Author: Gong Jinping, Associate Professor and Master Tutor of Art Education Center of Fudan University
When it comes to road movies, many viewers are familiar with crime genres such as "Runaway Rider", "Bonnie and Clyde", "The End of the Road" and other crime genres in the United States, or the warm healing system such as "The Story of Mr. Streit" and "Little Beauty in the Sunshine". In fact, in Chinese movies, road movies also cover these two types, the former such as "No Man's Land", "West Wind Lie", "The Road Not Chosen", etc., the latter like "That Mountain That Man That Dog", "A Thousand Miles To Ride Alone", "People on the Road", etc., each with its own advantages.
The recently released "Passing Zhaoguan" is also an intriguing road movie. In terms of plot framework, it is the closest to Mr. Streit's Story (1999). Li Fuchang in "Passing Through Zhaoguan" drives a farm tricycle across a thousand kilometers to meet old friends; Mr. Stret bravely conquers 300 miles in a lawn mower to meet his brother in another state. The two protagonists, both over the age of seventy, are also unusual in their means of transportation, and have many similarities. However, there are still some differences in the content of the film. It seems that both of them set out in order not to leave regrets in life, but the form and core of this "regret" point to different attitudes towards life and different understandings of life. Li Fuchang has a kind of determination-like open-mindedness about life, which can be described as life and death, honor and disgrace, and Mr. Strite is eager to use the beautiful past to warm the broken reality.
In "Passing Zhaoguan", Li Fuchang is accompanied by a grandson on the way, which is closer to the characters in "Nightingale" (2014). In "Nightingale", the grandfather and his granddaughter went from Beijing to Guangxi to visit the tomb, all the way to the twists and turns, bizarre and thrilling, but warm and moving. Moreover, "Nightingale" uses an obvious "rift-round" mode in the plot setting, that is, between grandparents, husband and wife, and parents, creating visible conflicts and spiritual distances, and then through a journey, everyone completes communication and understanding. "Passing the Zhaoguan" does not adopt the model of "letting the characters complete the plot development in the process of overcoming obstacles". On the contrary, Li Fuchang was on the road of more than a thousand kilometers, and he almost did not encounter obstacles. He is kind and wise, actively helping others, and others help him, which can be described as a harmonious and smooth way. Is it necessary for the film to set conflict points in the hearts of the characters? However, Li Fuchang is 77 years old, living calmly and transparently, and his heart is not in a state of tension or anxiety. So, what exactly is the film trying to say?
In fact, the key to interpreting "Passing Zhaoguan" lies in the title of the film, that is, the story that Li Fuchang told his grandson that "Wu Zixu passed through Zhaoguan in a white head overnight". It seems that this is a story of desperate circumstances. However, Li Fuchang later said that after passing through Zhaoguan, there was also Tongguan, As well as JiayuGuan and Shanhaiguan. In connection with Li Fuchang's family history told to his grandson and young fishing youth, the history of his parents starving to death to beekeepers, and the years of his labor reform in Sanmenxia mentioned to the melon harvester, we know that everyone has countless obstacles in their lives. However, when Li Fuchang looked back on the past, he had a rare sense of relief and calm. Even for his time in the Sanmenxia labor camp, he did not blindly remember the suffering, but remembered the warm moments with friends and those who warmed his heart.
Therefore, the film "Passing zhaoguan" is actually a metaphorical expression of the course of life. On the road of life, everyone may encounter similar barriers, including the ruthlessness of history, the trickery of fate, the loss of relatives, and the impermanence of the world. For these passes, the posture of each person is very different: some people lose their minds because of anger, some people passively avoid because of despair, some people are cynical because of injustice; some people can reconcile with fate and live in harmony with themselves in the midst of repeated setbacks and pains. As Li Fuchang sang in the song: I am like a mourning goose, I am like a dragon swimming on a shallow beach, I am like a fish swallowing a hook line, I am like a boat that loses its rudder in the waves. Even if he was sleepy and frustrated, Li Fuchang could only sigh a few times, and there was no sad loss that was difficult to dispatch. It's more like smoothing the folds of time with a gentle mindset after a passing event.
In connection with Li Fuchang's pursuit of "slowness" on the road, is this not an attitude towards life? In a sense, life is the art of "slowness.". In "slow", the pain can be reduced and dissolved, and the joy will be treated indifferently; in "slow", life can be tasted and chewed carefully, and finally realize that the meaning of life is not in the end of the end, but in the shallow chanting and singing along the way. What "Passing the Zhaoguan" wants to express is a kind of observation and attitude towards life. This kind of contemplation and attitude is nothing more than transparency and contemplation, peace and calmness. In this way, the film is similar to a bowl of light chicken soup for the soul, persuading people to put it down and persuading people to learn to reconcile with life. It seems extremely wise and profound. Unfortunately, the film is slightly weaker in expressing this theme, and lacks a clear and powerful direction of conflict setting. In the development of the plot, this conceptual tendency is not naturally revealed, but relies on Li Fuchang's several narrations to "preach".
As a road movie, the beginning of "Passing Zhaoguan" deliberately highlights the conflict between Li Fuchang and Sun Tzu in terms of living habits and some concepts, but later on the way, the two have almost no contradictions, which is inevitably somewhat idealized. In addition, the three people Li Fuchang met on the road are more deliberate and superficial in the portrayal of characters, and the level of interaction between the characters is relatively shallow, lacking delicate and natural, profound and timeless emotional appeal. In addition, for these three people, Li Fu grew up as a party of "Shi", and he provided life insight and wisdom. In this way, the film lacks emotional penetration in the plot setting, and fails to let passers-by also touch in the collision and resonance of concepts. If you can outline an arc of growth of Li Fuchang during this journey, and even highlight the inner transformation of Sun Zi Ning Ning, it will be even more exciting.
In other words, the traces of the precursor of the theme of "Passing Zhaoguan" are too obvious after all, the events in the middle are somewhat weak and weak, the emotional impact on the audience is limited, and the appeal of the image is not strong. This point, perhaps, as director Huo Meng said, "dedicated to my grandfather", the private meaning of creation is greater than the public significance. But the flaws are not hidden, and we still have to encourage such movies. It is quiet and determined, as if it is indisputable, abandoning gorgeous scenes and fierce dramatic conflicts, but using simple images and great patience to record the trivial moments of daily life, while also restoring the picture of rural life that is aging and increasingly serious. In this picture, life not only has a sense of cyclical stagnation, but also a sense of forgotten desolation. Just as the dumb grandfather chose not to speak, in this environment, it is even possible to be at ease without language. Just like the phone call at the dumb grandfather's house, relatives routinely call once a day, just to confirm that the old man is still alive.
With the departure of the old man, although the land is still lush, many memories and emotions are withering. As for the outsiders' memories of this land, it is nothing more than their ancestors buried here. But can the grass-covered graves, which have become one with the fields and become an embellishment of the land, really become the bonds of emotional bond between generations? Therefore, the film "Passing Zhaoguan" seems to be off-topic, inadvertently showing the picture of rural life, and also using a large area of saturated green to dilute the pain of history and the sentimentality of death. However, the old people in the film are holding on to this land with a passive attitude, and they have lived an almost numb view in the twilight of their lives. This is the helplessness of reality, but also the powerlessness of art. (Gong Jinping)
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