Time Writer | Minamino
Cult movie gluttony.
Recently, the domestic drama "My Altay" suddenly exploded, like a pure washing of dirt, a story that is not bloody and does not catch horses, why can it move so many audiences? Of course, the reason is not only the beauty of Altay in Xinjiang.
"My Altay"
After chasing "My Altay" overnight, many people said that they couldn't watch it enough, and some people ridiculed: "As long as you don't see the last episode, this drama will never end", which shows that fans are reluctant to give up on it.
In the field of national dramas that are now dozens of episodes large, "My Altay", which has only 8 episodes, has a score of 8.7 points on the domestic website, which is a tie with "Flowers", which exploded at the beginning of the year.
How can it break the circle by word of mouth? What is the sincere enough life dilemma reflected in this drama?
Return to the pastures of Altay
Only ten minutes into the opening chapter, the image of the heroine Li Wenxiu jumped out. This ignorant girl was working as a waitress in a big hotel in Urumqi, clumsy, and was disgusted and isolated by her colleagues; On the other hand, there is a pure land in my heart, and I have a dream of literature, hoping to be inspired by the writer's lectures.
The huge contrast between reality and dreams made Li Wenxiu finally defeated and returned home in embarrassment. But what hit her heart fatally was Gao Xiaoliang, a hotel colleague played by Jiang Qiming, who seemed gentle and considerate, but in fact he was hypocritical and cunning.
When Li Wenxiu was dismissed by the hotel, Gao Xiaoliang ostensibly upheld justice and asked for severance pay for Li Wenxiu, but after he got 300 yuan, he only gave Li Wenxiu 100 yuan and embezzled 200 yuan. The sincerity and hypocrisy of human nature, kindness and coldness, through the contradiction of Gao Xiaoliang, dealt a deep blow to Li Wenxiu, who was not deeply involved in the world.
With this rather obscure beginning, it is not difficult to understand why Li Wenxiu felt so comfortable when she came to her mother Zhang Fengxia's shop.
The grocery store is located in a remote Kazakh village, and the tenacious and reckless Zhang Fengxia is like the gold and jade in "New Dragon Gate Inn", doing things neatly, affectionately and righteously.
Li Wenxiu's arrival caused ripples in the originally peaceful village. The narrative focus of the series has also shifted from Li Wenxiu to his mother Zhang Fengxia, herdsman Su Litan, Su Litan's eldest daughter-in-law Tolkien, and his youngest son Ba Tai.
In the face of the changing times, Sulitan felt unable to adapt; After her husband's death, Tolkien clearly wanted to remarry, but because of rumors and a pair of children, he couldn't get out. Trained as a horse breeder, he wanted to pursue a career in horse racing, but he had to take into account the inheritance of the family ranch and his father's feelings.
In the length of eight episodes of "My Altay", each episode generally focuses on a core character, discussing a certain topic, and the appearance and exit of some supporting characters are also unconstrained, just like the passers-by in our lives, branded with brilliance, but not necessarily staying.
This kind of poetic and idle way of advancing the plot is very rare in domestic film and television dramas. It reminds people of the fourth-generation director Wu Yigong's masterpiece "Old Things in the South of the City", which is clear and translucent, but full of charm.
The poetry of the summer pastures
The reason why the overall texture of "My Altay" is so unearthly is inseparable from the original book of the same name that it adapted.
The original author, Li Juan, has lived in Xinjiang since she was a child. At the age of 19, she followed her family to a mountain pasture in Altai, where she opened a small shop and became obsessed with literature. These valuable experiences, under Li Juan's unique and simple writing, have become beautiful and sincere essays, and have been published in Southern Weekly, Wen Wei Po and other publications.
This is where the story of "My Altay" comes from. Therefore, Li Wenxiu in the play can almost be regarded as the incarnation of Li Juan. In her, there is both an outsider's perspective, an observation of the Kazakhs; There are also levels of literary creation and non-fiction records, which transform these lovely and simple herdsmen into three-dimensional and full images.
Therefore, the first thing that catches people's attention in the drama "My Altay" is the ethnic minority elements in it.
The old tree covered with horse skulls is the deep nostalgia of the Kazakhs for their past friends; The rainbow on the vast grassland makes people feel refreshed and happy, and their troubles disappear; The migration journey of the summer pasture wanders through the magnificent scenery of the mountains.
Even the long shots of the horses grazing are full of rich light and shadow textures, as well as the shock brought by unknown secret places.
Gobi Desert, green grassland, snow-capped mountains, deserts, forests, lakes...... "My Altay" presents the audience with a pristine, pure, unpolluted vitality, where endless poetry and romance are hidden. Kazakh customs, including the "toyi" (a grand dance between young men and women), the gorgeous costumes at weddings, the courtesy of the herdsmen when they receive guests, and the small use of "pine gum" as bubble gum, are all surprising and eye-opening.
The male protagonist Ba Tai played by Yu Shi is like a prince with the blessing of Kazakh culture, which is extremely eye-catching.
For example, in the second episode, when Ba Tai was riding a horse in the jungle, the director deliberately asked him to add the appearance of ethnic minorities and delicate facial features, so it became natural and simple, with wild beauty. In particular, his unbridled long hair, like the mane of Batay's beloved horse, is full of movement.
This has to mention the shot of Ba Tai "reflecting in the water" by the river, and the camera pans over to shoot Ba Tai's face, and Ba Tai stirs the water with a branch, causing a ripple.
This scene goes from virtual to real, the girl Li Wenxiu fell in love with Ba Tai at first sight, and her heart was stirred like a pool of spring water wrinkled by the wind, which also symbolized Ba Tai's peaceful life in the past, and began to make waves. Yu Shi's exquisite attainments at the equestrian level also add a lot of points to this drama. At the end of the fifth episode, when he and a group of local Kazakh herdsmen played the custom of "Diao Sheep", under the white clothes, there was a spray of wild power.
Therefore, to a certain extent, "My Altay" has similar heterogeneity to the American dramas "Lonely Pigeon Town" and "Yellowstone". The latter two set their sights on the ranching and cowboy culture of the western United States, especially "Yellowstone", bringing the contradiction between traditional animal husbandry and modern real estate business to the screen, which has become one of the phenomenal American dramas in recent years.
In contrast, "My Altay" is more simple and moving, it does not rely on deceit, hunting for strange and bloody routines, but returns to the pure and virtuous nature of traditional herdsmen, giving us the most original touch.
Enough sincere dilemma
Of course, whether it is the magnificent pastoral scene or the touching herdsmen's feelings, "My Altay" has not been reduced to a suspended and distorted scenery film, just to provide fans with chicken soup for the soul.
On the contrary, when you dig deeper, you will find that the hidden plight of women here is real enough to make people think deeply.
Lee represents the plight of women writers. She has a keen sense of the people around her and a unique insight into the development of the big era, but this does not mean that writing can be carried out easily.
It's like she tiptoes by the stairs of the school, trying to straighten the portrait of Virginia Woolf, hoping to have a "room of her own" like the great female writer.
So when Li Wenxiu returned to his mother's shop, he desperately collected debts from the villagers, hoping to save money to rent a house in the county town to write. If Li Wenxiu really chooses this path later, a shriveled and boring life will most likely destroy her enthusiasm for writing.
It is the heterogeneous life of the summer pasture and the unique human sophistication of the Kazakh herdsmen that gave Li Wenxiu inspiration. And the vast pasture grassland has become her alone literary room.
In contrast, there is another unnamed female author, whose literary talent is highly valued by the editors, but who has to give up writing because she has entered married life and is burdened by her family.
If Li Wenxiu's writing dilemma is still a niche, then Zhang Fengxia and Tolkien's dilemma is more down-to-earth.
Zhang Fengxia, played by Ma Yili, seems to be careless and has many strange tricks, but in fact, she has a clear understanding of life and old Kazakh friends, and has repeatedly pointed out Li Wenxiu with her secular wisdom.
But the sudden death of her husband, the difficulty of maintaining survival, and all kinds of trivial matters in the family all made Zhang Fengxia's inner undercurrent turbulent and difficult to relieve.
In the second half of the series, why Zhang Fengxia suddenly fell in love with Gao Xiaoliang, a speculator, may have nothing to do with love, but because she has been lonely for a long time, and after many years of hard work, she just wants someone to help.
Tolkien, an aboriginal who was widowed after her husband's unexpected death, had a hard time. Even though she had a consensual lover, Tolkien became the most overlooked person due to secular rumors and ethical relationships.
The stalk in the play that has been mentioned by countless people - the washboard that Tolkien has in his heart, no one will ever remember to buy it, it seems to be joking and funny, but in fact it is revealed, how can it not be bitter and helpless?
However, what is precious is that "My Altay" is not cynical about the plight of these women, but allows them to help each other and heal each other. This warm and friendly power is also the reason for the popularity of this show.
In addition, the intergenerational contradiction between Ba Tai and his father Sultan has also become one of the dilemmas throughout the play. The former wants to get out of the ranch and train their horses on a bigger stage, while the latter sticks to the traditional idea of the ranch and wants to tie all the family members together.
Even the seemingly beautiful nomadic way of life and the modern urban life chosen by the vast majority of people also pose a faint contradiction, making the audience think: which one can better realize the value of the individual? Peace of mind?
In the summer pastures, the nomads become one with nature, and when their beloved horses die, they hang their heads on old trees as if they miss their friends and relatives. Do you choose a lover, or a beloved pony? Do you choose to embrace modern life, or stick to the pastoral traditions of Summer Pasture?
Such a contradiction has been rampaging in the depths of the actor's heart, until this peace is broken by a sudden change. For the sake of Wenxiu, Ba Tai personally shot his favorite pony Treadxue.
He sent Tyuki on his last journey, cutting off its head with a knife, and Tyuki's skull was hung on the tree.
This ending made the most shocking scene of the whole play, the blood stained the young man in white red, and even the entire sky behind him, and he left without looking back with this violent, heart-rending pain. Growing up is brutal and without warning, and Batai is at the center of the clash of two civilizations, and he returns to the horse farm only to cut off his long hair. It can be said that it is these predicament discussions that cannot be ignored that have made "My Altay" achieve a good balance between ornamentation and artistry, and has become the most important domestic drama that cannot be ignored since the beginning of the year.
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