Released in the United States in 2015, "Like a Sunny Day, Like a Rainy Day" tells the story of 23-year-old Eleanor who lost her job as a waitress, broke up with her guitarist boyfriend, and came to 12-year-old Reggie's house to take care of him as a nanny in order to make a living. In the process of getting along, the two people found that each other was like a soul mate who knew and cherished each other, and helped each other find themselves in music.
The film is a literary film directed by Frank Willie and starring Lilton Meister and Julian Shattkin, who are both good-looking and powerful. The heroine is the actress of the popular "Gossip Girl". After the film was released, the response was extremely large, receiving a Douban score of 8.3 and was rated as one of the highest rated foreign language films in 2015.
After watching the film, I suddenly thought of what Mr. Zhou Guoping once said: "In the depths of our hearts, love and loneliness are actually the same kind of feelings, they are like shadows, inseparable." The more we feel lonely, the more we have a strong desire for love. "But it is also in the encounter between loneliness and loneliness that we feel a different kind of love, and this love will accompany us for a lifetime." And this sentence also explains the encounter and companionship of Eleanor and Reggie in their lives.
Born into a wealthy family, Reggie, although only 12 years old, is a mathematical genius with musical talent, likes to read and read books and has a mature mind, at school, peers can not understand him, he is very lonely; at home, his mother also asks him to ask a nanny to take care of him, he is very disgusted. And the poor musician Eleanor because her boyfriend came to make trouble at work, lost her job, and after breaking up with her boyfriend, in order to make a living, came to Reggie's house as a nanny.
As Reggie and Eleanor get along, they communicate and talk to each other. Eleanor found Reggie, who was only 12 years old, understanding, mature and responsible, and Reggie found Eleanor honest and elegant, understanding him and feeling sorry for him. The two gradually develop feelings and help each other find themselves in music. But in the end, Eleanor still chose to leave, hoping to cherish each other's rare encounters, and then try to live hard, shining on the days that they could not see each other.
The film does not have a surprise climactic conflict, but tells a relationship of encounter and acquaintance in a plain and fresh tone, through parallel cross-narrative techniques and warm and soothing audiovisual language, so that the audience can feel the important impact of accidental encounters on each other's lives in a faint sadness. Let the audience see the mutual comfort of two lonely souls on the way, reminisce and think about their own lives.
Why can this niche literary film get a high score of 8.3? Today, I will analyze the charm of this film from four aspects: "narrative technique, audiovisual language, stylistic characteristics, and practical significance". In the last part of the article, I will combine the narrative analysis of the film and talk about my own thinking and feelings.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > parallel cross-narrative technique: the character clues are clear and orderly, and the use of defamiliarization methods arouses the audience's sense of surprise, which is convenient for the audience to understand the plot on behalf of the plot</h1>
Parallel narratives, also known as parallel montages, are classic narrative methods commonly used in films. means two or more events that occur in different places at the same time. At the same time, in the process of parallel narrative development, the cross-cutting narrative technique is used, that is, after two or more characters happen at the same time and space, an intersection point will be set. This parallel cross-narrative approach will narrate the complicated and intricate events in an orderly manner, so that the audience can better understand the storyline.
First, the story is narrated in parallel with the two threads of Eleanor and Reggie, telling the story of each other before, when they met, and after saying goodbye, so that the audience can understand the plot in a clear logical clue, immerse themselves in it and resonate.
Before We Met: The film begins with a parallel narrative that tells the lives of Reggie and Eleanor respectively. Reggie lives in a mansion like a museum, and her mother is grumpy and spends every day with the cook. A mathematical genius, he practices and reads every day, but has no friends, is very lonely, and lacks a nanny to take care of his living; at the same time, 23-year-old Eleanor lives in a small rental house, her boyfriend is not enterprising, and he is fired by the restaurant owner, and after breaking up with his boyfriend, he urgently needs a job in order to make a living.
When they meet: After the parallel narrative, the hero and heroine meet because of the work of "nanny", and then the director uses a cross-narrative technique to begin the discussion. Eleanor finds a job as a nanny for Reggie through an intermediary and goes to the mansion to meet Reggie. In the process of getting to know each other, Reggie's initial indifference has also become more honest. Eleanor becomes his confidant, teaches him to open his heart, and he accompanies Eleanor to share the family's troubles and helps her regain her musical dreams. After the two people have feelings for each other, they gradually find their true selves with the help of each other.
Farewell: After months of getting along, they also gradually develop an intimate relationship that transcends family, friendship and even love. Two lonely individuals are close to each other, understand each other, and can understand the truest self in their hearts. But the 11-year-olds knew they wouldn't be together in the end, and eleanor chose to leave. They are like two parallel lines intersecting, and then moving towards their own future, but this encounter allows them to find themselves and dreams. In the final plot, they play the familiar song with their favorite instruments at different times and places, and also choose the way of parallel narrative, and return to the original point to tell their respective lives.
The audience can understand the storyline through parallel and intersecting narrative techniques, and can feel the emotional development process of Eleanor and Reggie in the clear clues, and the audience can not only examine the fate of the hero and heroine from the perspective of a bystander, but also resonate with the protagonist on behalf of the plot.
Second, it forms a strong contrast in the parallel narrative, and triggers the audience's sense of surprise in a strange way in the same and different ways, thus arousing the audience's curiosity and gradually deepening the plot.
Defamiliarization is a theory put forward by the Russian formalist critic Shklovsky, emphasizing that in content or form it violates the common senses, common senses, and common things that people are accustomed to, and at the same time transcends the norm in art, giving people sensory stimulation or emotional vibration. In the narrative process, this film breaks the convention in the character setting and plot setting, giving people an emotional shock, triggering a sense of surprise to the audience, and attracting the audience to understand the plot.
First of all, in terms of character settings, one is a 23-year-old young girl, one is a 12-year-old boy; one is a poor nanny, one is a young master of a rich family; one is a waiter who gives up music as a nanny, and one is a mathematical prodigy with musical talent. What kind of spark can two people like this rub together? The general hero and heroine will not be very different in personality, age, and social status, so the parallel narrative of the hero and heroine at the beginning, coupled with such a character setting, is to adopt a defamiliarization method to arouse the audience's curiosity and bring the audience into the plot.
Secondly, in terms of plot setting, people with different experiences can finally meet, know each other, understand each other, and accompany each other for a short time like soul mates. Although their ages, personalities, experiences, and social status are different, they are able to talk together, without a generation gap, beyond the common of people; at the same time, they have a different kind of intimate relationship than the world, beyond family affection, like love but pure innocence, and at the same time deeper than friendship. Such a plot makes people break the inherent concept, create surprises for people from the development of plot content, and stimulate the audience's interest in watching movies.
From the perspective of narrative techniques, whether it is a parallel cross-narrative method or a defamiliarized character and plot setting, the audience can sort out the clues of the film while triggering curiosity to immerse themselves in the story and resonate with the protagonist.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > audiovisual language: slow long shots combined with a gentle piano and cello soundtrack, exuding a faint sadness and setting a warm and soothing emotional tone</h1>
Audiovisual language is an important presentation of audio language outside the plot content. The film's footage and soundtrack are very distinctive. The slow long shots tell the story of Eleanor and Reggie's clean and beautiful relationship; the light soundtrack not only echoes the theme to set the tone, but also a timeless song played by the two people in their lives, touching the softness of the heart while making the audience intoxicated.
First, the film mostly uses long shots, slow and warm telling the plot of Eleanor and Reggie's encounter and acquaintance, which immerses people in a clean and beautiful emotional exchange.
Long shots are relatively short shots, which refers to a relatively long time, shooting a scene and a scene continuously, forming a relatively complete lens paragraph. In the film, such slow long shots are used to reproduce the scenes of the characters at that time, suggesting the psychological changes of the characters. I mainly analyze the visual art of the film from the long depth of field shot and the long motion shot.
Depth of field long lens: A long depth of field lens is equivalent to a set of long-range, panoramic, medium, close-up, close-up shots combined to express the content. At the end of the film, Reggie picks up the cello, and Eleanor also picks up the trumpet that Reggie sent her, and the slow long shot of Reggie's side is constantly pushed from the distant view to the close-up; when Eleanor walks out of the house and blows the horn, the long shot is continuously pushed from the close-up to the long-range; the simple action of these two parts takes three minutes. In such a slow and long shot, let people immerse themselves in the clean and beautiful relationship between Eleanor and Reggie, and the aftertaste is endless.
Sports field lens: A long sports lens is composed of a set of shots with different scenes and different angles. There is a scene in the film where Eleanor is upstairs looking down at Reggie playing, and the camera follows as Eleanor moves forward. Then, when talking to each other, the pitch shots are constantly switching, following up from different angles and different directions, replaying the real replay of the place where Reggie practiced the piano room, and finally the focus is on the close-up of the dialogue with each other. Finally, Reggie said he couldn't swim, and Eleanor smiled at him and said, "I'll teach you." Such a slow sports field shot allows people to truly see the scene communication and spiritual communication between the protagonists, and the beautiful picture makes people get excellent visual art enjoyment.
Such a shot not only has continuity, but also realistically reproduces the scene at that time, shows the psychological state of the characters in a slow-moving way, emphasizes the changes in the protagonist's emotions, and can bring the audience into the inner world of the characters and resonate with the public feelings of the master.
Second, the soundtrack is the characteristic of this film, the gentle and soothing piano and cello accompaniment, which changes with the development of the plot theme, sets the emotional tone of the film and reveals a faint sadness.
First of all, the tone of the whole story is sad, the long piano score at the beginning of the film sounds, and the camera appears a lonely genius teenager, followed by a frustrated young girl. The director uses a sentimental piano score to first set the emotional tone, while hinting at the two people's lonely living environment and the changes in their fate brought about by the occasional encounter.
Secondly, when Eleanor first went to pick up Reggie, it was when he was playing the cello in the piano room, and entered the room with the music of a theme song, "Like Sunday, like rain". This was their first meeting, and the director used a cello score with a melancholy and deep temperament to hint at the development of the plot of the hero and heroine and the final ending. The second cello sounded, and it was Eleanor who followed the music into the stairs, pushed open the door of the house, and saw Reggie playing, and they looked at each other and smiled. The picture accompanied by music makes people see pure beauty. The appearance of the hero and heroine is basically accompanied by a faint cello sound, revealing a faint sadness, soothing the audience's mood when attracting the audience to recall the change of the protagonist's fate.
In addition to the soundtrack, music is also a theme in this film. Reggie likes to play the cello, Eleanor has loved the Corne pipe since he was a child, Eleanor's ex-boyfriend is a guitarist, and the music can be said to be able to connect the whole play. The music itself is soothing, the soundtrack is combined with the theme, the audience can relax under the pottery of the music, while getting a higher auditory enjoyment, and discover themselves in the music with the protagonist.
The slow long shots, combined with the soothing soundtrack, are faintly like a stream, flowing calmly through the heart. The audience can not only feel the basic emotional tone of the film, but also get excellent audiovisual effects from it. Therefore, the presentation of audiovisual language is one of the charms and characteristics of the film.
< h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > style characteristics: the use of metaphors paves the way for the plot to echo the theme, and uses the open-ended ending to leave the audience with space for imagination and thinking</h1>
First, there are metaphors in many places in the film, interspersed in the film as clues to pave the way for the plot and echo the theme.
First of all, the metaphor of sunny and rainy days in the title, sunny and rainy days are two kinds of weather that are erratic, representing two different moods, just like the changeable human world, but the good and bad are a kind of scenery, implying that this is the norm of life; Eleanor and Reggie's meeting path, they are also like sunny days, like rainy days, when they meet each other's sunny days, warm each other's lonely hearts, briefly accompany each other for a few days, eventually face parting, sunny days are short-lived, and will also usher in rainy days. Such hints are not only full of picture sense, but also pave the way for the plot, playing a role in carrying on the upper and lower levels and echoing the theme.
Second, there is the metaphor of the characters. Eleanor's ex-boyfriend does not want to make progress, only daydreams to become a singer, he is an adult of the same age as Eleanor, but his mind is extremely immature, but as naïve and naïve as a child; and Reggie, who is only 12 years old, although he is still a child's age, is mentally mature, considerate and caring, can understand Eleanor's voice, and understand the rules of the adult world, he is like an adult who understands the world. And such a metaphor between an adult and a child implies that Eleanor was hurt in a giant baby like her ex-boyfriend and gained recognition and understanding in a child's body, and was lonely in the plight of adults and children.
Whether it is a metaphor of the theme or a metaphor of the characters, it is a major stylistic feature of the film, and the use of this metaphor as a clue interspersed in the plot can not only hint at the reversal and development of the content, but also pave the way for the audience to understand the theme.
Second, use the open ending to create a blank space, leaving the audience with more room for imagination.
First of all, use the blank space of the music to create an open-ended ending. At the end of the film, Reggie picks up an old and old cello at home and prepares to play it; Eleanor, who is at a different time, picks up the trumpet that Reggie sent her and begins to play it; the ending ends with such an ensemble. With the music played by the two people in ensemble, in the soothing soundtrack, leaving the audience with more sense of inexhaustibility, the audience can't help but imagine how the fate of the hero and heroine will change in the future because of this encounter. The director uses the blank space of the music to play the role of "nothing here is better than anything".
Secondly, use the blank space of the plot to leave the audience with room for reverie. Before Eleanor and Reggie parted, they talked in green grass, and Reggie mentioned that we would see each other again? Eleanor said she would see her. But the director set up a parting and temporarily ended the film. But did such a beautiful encounter just end abruptly here? The director uses this plot blank space to give the audience more imagination space, allowing the audience to set up eleanor and Reggie's beautiful future by themselves.
The artistic blank space is the stylistic feature carefully set by the director, and the open-ended ending and blank space give the audience more imagination space. There are many possibilities for everything in the world, and although a happy ending can meet the emotional needs of the masses, it lacks some depth. The open-ended ending pays more attention to the audience's main position in the film, but can improve the audience's viewing appreciation and thinking ability.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > practical significance: two lonely souls in the middle of nowhere, meet understanding, meet dreams, and meet the self</h1>
It's really hard to believe that I've only been with you for a few months and feel like I've known you for the rest of my life. - Reggie
Eleanor and Reggie in the film have only known each other for a few months, but they are like the old people. Although they met and then separated, this encounter was a philosophical discussion of understanding and companionship, music and dreams, and self-searching by two lonely souls. And these propositions also have great enlightening and educational significance for us in reality.
(1) When you encounter understanding, that encounter is the companionship of each other for a lifetime
Everyone is lonely. In our lifetime, it is not uncommon to encounter love and sex, it is rare to encounter understanding. --Liao Yimei, "Soft"
Eleanor and Reggie, two lonely souls abandoned by affection and friendship, meet by chance. Although there are differences in age, experience, origin, etc., they cannot stop them from knowing each other. As long as they speak their hearts, each other can feel the deep meaning behind each other. Eleanor understands Reggie and tries to help him open his heart; Reggie understands Eleanor and helps her regain her childhood musical dreams, because of this encounter, they changed the trajectory of each other's future lives. Although the encounter is short, but the encounter is understood, such an encounter is a lifetime of companionship.
The director also mentioned in an interview the inspiration for writing this story: "Once walking on the streets of New York, I met an old acquaintance I hadn't seen in 25 years. But that person once seemed to have had a big impact on my later life. In this part of New York, people seem to be used to walking into other people's lives and suddenly walking away, but the impact of meeting each other is immeasurable. ”
As the director said, in real life, there are many passers-by who come and go in a hurry, but there are also many people who hate each other and hate each other. The days of acquaintance are short, but they can understand the truest self in their hearts. Even if we didn't stay, we still remember the conversations we had together, the scenery we saw together, and the streets we walked side by side. Those will become our best memories, and then accompany us to move forward more firmly. Like Eleanor and Reggie, the two finally regain themselves and move forward firmly, interpreting the most beautiful encounters. Cherish the encounter, thank you for the companionship, this is also the meaning of you and I have met.
(2) Persist in sticking to your dreams and exploring more possibilities in life
Eleanor began studying Cole's inner pipe in the fourth grade of elementary school and hopes to become a musician herself. But because of the compulsion of his family, he sold his beloved musical instrument and eventually had to give it up. But her heart still has the persistence and love for music, just because of the trivialities in life and into the dream of the lost.
When she heard Reggie playing the cello, she was immersed in it, and it also evoked a new understanding of her musical dreams, but she still did not have the courage to pick up that love again. Reggie knows Eleanor very well, he sees her musical talent, and he and she agree that neither of them can give up their musical dreams. Just like at the end of the film, even though they are far apart, they always adhere to the same love and dream. The cello and the Corne pipe will also play an eternal song in unison.
In real life, many of us, like Eleanor, have dreams in our hearts, but because of the cumbersome and embarrassing life, we choose to give up. But in fact, giving up the dream is to give up a sincere and brave way of life, and we will gradually go into the road of confusion and muddled life. But if we can insist on love and stick to our dreams, then our lives will definitely have more possibilities. I also hope that you and I can reflect on our dreams and loves from the film and start a new way forward in life.
(3) Life encounters and separations are the norm, and continuous growth is a posture we should establish
Eleanor and Reggie meet, but leave in a hurry. Although it was very brief to illuminate each other's hearts, it ushered in the rainy day of life. However, after this encounter, they found themselves in the lost way and found the way forward in their lives. Although you have to endure the pain of separation, in exchange for self-redemption and growth.
We always look forward to the happy ending in the movie, life is always full, but life will never be as you wish, there are always a lot of unspoken regrets and regrets. However, this is the norm of life, and it is normal to meet and separate in life, so we should calm our minds, establish a growing posture, keep moving forward, and meet and embrace the next journey and the people who are traveling.
Eleanor and Reggie do not know whether they will meet again in the future, if there is no chance to see each other, then it is the best result to shine on the invisible day; if there is luck to meet again, then when we say goodbye, you and I will become each other's ideal appearance, then we will be together for a long time. Therefore, life will meet luck and need to be cherished; if we miss it, let us continue to embark on the road ahead, grow in love, and never stop.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > concluding remarks</h1>
Parallel and intersecting narrative techniques, melancholy audiovisual language, open-ended style characteristics, or the theme of understanding and companionship, dreams and self's life, this film can provide a certain model for fresh and niche literary and artistic films, and can also let you calm down in an afternoon and examine every encounter and parting of your life.
Whether Eleanor and Reggie have affection, friendship or love, their lives may be a relationship that each of us will experience. I hope that in the river of human growth, we cherish every encounter, but also cherish the hard-won understanding, but also to treat the separation with a normal heart, and then get ready to go, with the persistence of the dream and the most sincere blessings, embrace the beauty and growth.