"Love Myth": Slices of the lives of urban middle-aged eating men and women

Text / Willow Warbler

To be sure, the out-of-the-loop of "Love Myth" is an event worth celebrating in the Chinese film circle. It is not because Shao Yihui, a post-90s Shanxi girl, as a "non-local", wrote a Shanghai story like a fake bag, but in the film, we see a rare set of relaxed and unbridled and interesting character images, which are nothing less than a scarce product in mainland movies in recent years.

In the story, Xu Zheng's Shanghai grandfather Lao Bai is single and golden, and he is also quite elegant, and he intersects with three women in life and work. One of them is Miss Li, a single mother who is divorced from a foreigner, one is Gloria, who was left behind by her husband who ran away, and the last is his ex-wife Bei Bei, who comes to the door from time to time to find stubble. The story expands on the axis of old white, looking at the women in the city with the eyes of an old Koehler. Lao Bai's home in the original French Concession is also a base for people to gather and disperse, and several important table group plays are staged alternately.

Although it is from a male perspective throughout, "The Myth of Love" tells the story of a woman. The life of women in the movie is far from being perfect, even if the surface is bright and exquisite, there are always inhuman hardships behind it. It is remarkable that neither Miss Lee nor Gloria has been portrayed as a hidden ninja who craves sympathy. They can cry and be embarrassed, but whenever Lao Bai appears as a "male protective god", they immediately sacrifice the armor of self-protection, and Li Suo does not lose his measure to draw a line with him. And the ex-wife Bei Bei, the woman who should keep the distance from Lao Bai the most in common sense, often crosses the line "without knowing what to do", and still appears in his territory as a master, and the latter is helpless. Therefore, in "Love Myth", there is a scene rarely seen in Chinese realist films - a group of women, running their own lives, and you sing and I appear. And the man is no longer squinting his eyes to appreciate and peep, but is frowning and looking up, not knowing when he will be lucky enough to get the favor of the opposite sex.

Some people attribute the good reputation of "Love Myth" to the charm of Haipai culture. For Shanghai audiences, the whole Shanghainese dialogue is of course very intimate. However, in my opinion, the extent to which Shanghai culture can conquer audiences all over the country is actually a metaphysics. The film can resonate with non-Shanghai audiences, not so much because of Shanghai's credit, but because the story fits everyone's imagination of the city. The environment depicted in "The Myth of Love" is undoubtedly refined, and the scope of the camera sweep is strictly limited to the most atmospheric downtown areas: Lao Bai can walk five minutes to Miss Li's home after eating a good night's dinner, and the international school bus stops next to the coffee shop opened by his son. Even the little cobbler who can identify the broken heel on his hand in just one second is tens of thousands of Jimmy Choo, and the protagonist is only one street away. The protagonists wander within a kilometer or two radius of the city center in coffee shops, drama centers, old bungalows... Such a state of life, simply not too Shanghai. In the movie, the fireworks between the neighbors are carefully constructed, and the old houses are decorated by filters, and the dirty mess is just right. The image of the protagonist Lao Bai as a Shanghai man is also a stroke, depicted according to stereotypes: the wife is strict, can cook, and the mind is meticulous. The extent to which these urban landmarks and personality patterns constitute a true Shanghai trait actually needs to be discussed. But these problems are minimized in the logic of the film, and the above things are requisitioned as effective symbols, woven into this "one man and three women" story.

But I also believe that this simplified treatment can never be described as "rough" or "underconsidered", but rather a deliberate choice by the creator based on market assessment. After all, the film is made for the general public, and the filming of "Love Myth" is not to let "Shanghai" out of the circle, but to tell the emotions of urban middle-aged people. In other words, Lao Bai's story can also take place in Beijing, Hong Kong, china, or even in the director's hometown of Taiyuan. Because there are also mature women who fight alone and are extremely dashing, and there are also middle-aged uncles who are immersed in the literary and artistic dreams of the old times. Two groups of people are entrenched at opposite ends of their emotions, looking at themselves and each other without impatience, keeping their distance when it's hot and hugging each other tightly when they're cold. From this point of view, I hope that new and old creators can be like "Love Myth" to capture the interesting souls of wandering in different cities and depict the state of life in different places. There, men can indulge in fantasies about Sophia Roland while feeling anxious about their blessed looks. And women can also enjoy the taste of love generously without the purpose of marrying people.

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