuster, not only won the Best Director Award at the Hong Kong Film Awards, but also participated in many local and international film festivals, winning more than 20 awards. The film "Last Year's Fireworks Were Extraordinary" was selected for the Berlin Film Festival Jury Prize, and "The Road to The Road" has also become a hot topic in Hong Kong. These three films are known as Chen Guo's film "trilogy", and also establish Chen Guo's status in the Hong Kong film industry and even the international film industry.
▲ Chen Guo's film "Trilogy", from the left, is "Made in Hong Kong", "Last Year's Fireworks Are Particularly Numerous", "Hosoji Xiang". Graph source network.
Whether it is the bad boy in "Made in Hong Kong" or the veteran in "Last Year's Fireworks Is Particularly Numerous", whether it is the XiangZi who delivers takeaway food in "Xiao Lu Xiang" or the prostitute Yanzi in "Durian Lian Piao", Chen Guo pays attention to all the humble characters. Tragic and critical is also his basic position in the film, in "Made in Hong Kong" and "Last Year's Fireworks Are Particularly Numerous", Chen Guo renders the despair of a teenager and a middle-aged man, respectively, which is a tangible and palpable despair.
In Chen Guo's films, you will find that the power of tragedy is everywhere, but not in a fierce and destructive way, but in a calm, bright, and even somewhat warm tone, such as "Made in Hong Kong", the fate of tragedy permeates the friendship, love and every move of young people, waiting for the opportunity to attack at any time. Whether it is the Mid-Autumn Festival in "Made in Hong Kong" or the veteran Wu Jiaxian in "Last Year's Fireworks", they have been fighting against their humble lives, this is not a simple plot arrangement, you see a completely real and concrete struggle, you witness their efforts, this effort is also comforting themselves, but in fact, despair and helplessness have never left them. In these two movies, the last person to face the protagonist is the muzzle of the black hole hole. Chen Guo's ability to inadvertently push the fate of a character to the extreme is shocking.
Today, a geek director who is good at filming the life of Hong Kong city, has gone north to direct a suspenseful love movie such as "Murder like a water age", which tells the foggy life of the metropolis caught in various emotions and fates. The scene is no longer the Hong Kong he is most familiar with, and the characters are no longer the low-level people of Hong Kong that he is familiar with. So this time, what kind of surprises will Chen Guo bring us?
"Murder Like Water": The "Misty Life" of the City
"Murder Like Water Age" is Chen Guo's first commercial film in the mainland, and when he first came into contact with the original novel of "Murder Like Water Age", Chen Guo was full of interest. The original work contains a variety of elements such as youth campus, love, family affection, era, suspense, reasoning, revenge and so on, full of realism. Sincere and mellow love, the cruel truth buried in the watery years, the fate of being manipulated by coincidence and impermanence, the ubiquitous tragic power and sense of fatalism in the original novel are in line with Chen Guo's social themes and distinct personal style.
The movie "Murder Like Water Age" tells the story of a murder case that has not been solved for fifteen years, and the amnesiac Tian Mai and her boyfriend Qiu Harvest try to save a love that has been stifled by the water age while digging up memories and truths. In line with the suspenseful and sad style of the movie, its character posters also take a confusing high-cold style. The "Misty Life" version of the character poster focuses on the romantic suspense atmosphere of the film, with the hazy fog as the poster tone, the six protagonists are deeply immersed in the white fog, and the eyes show confusion and confusion, as if they are looking for something and confirming something.
▲ Angelababy looked back sideways, looking forward with a smile, his eyes clear and pure.
▼ Tian Mai (played by Yang Ying)
The daughter of policeman Tian Yuejin, an urban white-collar worker who dares to love and hate, cherishes love and righteousness, and is persistent and brave, is dragged by her father's will and a sincere feeling to dig up the long-sealed murder, but she is unconsciously involved in this confusing suspense, and she also finds her true love in the process.
▲ Ruan Jingtian raised his head to look upwards, staring intently, firmly and affectionately.
▼ Autumn Harvest (played by Ruan Jingtian)
A taciturn, eccentric handsome teenager who ignites the flame of revenge after witnessing his mother murdered. He loves Tian Wheat deeply, but is forced to leave her. A few years later, he returned to his hometown to open a mysterious and magical online store, through which he uncovered the secrets that had been buried for many years, layer by layer, and these secrets also set him on a road that could not be turned back.
▲ Re Yizha was originally a fresh short-haired bird Yiren, but he was emotionally tearful and Chuchu was a person.
▼ Qian Ling (played by Reiza)
Tian Mai's girlfriend, a fashionable urban white-collar worker, works in the company of his praised father Sheng Shihua. He has a deep love affair with Tian Mai's girlfriend, but his jealousy also quietly arises, and secretly he and Tian Mai's boyfriend praise and his father Sheng Shihua have an ambiguous past. She has a fiery personality, loves vanity, and finally embarks on the road of no return driven by materialism.
▲ Zhang Chao looked back, his brow slightly locked, as if struggling in a difficult situation.
▼ Praise (played by Zhang Chao)
A handsome, gentle and considerate rich handsome man. Deeply in love with his girlfriend Tian Wheat, he will not hesitate to pour everything for his girlfriend, pamper him in every way, and even take risks. He was obedient to his parents and was a good and well-behaved son, but as the case unfolded, he gradually discovered that his parents were far from being as simple as he understood.
▲ Hao Lei wanted to say goodbye, her face was anxious, and the tension spread.
▼ Ding Jie (played by Hao Lei)
A hard-working female taxi driver who travels from city to city to make ends meet. It is simple and mellow, warm and kind. Treat the children of deceased lovers as if they were their own, and care for them. But a sudden car accident shatters her otherwise quiet life, hiding untold secrets behind the seemingly ordinary, and the dark tide is surging and unpredictable.
▲ Huang Jue's eyes looked straight and sharp into the distance, and the corners of his mouth drew a smile, as if he was aware of some clues.
▼ Captain Wang (played by Huang Jue)
A dedicated criminal policeman is a subordinate of Tian Yuejin, Tian Mai's father. After Tian Yuejin's death, he took over a murder case that Tian Yuejin was in charge of, bent on fulfilling Lao Tian's last wish and finding the murderer of Qiu Harvest's mother.
▲ Stills from the movie "Murder Like Water".
As the film of choice for Valentine's Day in the Spring Festival, "Murder like a water age" perfectly blends youth love and suspense elements. As the original author Cai Jun said, "Murder like water years" is not only about social suspense, but also about love - an unforgettable love that spans fifteen years, "once murdered, it can never be resurrected again."
And Chen Guo, who is good at shooting social themes, what unique features will he have when dealing with love?
Chen Guo: A poet
Chen Guo is not a teenager, before filming "Made in Hong Kong", he had been an assistant director in the Hong Kong film industry for ten years. When the New Wave of Hong Kong emerged in the 1980s, the booming film industry attracted many film enthusiasts to join, not only creating today's Wong Kar Wai, but also cultivating a new wave director like Chen Guo. After he was promoted to assistant director in 1985, although others praised him for his ability to be a director, he did not pursue it. In 1989, when he was the assistant director of the film "He Rijun Again" was suspended for some reason, the film company took a commercial script and let Chen Guo use the gap to make another film on the idle scenery, that is, Chen Guo's little-known debut film "Big Trouble Guangchanglong". Beginning with 1997's Made in Hong Kong, Chen Guo has firmly and discreetly carried out his "low-budget" production at the rate of one film per year.
▲ "Made in Hong Kong", released in 1997, directed by Chen Guo. Figure source network, the same below.
Mid-Autumn Festival, a small street gangster in Hong Kong, not doing business but bold enough to be righteous. The family was in a dismal situation, the father was outsourcing the second milk, and the mother eventually ran away from home. A female student who finally jumped off a building to commit suicide due to an emotional injury, a terminally ill girl who fell in love with the Mid-Autumn Festival, a strong boy who was always bullied by people and was covered by the Mid-Autumn Festival, plus the fate of the four people in the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the pain was linked. The deaths of the first three pushed the Mid-Autumn Festival to ruin, making the young man with a gun ready to shoot in the film poster. He left the last bullet in his temple and his body next to his lover's tombstone. The pain and powerless youth, mixed with the contradiction of escape, three children calling the name of the deceased in the cemetery is the most painful shot.
▲ "Last year's fireworks were particularly numerous", released in 1998, directed by Chen Guo.
In 1997, there were as many as five fireworks over Victoria Harbour: Lunar New Year fireworks, fireworks from the completion of the Tsing Ma Bridge, fireworks from the British evacuation of Hong Kong, fireworks from Hong Kong's return to the mainland, and National Day fireworks. The film is set in a fireworks and rainy summer, Wu Jiaxian and his five comrades-in-arms are all Chinese British soldiers who retired from the return of Hong Kong, middle-aged, life is lost, the future is uncertain, and they are widowed. Some of them went to work in government departments, some became big money, and some of them were devastated in their lost days. So they organized themselves to rob the bank, and they encountered the same bandits who had succeeded in the robbery, and the two sides fought fiercely. Interspersed with the emotional entanglement between the male protagonist and the daughter of the underworld boss.
What should they look for to fill this empty day?
▲ "Xiao Lu Xiang", released in 2000, director: Chen Guo.
Six-year-old Xiangzai has a father who loves to drink, a budget-conscious mother, a reclusive grandmother and a brother who was expelled from the family for being involved in the underworld, and the family lives by opening a tea house. Xiang Zai often crossed the streets to deliver takeaway food for the tea house opened by the family, and the neighbors liked him very much, calling him "Xiao Lu Xiang" (that is, Xiao Xiang), and he was also very generous when he paid him a tip.
One day, a six-year-old girl named Ah Fen came to his family's tea house to apply for food delivery and was expelled by Xiang Zai's father. Xiang Zai secretly found Ah Fen and went with her to deliver takeaways and share the tips.
The day of Hong Kong's return to The 1997 is approaching, and the adults are busy dealing with this matter. And Xiang Zai and Ah Fen are still living carefree, the two little ones have no guesses, and they are gradually in love.
Xiang Zai wants to inquire about the whereabouts of his brother, whom he has never met, but is beaten by his father and runs away from the house. The true identity of the Affen stowaway has also been discovered by the police and will be deported to his place of origin. Under the fireworks celebrating the return, Xiang Tsai chased after the police car escorting Ah Fen alone.
Excerpt from the film review: "'Thin Road Xiang' is really excellent, it almost encompasses everything, the whole movie has been in a rich detail, every trivial detail will make your eyes shine, it can always extend the tentacles to a fresh place, you will never be tired, and you will never go to the end... "Thin Road Xiang" reminds me of Fellini's "Cagliari Night", but I think it is far smarter than the latter, the latter is still a drama film, Fellini is also a good director, and Chen Guo - He was a poet. (Wood Peak)
▲ "Dumplings", released in 2004, directed by Chen Guo.
Ai Qingqing, a former actress, married a businessman surnamed Li who was older than herself for love. Qingqing is getting older, and her husband is circling around many young women. In order to save the marriage, Qingqing worked hard to find a beautiful aunt, who used the baby fetus to make dumplings wrapped in filling, which is said to restore people's youth after eating. At first, Qingqing was very resistant, but gradually she got used to it, but her husband was still indifferent to her, and she asked Her Aunt to find a better effect. At this time, a girl who was raped by her father arrived and asked her aunt to help beat up the child, and the baby was exactly 5 months old, which was exactly the meaning of Qingqing. But when her husband returned to Qingqing's arms, Qingqing's body inexplicably emitted a bad smell...
In terms of genre, the film does not follow the popular ghost horror films in Hong Kong, but pays attention to reasoning, creating a horror atmosphere with strange behavior and psychological fear.
▲ "In the early morning of that night, I sat on the red Van from Mong Kok to Tai Po", released in 2014, directed by Chen Guo.
In the early hours of the morning, the young clerk Ah Chi boarded a red minibus from Mong Kok, Kowloon to Tai Po, New Territories, with 17 people, including the driver Fei Xue, the righteous uncle Wong Wan Fat, the godmother, the IT man Ah Xin and the beautiful woman Yuki and the drug addict. The originally calm night was suddenly broken after the minibus passed through the Lion Rock Tunnel, and everyone found that all the residents of Hong Kong seemed to have disappeared except for the passengers on the bus. A series of mysterious events ensued, and everyone decided to create a united front to save themselves.
As a director who insists on independent film creation, Chen Guo has an extremely important and unique significance for today's Hong Kong film industry. His vision penetrates the glitz and bustle of Hong Kong, focuses on the rough and dilapidated underclass society, and shows the loss and pain of Hong Kong in the cultural transformation with a personalized video style, casting an urban fable of Hong Kong. After the outlier suspense of "Red VAN", what kind of surprises will Chen Guo's northward work "Murder Like Water Age" bring to us? Let's find the truth in "Murder Like Water".
Note: Part of the text in this article comes from the film review "Chen Guo and His Film", by Mu Gaofeng.
▲ Poster of the movie "Murder Like Water Age" "Love Sky Walk". The film will be released nationwide on February 14, 2016, Valentine's Day.
▲ The original film of the same name, "Murder Like Water", Writers Press, January 2016.
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Cai Jun
Cai Jun, the first person in China's suspense, China's most popular suspense novelist, is known as the "godfather of Chinese suspense". He has created and published more than 20 suspense novels such as "Heavenly Chance", "Murder Like Water Years", and "The Longest Night". The copyright of books has been exported to the United States, Europe, Asia and other countries and regions, and many works have been adapted into movies and TV series.
The film of the same name adapted from "Murder like a water age" is scheduled to be released nationwide on February 14, 2016, Valentine's Day.
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