In addition to Jia Ling's stunning new image, what is left of "Hot and Hot"? |
Text/Small Fish
(The author, Xiao Yu, is a special commentator of LIZHI News and a media person; this article is an exclusive request from LIZHI News client and LIZHI.com, please indicate the source for reprinting.) ）
When the final scene of "Hot and Hot", Jia Ling's stunning new image of Jia Ling standing by the sea in a dress was displayed on the big screen, many audiences in the theater spontaneously applauded her. Jia Ling deserves a praise, although the fanfare promotion of weight loss before the release of the movie has caused a lot of "hype" and "traffic" and other questions, but the sweat in this year will not deceive people, and the life experience recorded by the image will not deceive people - anyone who can put in the effort and struggle for literary and artistic creation deserves praise.
However, because of the existence of "weight loss", it has in fact seriously affected the perception of this film. In the first half of an hour, the plot described in this film is not unexpected, it is nothing more than how the protagonist Du Leying is constantly frustrated in life, and even makes people feel impatient for a while. All narratives seem to serve the "reversal" in the second half, but on the other hand, because most viewers know Jia Ling's deeds in advance, the so-called "suspense" never exists - everyone is out of curiosity and comes to test Jia Ling's weight loss effect.
This brings up the biggest problem of this film - in addition to the stark contrast between the front and back parts of the film, what else can "Hot and Hot" offer the audience?
This film is a remake of the Japanese movie "100 Yuan Love", and Jia Ling has also put a lot of effort into localization and plot expansion and adaptation. It is not appropriate for the "otaku girl" in the original work to move to the background of the Northeast, so the reason designed by Jia Ling for the "failure" of the hostess's life became "kindness is not rewarded", which is indeed easier to understand by Chinese audiences. Especially at the end of the film, Jia Ling once again took out the trick used in "Hello, Li Huanying" - using flashbacks and interludes to uncover the mystery, which successfully enhanced the emotional power of the film, which not only won the audience's sympathy for the protagonist, but also gave the reasons and reasons for the protagonist's transformation more reasonably.
Take an intriguing detail at the end of the film, after the game, Haokun waited for Le Ying outside the court and invited her to dinner. Le Ying first rejected her suggestion to eat bullfrogs - before Le Ying chose a bullfrog she didn't like in order to obey Haokun, and then rejected her suggestion to make an appointment for dinner another day - this time, Le Ying said "depending on the mood", rather than unconditionally pandering to Haokun. At this point, the theme of this film is very clear: contemporary people don't have to follow the crowd and make promises, simply put, other people's opinions are not so important, just "be yourself".
At this point, it is not difficult for us to see the biggest difference between "Hot and Hot" and "100 Yuan Love" - if the original work wants to express how individuals face the pain brought by life, then what this film wants to persuade the audience is that the most important thing is for individuals to live happily.
At the climax of this film, Le Ying jumped off the building and committed suicide unsuccessfully, lying on the ground and constantly muttering "it hurts", which is the same as the experience of the protagonist in "100 Yuan Love". However, what is the source of Le Ying's pain in life? It is the betrayal of her friends and girlfriends who have no bottom line, the boxer's boyfriend's abandonment of herself, the deception and use of distant relatives to complete her work, and even the misunderstanding and meanness of her mother, father, and sister. In a word, life's frustrations and difficulties come from external "bad people".
And "100 Yuan Love" is more about reflection and introspection of real life. "100 Yuan Love" is not a so-called "hot-blooded and inspirational" movie, but provides the audience with a naturalistic perspective on life. The truth it reveals is that some people can't overcome life even with their best efforts, and this is a cruel fact that we can't avoid it. This kind of sober insight into life is obviously different from the hot social media hot search topic views such as "being yourself" and "not paying attention to what others say".
From "Hello, Li Huanying" to "Hot and Hot", the biggest advantage of Jia Ling's movies is that they are easy to understand, and they can convey the most simple emotional experience with the most simple lens language, whether it is nostalgia and attachment to her mother, or Le Ying's efforts to lose weight and practice boxing, it is easier to get the audience's recognition and resonance. However, this is both Jia Ling's advantage and her limitation - what is Jia Ling's creative concept? Or, in addition to some plug-and-play common sense and hot search topics, what is Jia Ling's worldview and outlook on life?
Many netizens questioned Jia Ling's lack of "originality" in her creation, in fact, remakes have never been "original sin", whether it is a reference or a tribute, creators who have just started from the starting point need to step on the shoulders of their predecessors, which is not a problem. What's more, as a newcomer director who has turned from a comedian, Jia Ling's report card is absolutely satisfying.
The real problem is not that there is no original script, but that there is a lack of original ideas - does the director make a movie to safely retell the views that most netizens agree with, or to independently express his views on life? When the new generation of directors become more and more familiar with the rules of the market, the gameplay of traffic, and know how to cater to the audience, it seems that they have lost more and more "themselves".
Therefore, there is no maliciously belittling or over-touting Jia Ling, as a director, her creative road is still very long, and the top priority is how to find her own style and path.