Screening Of Movies: Love Letters
Screening time: May 16 (Sunday) 13:00-15:30
Venue: Tianshan Cinema - Flagship Store of Hongqiao Art Center
Moderator: Fujii Tree
Guest: Yang Yijia
【"Love Letter" Fujii Tree Movie Group Live Group Photo】
No matter how many times you watch it, you can cry
Twenty-two years later, Shunji Iwai's love movie "Love Letters" will be re-released on May 20.
The film tells the story of Hiroko Watanabe (Miho Nakayama) sending a letter to her deceased ex-fiancé Fujii Shu, which should have been unresponsive, but accidentally receives a reply from a girl (Miho Nakayama) who signs "Fujii Tree".
In the correspondence between the two, the girl Fujii tree gradually discovers that the teenager Fujii Tree (Kashiwahara Takashi), who has the same name as her, once had a secret tenderness for herself, and Watanabe Hiroko also said goodbye to her past feelings in the process.
"Love Letter" has become a "love enlightenment" movie for countless fans since its premiere, accompanying the throbbing years of generations, and has been praised as "after love letters, there is no 'crush'." ”
01
Moving love stories
The story of "Love Letter" is a poignant, sad, and warm love story strung together from the perspective of two women.
Watanabe's fiancé Fujii died of a mountain disaster, and on his second anniversary, Hiroko rekindled her thoughts about her lover.
She saw Fujii's address in middle school from her graduation book, so she sent a letter to express her endless longing for the deceased.
The letter was sent to Fujii Shu, a woman of the same name and surname.
Through the correspondence between Hiroko and the female Fujii tree, the whole film shows the audience a deeply buried affection, so that the character image of the male Fujii tree gradually emerges.
It turned out that the male Fujii tree had a crush on the female Fujii tree with the same name in middle school, but the young man did not dare to confess, and after becoming an adult, he chose to associate with the female Fujii tree who looked exactly like Hiroko and got engaged.
At the end of the film, Hiroko bravely walks to another relationship after the last catharsis of her longing in front of the mountain where the male Fujii tree was killed.
The female Fujii tree also found the portrait painted by the male Fujii tree behind the library's "Reminiscences of the Watery Years" borrowing card, and shed tears of happiness, and the clean, pure, shy longing was finally understood by her.
"Love Letters" does not have a strong dramatic conflict, nor does it have a choppy storyline, but only tells the beautiful moments of the past through calm memories.
The whole film does not have a single confession, but through the delicate lens language and narrative rhythm, the story of the crush is told.
Whether it is a teenager leaning on the sun-drenched window and looking down at a book, a "chance encounter" made in the school carport after school, or a sketch portrait hidden behind a library card for many years, the unspoken love is poetic and beautiful, and the teenager's desire to speak is heartwarming.
02
Color and literary metaphors
Shunji Iwai graduated from Yokohama National University with a degree in oil painting, which also makes his film composition and color very distinctive.
Every frame of the "Love Letter" screen is a work of art.
Whether it is the clip of Hiroko shouting in the snow, the white window screen fluttering in the middle school library, the male Fujii tree that appears from time to time, or the fragment of the middle school life of the male and female Fujii tree, these pictures have an oil painting texture and are very beautiful.
The main color of the film is white, which symbolizes purity, elegance and unsteadiness.
In "Love Letter", the image of "snow" appears many times, running through the background color and emotional tone of the entire film, and reflecting the true portrayal of the first love of the youth.
The snow-capped environment makes Otaru full of tranquil beauty, and people can't help but reminisce about the subtle and pure first love story of the male and female Fujii trees, and reflect a euphemistic and pure beauty.
Proust's "Remembrance of Watery Years" is chosen in "Love Letters" to reveal a love affair that has been sealed for many years.
"Remembrance of The Age of Water" is like a metaphor for the whole film, the film spells out the love story that has been hidden for many years through one fragment after another, but everything is like a dream.
At the end, when the female Fujii Tree took the library card and left tears of happiness, the hazy memory gradually dissipated, and sincere emotions gradually surrounded her heart.
With a faint nostalgia and endless reverie, we see the innocent and beautiful feelings of the male and female Fujii trees.
Directly hit the movie scene
[ Moderator Fujii Shu and guest Yang Yijia ]
On the afternoon of May 16th, the Fujii Tree Film Group and its friends watched the long-awaited and touching "Love Letter" at the flagship store of Hongqiao Art Center at the Tianshan Cinema in Changning District.
The scene was full, and the audience was moved to tears by the plot.
"Love Letter" has many viewers watching it for the first time, and there are also old fans who have seen it countless times, but the beauty and emotion brought to us by the movie are the same. What were the wonderful exchanges after the screening? Let's listen to what guests Yang Yijia and Miss Fujii Shu have to say!
【Guest Yang Yijia said】
1. Countless times to see, countless times to move
When I was in college, I read "Love Letters", and at that time I was not particularly sensitive to youth and crush, and then I had different feelings every time I watched it.
Different age groups and different mentalities will feel different when watching this movie, which is also the charm of "Love Letters".
Every time I watch it, I will be touched by Hiroko's affection and the ultimate crush and ignorant affection of the male Fujii tree.
2. The expression unique to adolescent boys
In the film, the plot of the male Fujii tree teasing the female Fujii tree is deeply understood by himself.
There was a boy in junior high school who liked to tease me, and this immature expression was completely incomprehensible at first, but later learned through other classmates that he liked me.
Just like the male Fujii tree in the film teasing the female Fujii tree with a flour bag, this is a unique way for adolescent boys to express their love.
【Fujii tree said】
1. The story of me and Fujii
In 1999, the name Fujii Tree was used online for the first time, which was also the day "Love Letters" was first released on the mainland.
At that time, I was touched by the emotions of the film, and I felt that it was good to find a boy like Fujii Tree, so I used Fujii Tree as a pen name.
For me, this movie has the power to change my life. Because this movie fell in love with the movie, because this movie has this very wonderful name.
2. The most extreme crush story
"Love Letters" has been the most extreme crush story for more than two decades since its release, and no film can surpass it.
Over the years, I have done a lot of film list planning about classic movies, such as movies that must be seen before the age of 20, the best love movies in the world, the movies that have the deepest impact on you, etc. "Love Letters" is among them.
"Love Letters" has a very high status in the history of film, so this 5.20 re-screening is a very memorable moment.
The classic of the film is that the male and female protagonists do not say that I love you and I like you, but the director uses such a story to perfectly present the ignorant love of the teenager.
Audience Q&A
Q1: Did you remember whose song the male Fujii tree sang before he died?
Singing Is Matsuda Seiko's "Blue Coral Sea".
Q2: If you were Hiroko Watanabe, would you want to know the whole truth? Will you be as relieved as Hiroko when you know the truth?
I hope to know the truth, I have read "Love Letters" many times, Hiroko wrote letters at the beginning because she did not put it down, and with the deepening of the communication, she was also relieved.
Q3: After watching the movie, do you remember the past of your student days? Does that cautious liking feel a lot like yourself?
The first time I watched "Love Letters", there were many points of empathy. Remembering his first love in middle school, the key middle school was not allowed to fall in love, so he would quietly study in the library, quietly walk in the alley after school, and wait for the car together and met the teacher. She was also my sister's girlfriend, and I had also written love letters at that time, which my sister handed over to her, only to be discovered by the teacher, read the review book on the school radio, and after watching the movie, I felt that it was a very precious memory.
Q4: Do you like to be expressed in silence without letting you know or express it directly?
I would like to say it directly, if it was in junior high school, I would be embarrassed, I would be shy, I might express it secretly, but I still want to express it. The first time I watched "Love Letters", although the film did not directly express love, it was still very beautiful. The most touching scene is the scene of the scream on the mountain and the scene where the female Fujii tree finally sees the portrait behind the library card, and if I recommend this movie in one sentence, I would say: "The most beautiful love letter is your name." ”
Q5: If you can have a chance to choose again, will you express your unspoken love?
In high school, I had love that I wanted to express but didn't express, and if I had another chance, I wouldn't say it, because I thought it might not be good to say it, and I would express my emotions in other ways. The first time I watched "Love Letters", I was very moved, and finally I saw the painting on the library card and then stopped my emotions here, which I liked very much. If you propose yourself, you will not say it bluntly, and you may arrange a friend to assist.
Q6: Has anyone shared that they didn't confess at the time, and what happened to them?
The first time I watched "Love Letters", I was very touched and had a similar experience. When I was in junior high school, I liked a person, and then I lost contact after graduation, I never expressed my emotions, and I knew that he would secretly follow him when he went to the library, looking for opportunities to stay together, but after graduation, there was no contact at all.
I've seen it many times, for the first time in '99, and my wife is my high school classmate. The element of The Japanese director's usual miss in the film is very moving, and this kind of memory is ideal, related to Japan's introverted culture, compared with Chinese culture, which is more extroverted, and I still hope to be able to express my love more bravely in life. The crush in "Love Letters" has achieved the ultimate, and this moving feeling is rare and precious.
Some viewers of "Love Letters" have real feedback
Thank you to the guest Yang Yijia for the wonderful exchange, and also thank you for the participation of all the members of the group!
At the same time, thank you tianshan cinema - hongqiao art center flagship store for its strong support for this film group activities!
If you like this movie, "Love Letters" is about to be released on May 20, so recommend it to your friends!
This activity is a special fund support project for cultural development in Changning District, Shanghai