Preamble:
The lack of images of middle-aged and elderly women on the screen has become a problem that needs to be broken through urgently in film and television production.
Sometimes an actor finally gets a chance to show his true self, but it is buried due to external factors.
In the face of a complex character like Zhang Guimei, who is both internal and external, can Song Jia transcend the external constraints and explore her inner true essence?
The female headmistress of the frontier who has been fighting silently for 40 years deserves to be presented more vividly
In the Gaoligong Mountain area of Yunnan Province, in the Wandian Middle School deep in the Yi village, there is a female principal - Zhang Guimei, who has fought for more than 40 cold and summer in this poor mountain school.
In order to lead the children out of the mountains, Principal Zhang has paid too much.
Undaunted by the odds, she went to the provincial capital alone to get funding for the school, and ran around the mountain roads trying to get a hot meal for the children.
She even did not hesitate to take the lead, and she did not hesitate to work while sick.
But such a flesh-and-blood female warrior has never been fully appreciated on the TV screen.
When we look back at those film and television works that depict Zhang Guimei, it is not difficult to find that female group portraits are often just background boards, and the protagonist's aura is almost entirely monopolized by male characters.
What kind of environment has shaped such a unique woman as Zhang Guimei, and what are her struggles and choices in her inner world?
All this does not seem to attract enough attention, and the image of a singing and crying heroine is blurred in this way.
Zhang Guimei, who Haiqing successfully portrayed in the movie "I Am a High Mountain", only stays at the restoration of the external image.
This is undoubtedly the limit of Haiqing's acting skills, but it also indirectly exposes the stereotype of middle-aged and elderly actresses in the film and television industry.
What we want is not just a pious and simple face, but a heart that is resilient and burns itself to illuminate others.
A real flesh-and-blood Zhang Guimei deserves to be portrayed more three-dimensionally and vividly.
Song Jia's role as Zhang Guimei in the TV series "Daughter of the Mountain" this time is a rare opportunity - an opportunity to dig deep and present this female group in three dimensions.
Can she break through the limitations of external appearances and truly explore the inner essence of this female principal who is committed to education and regards students as her life? The answer may lie in the upcoming drama.
How can an actress fit into the inner world of such a strong woman
In order to deeply interpret Zhang Guimei, Song Jia must face two challenges: one is to overcome the shortcomings of her external image, and the other is to deeply understand President Zhang's unique character and life process.
In terms of appearance, Song Jia and Zhang Guimei, who has a ponytail, black-framed glasses, and a simple dress, are absolutely "inconsistent in shape".
is not surprised and generous and calm, which is the temperament of a smart strong woman that Song Jia has always shown on the screen.
In order to incarnate Principal Zhang, who is fighting hard in the borderlands, she must abandon her usual "city people" style and integrate into the local temperament.
This requires Song Jia to make a lot of efforts to infiltrate Zhang Guimei's living conditions - the sunrise and sunset in the mountains, the work in the fields, and the simple life of the villagers......
All these ordinary and tiny pictures may become the material for Song Jia to create this role.
Perhaps it is through this "Yunnan Xi" that Song Jia can transcend external limitations and find the resonance in the depths of Zhang Guimei's soul.
On the basis of integrating into the state of life, Song Jia needs to create a kind of perseverance and tenacity when interpreting this role.
This sense of power needs to flow naturally from the actors' expressions, movements, and words, rather than just relying on the rendering of props and sets.
Of course, it is more fundamental to understand Principal Zhang's character and her unique life path.
Why would a woman persist in education for nearly half her life in such a difficult environment?
What is her philosophy of life, and what are the predicaments she is facing? This is undoubtedly something that Song Jia must understand in depth.
Perhaps Song Jia needs to go through a process of "role fusion": try to use Zhang Guimei's perspective to examine and understand everything she has experienced.
If an actor can't empathize with the heroine from the standpoint of this heroine, it is difficult to portray a three-dimensional and vivid image.
Perhaps the most important thing is that Zhang Guimei regards her students as her own motherly care, and this kind of maternal brilliance must be discovered and experienced by Song Jia with her heart.
When she truly understands the deep meaning behind the sentence "For the sake of the child, I can sacrifice and dedicate everything", Zhang Guimei's soul will truly have a host.
The glimpse of Zhang Guimei in the trailer proves that Song Jia may have really dug into the soul
Although the whole drama has not yet been released, we can see the clue from a short paragraph of the trailer - Song Jia may have really found a breakthrough and entered Zhang Guimei's inner world.
The concern and expectation in her eyes, and the love in her tone, all interpret this unswerving educator.
Song Jia seems to have let go of the deliberate carving of her appearance and image, but naturally put her mind on how to understand and experience the life attitude of this headmistress.
Specifically, each fragment tells the story of Zhang Guimei: her anxiety in searching for lost students in the dark night, her advice to the newcomer teacher, and her kindness in watching the children play happily......
These momentary revelations all prove from one side that Song Jia's understanding of this role seems to be to the point.
Of course, this is only speculation from the tiny teaser clips.
But there is no doubt that Song Jia has put a lot of effort into her appearance, life and dress this time, which provides her with the possibility to go deep into Zhang Guimei's inner world.
We are also full of expectations - will a three-dimensional, vivid Zhang Guimei be presented under Song Jia's interpretation?
Will this female educator in the mountains be sublimated to a higher artistic height because of the wonderful performance of an excellent actor?
In fact, whether Song Jia can surpass Zhang Guimei before Haiqing, we have already seen the clues.
She no longer seems to deliberately pursue certain stereotypes, but naturally reveals the life state of the headmistress.
This change in performance attitude may indicate that Song Jia has found a way to open this role.
In the face of the current situation that such a group of women has been suppressed and marginalized in film and television works for a long time, Song Jia may be able to bring a real liberation and breakthrough to it.
The Zhang Guimei we expect is not only a perfect woman, but also a valuable spiritual symbol
For the role of Zhang Guimei, we are looking forward to not only Song Jia's personal acting breakthrough and successful shaping.
In a way, Zhang Guimei has transcended the fate of an individual and become a symbol of Chinese feminine power.
In those difficult circumstances, ordinary women who still choose love and dedication are great because of their indomitable hearts.
And Zhang Guimei is an outstanding representative among them.
So we expect this character to be a portrayal of middle-aged and elderly women.
Through Song Jia's vivid interpretation, Zhang Guimei's unique temperament - gentle and introverted is unyielding, and behind perseverance and simplicity is a magnificent maternal world......
These qualities can be fully demonstrated in the new version of the TV series.
When the audience was moved, we knew that Zhang Guimei had become a symbol of the female spirit of this era.
And Song Jia will also reach a new peak in her acting career because of this role transformation and breakthrough.
In fact, Zhang Guimei represents not only the will and persistence of personal struggle.
In this female educator, what we see is a portrayal of rural intellectual women of the times.
As some commentaries have analyzed, Zhang Guimei "is a collective portrait of women on the edge of the times".
These unknown groups of female teachers, they contain red genes, and they are determined to watch over the hope in the mountains.
If Song Jia's Zhang Guimei can become their representative and typical, its significance will be far greater than the TV series itself.
Epilogue:
Playing this legendary headmistress is undoubtedly a difficult challenge for Song Jia.
After overcoming the sense of incongruity in the external image, how to deeply understand Zhang Guimei's unique temperament and attitude towards life is the key to Song Jia's success.
However, judging from the trailer that has been exposed, Song Jia seems to have found the key to unlocking this role.
She no longer deliberately pursues external imitation, but focuses on how to understand the inner world of this resolute woman.
If the drama "Daughter of the Mountain" finally presents a three-dimensional plump and flesh-and-blood Zhang Guimei, then its significance is far more than a TV work.
It will become a portrayal of contemporary feminine power, a spiritual symbol that symbolizes countless ordinary and great women.