Wan Ziliang played Waiting For Bo in the film.
Zhang Daming played Theo Xiang in the film.
Explanation of terms:
The Mailu people, also known as "M refugees", originated in Japan. It refers to people who cannot afford the rent of the house and are forced to live in some 24-hour fast food restaurants. "McDonald's" refers to McDonald's fast food restaurants, and some people often live in 24-hour McDonald's restaurants.
In bustling and developed Hong Kong, there are a group of people who are homeless and can only live in fast food restaurants, even if life is difficult, but they do not self-exile. The Hong Kong movie "Mai Luren", released today, tells the story of this vulnerable group, showing a group of strangers warming each other in a fast food restaurant, helping each other, and regaining the warmth of family. The film's calm and restrained and warm shooting method touched people's hearts, and it received 10 nominations at this year's Academy Awards, and Zhang Daming also won the best supporting actor for this film. The Beijing News reporter exclusively interviewed director Huang Qingxun, starring Aaron Kwok and Miriam Yang, who said that there are also many miniatures of life hidden in the movie, hoping to let the audience understand and inspire.
The theme Homeless deserve attention
Around 2011, Mr. Huang began paying attention to news reports about the homeless. In his view, poverty is also a problem in every society, he began to study books on the problem of social poverty, pay attention to the homeless in life, and even through social work activities to contact and understand their living conditions, and gradually he found that such subjects deserve attention. "Stories like 'McLu people' should be made into movies, I have seen some stories of poor people living in McDonald's because of homelessness, and I have personally gone to McDonald's to see their living conditions, they have a lot of interaction, they will encourage each other to greet each other, they will also help each other find jobs, although life is difficult, there is no lack of warmth and humanity." 」 In 2016, Huang Qingxun began to prepare for the film, and with the help of executive producer Zheng Baorui, he found Aaron Kwok and Miriam Yang to star: "Aaron Kwok read the story outline and happily agreed, Yang Qianwei entered the crew late due to scheduling problems, but once she entered the crew, she quickly entered the state." They have a tacit understanding of cooperation, know the characters very well, and shoot smoothly. ”
Filming Interprets the character in a "very hungry" state
Aaron Kwok played Abo in "Mai Lu Ren", he has stubble, messy hair, confused eyes, and a depressed look. "Probably I'm really a crazy person who loves acting, and I've never tried to play a wanderer, and I really want to try, especially this meaningful script touched me." 」 After receiving the script, Aaron Kwok went to McDonald's 24 hours at night to experience the real life of homeless people who stayed overnight at fast food restaurants in order to better shape the characters. From a genius in the mall to a homeless wanderer, the life of Abo, played by him, has undergone earth-shaking changes, and to master the role's gap mentality, Aaron Kwok believes that he needs a "very hungry" state of withdrawal from reality to feel Abo's poverty. Huang Qingxun recalled: "When filming, I wanted Aaron Kwok to smoke continuously, and then he mistakenly thought that he was really sick because he smoked too much, and immediately after filming, he went to the doctor; most of our scenes were night scenes, he often did not eat all day, filmed all night until early in the morning, and went to eat for the first time after work, and the spirit of dedication was really touching." Huang Qingxun mentioned that a group of good actors were particularly touched by the shooting, for example, Shui Xiang (Zhang Daming) had a scene of being chased, Zhang Daming was successful in fighting cancer, because of physical problems, he could not run, and he fell and injured while running, "But I think this section cannot be used, to run again, Daming still turned around and ran again." ”
■ Dialogue starring
Beijing News: Abo has strong self-esteem and is also very kind, reality makes him feel helpless, he wants to change but can't make a choice, how to grasp the character's inner entanglement and helplessness during the performance?
Aaron Kwok: The first half of his life was very smooth, with education and status, and then he fell from heaven to hell and became a helpless wanderer, first of all, you have to deeply feel the gap in his experience, and at the same time, you must feel the mentality of getting along with the people around him when he is down. In the "Mai Lu people" gang, Abo is the most capable person, the script creation gives him a lot of space to show his love and help for other people, so there is no complexity and difficulty in performing under this plot structure, when put into the movie will naturally present a state, I think the audience a lot of feelings are also projecting their own empathy on Abo.
Beijing News: So are you also quite depressed in the process of acting, and I heard that you can't speak on the set?
Aaron Kwok: In fact, I didn't think much about it during the filming process, and I didn't even feel the charm of this movie, but after shooting it, I had a particularly big reflection, seeing Abo's encounter, his thoughts about home, his and Ah Zhen's support in the difficulties, every step particularly touched me, and even saw the values of each character, which can touch me, let me know how to treat my life, how to help others when I have strength. A good role and a good movie will make me have such a sharing attitude, to share ideas with all the audiences, and I hope that everyone will find what they want in the film.
Beijing News: Because Ah Zhen liked Bo Ge for ten years at a glance, do you think it is realistic that this kind of obsessive love for the first time they meet?
Miriam Yang: Because he is the one who can save her, Ah Zhen has always watched how he uses his own efforts to achieve and help everyone around him, and what fascinates her the most may be that Ah Bo is the only one who cannot save himself, although he finally died, he saved Ah Zhen, but he left with regrets, which is also the most regrettable and painful. I think that Ah Zhen's persistent liking for Ah Bo may also be a kind of insistence on hope, and many of the plots in "Mai Lu Ren" are the epitome of life, and people are mutually influential and closely related.
Beijing News: What is the scene that impressed you the most in the whole movie? How does it feel to work with Aaron Kwok?
Miriam Yang: It should be the last side of Ah Zhen and Ah Bo, that kind of parting is very painful, heart-wrenching, we still owe a word between us, but this sentence can not be said, nor said, in the end she knows that Ah Bo is leaving, but can not bring pressure to the other party, although love and respect his choice, that kind of person in front of you but has been separated forever is really uncomfortable. Aaron Kwok is a very powerful actor, he will always indulge in the emotions of the characters, and will not let himself have a minute to be detached from the emotions of the characters. Even during filming or resting time, he does not talk to people or eat. One day I asked him if he wanted to eat something, and he told me with Abo's tone and expression that he couldn't eat, and his dedication to acting was admirable.
Written by/Beijing News reporter Zhou Huixiaowan