The movie "Morning Clouds and Dusk Rain", a film starring 61-year-old veteran artist Fan Wei and young actor Zhou Dongyu, will officially meet the audience on May 17. Adapted from the embarrassing short story "The Murderous Girl in a Wedding Dress", the work tells a story full of ups and downs and twists that not only captured the curiosity of the audience, but also sparked a wide range of discussions.
The protagonist of the film is Lao Qin, an ordinary man who has been imprisoned twice. The first time was because of the impulse of his youth, which accidentally caused the death of others, for which he paid 16 years of freedom.
After being released from prison, faced with his seriously ill mother and the reality that he had no money for treatment, he was again imprisoned for taking risks to carry drugs, this time sentenced to 17 years in prison. Unlike the ignorance and impulsiveness of the first time, the second crime was more for the sake of the family, but fate did not seem to give him a chance to breathe.
However, when he was released from prison for the second time, Lao Qin finally ushered in a turning point - the family's old house was demolished, and he received 1.5 million in compensation. The money gave him hope for a fresh start, so he began to actively participate in blind dates, hoping to find a partner and build a warm family. But the reality is always cruel, Lao Qin has suffered repeated setbacks in the marriage and love market, and even almost fell into a scam again.
Against this backdrop, Lao Qin met Chang Juan, a young woman who had just been released from prison. Although there is a clear gap in age between the two, Chang Juan has shown a desire for marriage. She asked Lao Qin for a bride price of 184,400 yuan and promised to spend the rest of her life with him. For Lao Qin, as long as he can have a home and a child, he is willing to give everything. So, the two began their pre-wedding preparations, including ceremonies such as taking wedding photos.
But shortly after the wedding, Chang Juan suddenly disappeared. Lao Qin felt that something was wrong, and finally found out that Chang Juan had indeed deceived him. It turned out that the reason why Chang Juan was willing to marry Lao Qin was to pay off the compensation to the victim's family. Her real motives were not based on her feelings for Lao Qin.
One of the audience's concerns about this film is the casting issue. With his profound acting skills, Fan Wei has successfully created an image of Lao Qin who has gone through vicissitudes and longs for family warmth. And Chang Juan played by Zhou Dongyu, although described in the novel as slightly chubby and godly eyes, Zhou Dongyu's appearance and acting skills seem to be different from the character setting, which makes some viewers feel unacceptable.
In particular, the huge age difference between the two protagonists makes their relationship more like a grandson than a husband and wife, which also makes the audience question the rationality of the plot.
Despite this, "Morning Clouds and Twilight Rain" is still a work worth paying attention to. It is not only a story of love and revenge, but also a profound exploration of the complex face of human nature. The performances of Fan Wei and Zhou Dongyu, both in the delicate expression of emotions and in the psychological portrayal of the characters, are worth looking forward to. This movie may be able to bring different surprises to the audience and make people re-examine the true meaning of life in front of the screen.