At the 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards, which was announced a few days ago, "Under the White Sun" won three performance awards: Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress, second only to "Goldfinger" in the number of awards. In the eyes of some film critics, with the quality of "Under the White Sun", it should get more honors.
"Under the White Sun" is written by new director Kan Kwan Chun, based on the social news that caused a sensation in Hong Kong from 2015 to 2016, and is adapted from the Cambridge Nursing Home abuse incident and the alleged sexual assault of the director of the Cambridge Home.
A series of social news a few years ago caused anger from all walks of life, and it also left an indelible mark on Jian Junjin's heart, becoming an impulse to write the script. In the director's explanation, Jian Junjin said: "We have always pursued social stability and prosperity, but there are some people who cannot even meet the basic living requirements and dignity of survival. Based on this confusion, he found the reporters who participated in the relevant reports at that time to learn more about it, and gradually found the helplessness of the newsmen.
These journalists want to expose the injustices they see and bring the truth to light, but sometimes in vain and misunderstood. Even so, they still did not leave their posts, and they still clinged to the facts. This allowed Jian Junjin to find another angle to tell the story outside of the case: how a news department on the verge of disbandment cooperated with each other in the face of budget cuts and constraints at every turn, grasped key evidence, and disclosed the evil deeds of the institution to the society.
As a result, "Under the White Sun" is a two-line parallel, telling the story of the newspaper receiving anonymous revelations of abuse of residents in a disabled home, and reporter Ling Xiaoqi sneaking into the home to investigate, hoping to expose the inhumane life of the home through the report, and return the dignity of the elderly and disabled to life, and then promote social progress.
"Hope" is not an outcome, but an action
If it is just to present the event, then read the news report or watch the documentary, the meaning of the film is to present and reflect the human nature and human feelings in the event.
"Under the White Sun" creates a group portrait of the people in the courtyard and the information department, and the calm and restrained shooting techniques are close to reality, and create a warm emotional space with a large number of details. The creator cares about the situation and mood of the elderly and disabled people in the home, and also depicts the helplessness and pain of their families. By showing the attitudes of different groups such as journalists, lawyers, parliamentarians, and social workers towards the same incident, it outlines the overall picture of society. As the case unfolds, the brutal truth is revealed: the caregivers and directors who abuse and sexually assault in the homes are criminal, and the loopholes that provide opportunities for campers and impunity for perpetrators should also be held accountable.
The lineup composed of three generations of Hong Kong actors, such as Jiang David, Lin Baoyi, and Yu Xiangning, has laid the foundation for the quality of the film. Two post-90s actresses, Yu Xiangning and Liang Yongting, won the Academy Awards for Best Actress and Supporting Actress respectively for their roles as reporter Ling Xiaoqi and sexual assault victim Xiaoling. In the film, the two actresses appeared without makeup, restoring the original appearance of life, close to the real state of the characters, and leaving a deep impression on many audiences. Yu Xiangning created an image of a reporter who is tenacious and fearless, full of courage, and will feel hesitant and confused when frustrated, while Liang Yongting has created an image of an innocent, pure, and kind-hearted victim, which makes the audience sympathize with and resentfully the perpetrator's evil deeds.
Actor Jiang David played an old man who was crazy and stupid on the surface, but actually understood the world in the film, and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for this role. In the film, he and Ling Xiaoqi, who pretended to be his granddaughter, established a relationship that was more than family-like, and also became a precious ray of light in the film, warming and soothing people in the dark. In the film, the prototype of Zhang Jianhua, the "dean" who is suspected of sexually assaulting a resident, is Zhang Jianhua, the dean of the "Kangqiao House". Jian Junjin once revealed in an interview that many actors he had invited had resigned due to image concerns, and in the end it was Lin Baoyi who took over the role and contributed a chilling superb performance.
In the film, Zhang Jianhua's evil deeds have been exposed, but he is still at large again and again, and even claims to be a victim and accuses the media of being unscrupulous. In reality, the prototype was taken to court 20 years ago on suspicion of assaulting a girl with an intellectual disability, but was acquitted because of the inconsistencies in the girl's confession. It wasn't until this year that the court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs.
There is nothing new under the sun, and the harm to the vulnerable is played out over and over again. In the film, the director of the investigation department lamented that he had written many sensational reports, many of which had echoed among the public: "But has the world changed for the better because of this?" This is also the question in the minds of many people today, why similar cases happen repeatedly. Can revealing the truth really make the world a better place?
During the data collection, Jian Junjin learned a lot of helplessness in reality, and he hoped that people in high positions would not regard people as numbers, but as people: "Everyone will experience birth, old age, sickness and death, and the system ultimately hopes that people will be better and the world will be better, shouldn't we continue to move forward in a better way?" In his view, hope is not a result, nor a win or lose, but an action and an attitude:" In the most helpless time, when there is the most powerless, what one can do is to believe, and still be able to hold on to hope, which is an attitude, and when you have this attitude, you have the opportunity to change. ”
can't change the world, at least ask questions
A few days ago, the two Hong Kong films "Under the White Sun" and "Young Diary", which were released in theaters in Chinese mainland, have received industry attention and many film festival honors since they were shortlisted for the Asian Newcomer Award at the 25th Shanghai International Film Festival last year. These two works are not commercial films that entertain the public, and the themes are quite heavy, one directly points to social reality and cares about the situation of people with disabilities, and the other starts from the original family to discuss the problem of adolescent depression.
The works of the new generation of Hong Kong directors allow the audience to see another side of Hong Kong movies in addition to police and action movies. Young directors seem to be more concerned with social issues than their predecessors and eager to reflect reality. In fact, there are both subjective reasons for choice and objective constraints.
In the face of the shrinking Hong Kong film industry, the first or second feature films of new directors are often not trusted by studios to make larger films. Therefore, they tend to shoot low-budget films to prove their ability, and realistic themes can often reduce the shooting cost, and they are closer to the reality of the creator's life, without much experience on the set.
The Hong Kong Film Development Council (HKFDC) launched the First Feature Film Initiative in 2013 to support new directors and production teams, and a number of film festival films in recent years, such as "Ignorance", "The Fallen Man", "The Golden Capital", "Falling Flowers" and "Diary of a Youth", have all received funding from the Scheme. Most of these films are also realistic films.
It's been 11 years since Kan made his film debut "When C Meets G7," his second feature film, during which he also shot commercials and dramas. "Under the White Sun" was a script that had been written years ago, but he repeatedly hit a wall on the way to finding money. In the end, under the recommendation of a friend, Hong Kong director Er Dongsheng stepped in as a producer, and found Tianxia Film Company founded by Louis Koo to invest.
In the early 80s of the last century, Er Dongsheng's directorial debut "The True Story of the Boss" was adapted from real events, focusing on the real situation of the mentally ill and their caregivers. Since taking over as chairman of the Hong Kong Film Awards in 2015, Er Dongsheng has been supporting the works of young directors, serving as the executive producer of many works such as "Under the White Sun" and "Diary of a Youth".
In an interview with Hong Kong media, Er Dongsheng once talked about the value of realistic films. In his opinion, movies can certainly make people escape from reality, but in addition to entertainment, there should be space for creators to do something helpful and valuable to society: "I think in fact, many filmmakers pay attention to society, and when they see injustice, they want to make it." Since the beginning of the previous year, there have been a lot of realistic themes, and they should be given extra points, and I hope that investors will support them. ”
In the face of the reality of injustice, Jian Junjin will be glad that he is lucky, but he will often ask himself what he can do for the world. In his view, in today's world, both journalists and filmmakers face many challenges, and the two mirror each other and have many resonances. Just like the journalist in the film, he hopes to do more for the world through filmmaking.
"Under the White Sun" brings real events to the screen, and it takes several years of brewing to take shape, is the energy and effort spent in it worth it, and how long can the influence last? As of 19 o'clock on April 17, the cumulative box office of the film in the mainland was 8.09 million, which is not conspicuous among films in the same period. However, just as Thomber reminded Xiaoqi in the film, even if it is in vain, even if it is misunderstood, don't feel guilty that you have done the right thing. Jian Junjin felt: "We may not be able to do anything, but at least we should care about them." Just as movies may not solve problems, they should at least ask the world questions so that more people can think. ”
(This article is from Yicai)