In the history of Chinese cinema, realistic films have occupied an important position. It is the mission of film and television art workers to record the development and changes of the times with lens language, to highly summarize and condense the truth of life with video art, and to excavate the inherent aesthetic value of typical real people and real events in real life.
The film "Shoudao People" tells the story of Wang Jicai and his wife, the "model of the people", who insisted on keeping the island for 32 years. The director portrays and displays white drawings based on real life, the film is deeply moving, the audience is immersed in strong aesthetic emotions, and is deeply moved by the ordinary and great spiritual character of the people's model.
A new breakthrough in the creation of typical character films
Many of the films we have come into contact with involving the promotion of typical characters will consciously or unconsciously create on the shelf, over-sculpt the characters, refine their deeds almost out of the human fireworks, and present a conceptual and flattening phenomenon; the main content of the film is separated from the reality of life, which is unreal and difficult to infect the audience. Wang Jicai as a model, he is first of all an ordinary person, has seven passions and six desires, there are various problems encountered in daily life, such as supporting the elderly, raising children, etc., every family will face these, when making choices, the level of the spiritual realm can be distinguished.
Chen Li, the director of "The Island Keeper", puts out these problems in a white way in the first half of the film: Wang Jicai's father has old problems, his child Xiaobao is young, and his wife Wang Shihua is separated... The contradictions were concentrated together for Wang Jicai to choose, so that the audience was reasonablely biased toward Wang Jicai going to the island to take care of his family; however, he could not get out, and the reason on the face was that Minister Wang Changjie of the Ministry of Human Resources could not find a suitable person to replace, and the actual reason was that Wang Jicai subjectively wanted to stay on the island. Wang Jicai, Wang Changjie, Xiao Douzi and Kaishan Island are related, their fathers are all soldiers, they have participated in the construction and protection of this small island, they have inherited red genes, this persistence is mutually supportive in a sense, Wang Jicai is not lonely, and there are many people in the spirit. This spiritual continuation also led his wife Wang Shihua to the island, Captain Bao continued to ensure supply, and then encouraged Xiao Bao's sisters and brothers to strengthen themselves and stand on their own... The spiritual thread of guarding the island runs through the whole process, and the Chinese Communists have been passed down for generations, so that the island will never be lonely, and the lighthouse will never be extinguished.
In the film, the director's entry point is to show Wang Jicai's ordinary living conditions, he is facing embarrassment everywhere, coupled with the harsh environment on the island, the film can easily bring the audience into the plot, and quickly focus on the contradiction between "keeping" and "not keeping". Wang Jicai had sufficient reasons to choose the island, and the audience's emotional identity was also consistent, but when it was found that he subjectively chose to stay, the image of a Communist Party member was inadvertently established, and the audience's heartstrings were gently plucked.
In our daily life, when we encounter difficult choices, most of the people who stand up are ordinary party members who are familiar with each other, and his party membership has attracted much attention, and the people have sincere respect. Literary and artistic creation into the people's life, from a level-level point of view to the audience to tell the story, such literary and artistic works can enter the mind, in line with the aesthetic needs of the people, it can be said that the film "Shoudao Man" is a new breakthrough in the creation of typical character films.
Multiple conflicts build the core of the narrative
The film "The Island Keeper" has a great trend in the creation of an emotional atmosphere, and the picture has repeatedly poked the audience's tears. A small island, a person, a small space, simple relationship between the characters, originally nothing happened, and there would be no twists and turns in the story. At the beginning, the director closely followed the core conflict of "shou shou island" to carry out multi-level construction, condensing the original boring shou island life day after day, year after year, and the emotions were high and breathless.
The first conflict is the opposition between the natural environment and human existence. Typhoon attacks are the norm of life by the sea, the film fully renders the scene of the typhoon raging, Wang Jicai and his puppy have nowhere to hide; there is no grass on the island, there is no fresh water, mosquito bites... At the beginning, the director mobilized the audience to worry about Wang Jicai's life safety.
The second level of conflict is the crisis facing Wang Jicai's family. Wang Jicai did not go to the island, his wife was going to divorce, although he was resolved by Wang Jicai's father, but the top liang pillar was not at home, and the Wang family was struggling. Wife Wang Shihua from the strong demand for her husband to leave the island, to personally go to the island to accompany the transformation; from the unconscious consciousness of the public, to the husband's infection and edification and conscious pursuit of advancement, is not only a major turning point in the plot, but also the logical impetus of the growth of the character' personality, such contradictions and conflicts are unified in Wang Shihua's body, appearing three-dimensional and plump, flesh and blood, can resonate with the audience.
The third level is the conflict between the changing times and the unchanging life of the island. The people of the town have made their fortunes and their lives are getting better and better. And Wang Jicai, because he decided to only do a good job of guarding the island, did not participate in the economic tide, resulting in family financial constraints, and his children almost dropped out of school. In fact, Wang Jicai was not incompetent, nor was he without a chance, Xiao Douzi had invited him to open a martial arts school but was rejected. In his body, he fully embodies the "nail spirit" of party members, this conflict is not a superficial conflict, but the excavation of deep-seated excellent spiritual qualities, between "interests" and "great righteousness", Wang Jicai chose the latter.
The film also has a conflict setting that seems to be idle, but it has a long meaning, which deepens the theme idea. This is the emotional conflict between the daughter Xiaobao and her father. When he was a child, Xiao Bao's love for his father was unattainable, and he was willing to be his father's "flower fairy". When he grew up, his family carried the weight, and Xiao Bao went to do odd jobs for his brother's tuition fees, and he underwent extraordinary life pressure when he was not yet an adult. To her father, from blame to understanding, she finally vowed to be a "petrel" that was not afraid of wind and rain. The conflict between father and daughter's emotions, though flickering, is tearful. Xiao Bao and his brother have planted the excellent quality of "giving up the small family to take care of everyone" since they were young, and they continue to sharpen, and the red gene will be passed on forever. The film promotes the development of the plot through rich layers of contradictions and conflicts, the spiritual significance of the "island keeper" can be publicized, and in the process of resolving the contradictions and conflicts, the audience's aesthetic emotions can be fully vented.
Simple and three-dimensional character image shaping
The most brilliant character image of "The Island Keeper" is naturally the protagonist Wang Jicai. The film emperor Liu Ye grasped the image of "people's model" Wang Jicai more accurately, and the persistence, concentration, righteousness and dedication of the "island keepers" were fully deduced. The three-dimensional display of Wang Jicai's character image is mainly achieved through the plot advancement of his two sets of opponent plays with Wang Changjie and Wang Shihua. Wang Jicai and Wang Changjie inherited the friendship between their fathers and trusted each other. Wang Changjie was the one who sent Wang Jicai to the island, and he felt guilty because he could not find a suitable person to replace him. Because of Wang Changjie's human indebtedness, Wang Jicai's spontaneous side can be displayed, and he can throw tantrums at Wang Changjie at will, which is actually a catharsis of brotherly feelings, which objectively alleviates the loneliness of Shoudao. For example, the "landlord fighting" on the phone posted a white note, this seemingly funny and boring game, but full of bitterness, can only spend time in such an entertainment way for many years, Wang Jicai's "self-created entertainment" has created his humor and self-deprecation, and the audience's laughter is full of tears.
Precisely because of the care of Wang Changjie, the town's United Front Work Minister, Wang Jicai's island guard is not a personal act, and Wang Changjie represents organizational management. Wang Changjie continued to do logistical support for Wang Jicai, including the care of his family. When Wang Changjie died of lung cancer, it was precisely when Wang Jicai wanted to go to the island, and this node change made Wang Jicai make up his mind to guard the island for the rest of his life, and Wang Jicai realized from this old leader, old comrade-in-arms, and old brother that he was not alone in sticking to this island, there were company soldiers when the island was built, and after the troops withdrew, there was himself, father, Wang Changjie, and Shihua... There are thousands of "island keepers" accompanying him. Since then, he has firmly decided to take the island as his home, and began to plant trees and vegetables to build a small island, and Wang Jicai's image shaping has become more plump and layered under the background of Wang Changjie.
Wang Ji is an ordinary person, and the film always avoids the hard elevation of tallness from this perspective. His family life with his wife Wang Shihua is what we are common, chai rice oil salt sauce vinegar tea, there are old and young... Wang Jicai's simplicity, kindness, and friendship as an ordinary person are naturally revealed in the opponent play with Wang Shihua. Wang Jicai felt guilty about Wang Shihua, because she guarded the island and could not bring her a normal life, and finally she resigned to take care of herself on the island.
Wang Jicai's rivalry with Wang Shihua released the other side of his personality, he was positive and optimistic, loyal to family affection, and even showed a mischievous nature, such as teaching Shihua to, playing Fighting Landlord with her, asking her to sing, and performing at the Spring Festival Gala on Kojima... In the face of the harsh natural environment and the tedious island life, Wang Shihua brings the comfort and support of his relatives, the affection between husband and wife, and the warmth of home. His family role as a husband and father is brought into full play, and director Chen Li shows the brilliance of human nature from the tangible trivialities of life, to take the pulse of the character of an excellent Communist Party member, this kind of video narrative is real and credible, the audience can put themselves in the shoes of feeling, and will ask themselves from the bottom of their hearts, "If you change me, what will you do?" Only in this way can the emotional flashpoint of the whole film really leave the audience with touching tears.
Childbirth in the rainstorm of the plot, the "Olympic entrance ceremony" of two people, boiling water to wipe Shihua's body, persuading Shihua to cure leg disease... The ordinary life of Wang Jicai and his wife in a difficult environment shows the traditional virtues of the Chinese family everywhere: respecting the old and loving the young, thrifty and thrifty, living and working in peace and contentment... The reason why "Shoudao Man" can make the audience's emotions soar, in addition to paying attention to the fate of the characters, the film also provides the audience with a long-lost space for examination and reflection on real life: What are we ignoring while our material life is getting richer and richer? What's missing? The film allows the audience to spontaneously take the image of Wang Jicai and his wife as a reference, and treat the small self and the big self, the material and the spirit, the home and the country... Many questions to ponder.
Wang Jicai is of spiritual enlightenment significance to Wang Shihua's life on the island, Shihua from wanting to divorce - accompanying the island - close comrades-in-arms - inheriting the island, these are her promotion process from ordinary to advanced. From this point of view, what she said "you guard the island, I guard you" can not be simply understood from the level of love, Wang Jicai sacrificed, Wang Shihua took the red flag and waved it in the same posture, symbolizing a kind of inheritance meaning waving on the blue ocean - "you are gone, I will keep", just as the motherland has countless "one person's islands", "one person's village", "one man's school", "one man's outpost"...
The theme of the film "The Island Keeper" is universal, and we can find excellent examples of silent dedication in all walks of life. Female director Chen Li uses delicate white painting techniques to carry out video narrative, uses multi-level plot conflicts to construct narrative lines, and expresses the persistent belief of party members nailing "nails" to start a business. Liu Ye once starred in the film "Tough Guy", which tells the story of veterans, and he made a qualitative leap in shaping the image of Wang Jicai, the "model of the people", which touched countless audiences. "There is an island in everyone's heart", and if you keep it, you will keep happiness, and pray for thousands of small islands to blossom and blossom in spring.
(The author is the chairman and professor of Fujian Literary and Art Critics Association)
China Education News, July 17, 2021, 4th edition
Author: Zhang Yinghui
Source: China Education News