Husheng
An old man who looked a little scruffy hurried to the kindergarten, holding three umbrellas in his hand, and no one knew what he was doing, not even himself. The camera was focused on his eyes, but there seemed to be only an endless void in the eyes. This is the opening of the movie "The Long Farewell".
Poster for The Long Goodbye
Soon we know that this old man is the protagonist of the movie, once the principal of the middle school, and the "smart" Dong Shengping in the eyes of his wife. But unfortunately, he had Alzheimer's disease, which is what we often call Alzheimer's disease. Gradually, he couldn't tell the names of his two daughters, couldn't figure out that he was attending a friend's funeral, and couldn't even find his own home. The emaciated face of veteran Japanese actor Yamazaki is full of drama.
Stills from "The Long Farewell", with Tsutomu Yamazaki as Higashi Seunghei
Memories and emotions slowly drifted away, and for the Shengping family, it was a "long goodbye" with their loved ones.
According to the conventional routine, such movies always take the warm + sensational route - emphasizing the touching affection between the family members, highlighting the precious spirit of human beings who never give up hope under adversity.
But this film still has a personal imprint left by director Nakano Mitawa, if the audience has seen his last work "Piping Hot Love", it is not difficult to get his style: do not believe in fairy tales, more believe in life; do not abuse emotions, more good at restraint. Using the lens language of as naturalistic as possible to depict one storm after another encountered in life is the director's style.
Therefore, Dong Shengping's two daughters are like the people around us. You think that if you have the enthusiasm to achieve your ideals, you will surely usher in the turning point of life and the favor of fate. But in fact, the youngest daughter Fumi tried her best and failed to realize her little dream of opening a restaurant. She chartered the food truck, came up with dishes, and even found a new love at one point, but in the end she still lost to life.
You think that if you have a successful husband and a lively and lovely son, you can get a happy marriage and a happy life. But in fact, the husband of the eldest daughter, Mari, is so focused on his own research that he does not care about the feelings of his wife who does not speak the language and has social difficulties in a foreign country. The son skips school, falls in love early, and refuses to communicate with his mother. Beneath the ornate shell is Ma Li's scarred soul.
Stills from The Long Farewell
Despite this, the two weak women, together with their mother, Yaozi, still hold up the responsibility of caring for their father. Their trajectory and the fate of their father, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease, are in a sense homogeneous: although they are all working hard, there is no reversal in the life ahead, there is no miracle, and there will be no "overbearing president" to be the savior. Therefore, the father did not overcome the disease in the end, and fumi and Mari's life did not really change.
That being the case, what is the significance of this "long goodbye"? Although we can't fight against fate, we also leave our own imprint on life. When the story returns to the beginning scene again, we understand that although Shengping has lost his memory, he still subconsciously wants to give an umbrella to his family.
Not only that, shengping, who seemed to be demented, suddenly solemnly told his wife on the train that he wanted to take her home to meet her parents; found a dictionary in a pile of books and solemnly handed it to Fumi; he did not recognize his grandson's face, but he played the game of Chinese characters with him with great devotion... "The long farewell" was ultimately the love and bondage between relatives.
This film does not deliberately tear up from the beginning, but examines the last seven years of Shengping's life with a calm eye. Of course, such an attitude is meaningful - the understanding of life depends on each person to understand it in the end. The so-called "touching" and "warmth" are all labels that human beings actively give life. After there is no possibility of recovering the memory, the meaning of the "long goodbye" can only be created by ourselves.
However, what makes me feel more than the deep family affection of the Shengping family is the meticulous care of the elderly with dementia in Japanese society. In the movie, Shengping learns to recognize Chinese characters in a rehabilitation institution and sings with other patients, these trainings look inconspicuous, but can actually play a big role in delaying the decline of the elderly's intelligence. The patience and professionalism of the trainers also impressed the audience. More importantly, the elderly also have an institutional shuttle for pick-up and drop-off, and there are staff one-on-one accompanied the whole process, and it can be seen that Shengping's family did not appear in the whole process.
Nevertheless, I still think that this film has "beautified" the life of the Shengping family. Caring for an Alzheimer's patient is definitely not just about those warm and heartwarming pieces. Intentionally or unintentionally, the director does not seem to show more difficulties encountered by this family.
Thinking of the elderly in China makes my heart tighten even more. Judging from this film, as a former middle school principal, Shengping's social status should not be low. The eldest daughter, Mari, immigrated to the United States with her husband, and the latter has a successful career, and there should be no "lack of money" problem in medical treatment. What's more, with two daughters and a full-time wife doing their best, in general, the sick Shengping is still well taken care of.
However, Chinese families, especially urban families, may first have to face the problems caused by only children. Who will take care of the elderly? What should I do when I am busy at work and lack of skills? Hire a caregiver or send it to a care facility? Income levels are also a big issue. When I think of myself, I feel a chill in my back – if I really played a bare stick all my life and unfortunately got Alzheimer's disease, what would be the end of my life?
In short, it is impossible to be as "poetic" and loving as the old man of Shengping. It is said that society is becoming more and more diverse and free, which is true, but there are some practical problems in life that cannot be avoided. Can society allow the elderly (not just those with Alzheimer's disease) to have a minimum of dignity in the twilight of life, and can it provide adequate living security? This is probably the more worthy of consideration after being moved by this film.
Editor of this issue Chang Chen