Everything is built on the foundation, and once the foundation is broken, everything will become a passing cloud.
From the spaciousness of the pavilion courtyard to the crampedness of the city cottage, is it the thinness of the upper floor that makes us forget the smooth breathing of the flat courtyard? The domestic animated short film "One Finger City" seems to be an indictment of the dilemma of life that is now squeezed by modern civilization with the help of gray tones.
The whole short film does not have a single line, and only by relying on the layout and transformation of the scene, it touches the most fragile string in people's hearts, which is also a point that this animated short film can be proud of. The best screen reproduction is also to reflect reality through reality, and in the current society that is inevitably a bit eager to make quick gains, the silent accusation of the short film seems to be the most powerful!
What should a good domestic animation look like? It should have a main connotation and should bring people some reflection. Perhaps, this domestic animated short film "One Finger City" tells us a sincere answer, comparable to a microcosm of contemporary society.
Stills from the animated short film One Finger City
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" >01, we are frantically catching up with the progress of civilization, but we have forgotten the foundation of tradition, no doubt at the bottom of the pot</h1>
The scene construction of the whole short film is not grand, the narrative is relatively simple, and the most intense feeling is the visual contrast impact of the high and low pictures. At the beginning of the short film, under the rapid construction of modern civilization, almost everyone lives in high-rise buildings, although the living space is cramped and narrow, but people are happy to do it.
Underneath the sprawling "One Finger City", there is a dilapidated hut and a small courtyard inhabited by an old man who does not want to leave, a persimmon tree planted in the yard, and occasionally a few small birds docked on the branches. There is also a statue of the Buddha in the courtyard that has been carefully offered, but is slightly dilapidated. The Buddha statue holds out a finger, as if to imply something, which is both a gesture and a symbol of the power of a faith, relict and independent.
Sadly, the old man in the short film wears a thick hard hat every day when cleaning the courtyard to resist the "attack" of rubble from above. The object of the old man's daily cleaning is no longer as simple as falling leaves and dust, but has become the slag and garbage produced by cleaning modern civilization.
Most of the people moved to YizhiCheng, enjoying the hustle and bustle of the place, and only the lonely old people were left in the ruined streets of the old mansions. The old man still clings to the old place on which he depends, does not care about the noise of the outside, and more often sits in a rocking chair and slowly waits for the passage of time.
As the short film moves forward, parting from the story of the old street, the camera turns to the illuminated finger city, and under the black pressure of the night, the noisy machines are still rumbling at work, as if time is just a meaningless repetition for the city. Even if the lights flicker, they can't illuminate this confused urban world.
The climax of the short film advances in a gentle narrative and arrives silently. In the second half of the short film, on the one hand, the crazy elevation development of urban civilization, on the other hand, the old streets at the bottom are invaded by the garbage of civilization. More and more stones and garbage are discharged into the old mansion, and the old man can no longer bear this wasted environment, so he packs his bags overnight and is forced to leave. And that Long-believed Buddha statue can only be protected by a hard hat at this time. The old man also wanted to take away the Buddha statue, but digging and digging found that under the small Buddha statue was a larger Buddha statue, and the old man had to leave alone.
Starting from the climax of the five-and-a-half-minute soundtrack of the film, it leads the audience into a Zen meditation theme full of Chinese allegories, with the passionate action of the characters, but also the emotional lows that make people think deeply, the items that want to be taken away cannot be taken away, the cultural beliefs that want to be removed are finally rooted, and the short-sighted civilization that is bent on climbing to a high place suddenly collapses...
The final scene of the short film is undoubtedly cruel, but it is also doomed. When the blind modernization construction crushed the last trace of traditional belief, the entire "one finger city" collapsed, and it was not only a city that collapsed, but also the greedy heart of the people who wantonly chased fame and fortune and blindly built production. The collapse of the "One Finger City" was doomed from the very beginning, because it had no solid foundation and no most solid support.
After watching the short film, have you ever calmed down and thought that while we are constantly catching up with the progress of civilization and constantly building ideal tall buildings, we are gradually despising the weight of traditional civilization. After getting used to indifference, slowly faded into oblivion of the traditional power of belief. Once a firm belief is missing, all that awaits us is "failure".
We are frantically catching up with the progress of civilization, but we have forgotten the foundation of tradition, which is undoubtedly a salary drawn from the bottom of the cauldron!
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" >02, modern and traditional should not be a contradictory relationship, we must ultimately establish a solid sense of belonging</h1>
"One Finger City" adopts the animated narrative form of relatives, which truly reflects the intensified contradiction between modern social development and people's inner sense of belonging, and expresses a profound connotation with a direct narrative. Behind the seemingly open-ended short film ending, we have actually been told the most correct choice, that is, we must try to build a solid sense of belonging.
Traditional beliefs seem to be gradually being eaten away by modern predators, and we are increasingly becoming a generation without faith. As the French thinker Pascal put it, man is a reed that thinks. All of us need the support of thought and faith. Without faith, there is no reverence, no divine value, no moral constraint. Modern society has become blindly struggling with the struggle for profits, traditional beliefs have been extinguished, and a city will eventually become a ruin.
The philosopher Zhou Guoping once said that in a society where utilitarianism is supreme and spiritual devaluation is depreciated, adaptation replaces creation as a sign of talent. This is undoubtedly terrifying! "One Finger City" is just naked to present us with such a cruel result, the Buddha statue in the short film is just a carrier, carrying the spiritual values and sincere spiritual beliefs of the older generation.
The story scene of the short film takes place in "One Finger City", but this kind of story scene in reality is happening around each of us. Why can't a city with twinkling lights never shine on a gloomy sky? Why are two civilizations, which could have developed interdependently, so far apart? Why, exactly? Perhaps, everyone who has watched the short film has their own answer in mind.
Time flies, faith does not die. When the sky brightens again, everything starts all over again. There will still be old people in the courtyard leisurely basking in the sun, there will still be uncles selling breakfast in the alley, and there will always be some people who will adhere to the power of tradition, because that is the foundation of cultural inheritance and the cornerstone of modern civilization construction.
Speaking of which, what exactly is faith?
The so-called faith is not a simple religious concept, nor is it a pantheistic rumor of all kinds. Faith is the most precious spiritual value that adheres to the depths of each of our hearts, it can guide us to think rationally, direct us to build our homeland correctly, do not suffer from gain and loss, and do not be arrogant. Rational treatment of the needs of desire, objective examination of their own advantages and disadvantages, faith brings us moral constraints, brings us the strength to move forward.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" >03, Reflection brought about by "One Finger City": Tradition and modernity are interdependent, and must not be "one-pointed" development</h1>
After a few years, after experiencing the baptism of tradition, they are old, and we who do not live in modern civilization have resolutely chosen to abandon tradition, where can we go next? Without the protection of tradition, how can the foundation of modern civilization be firmly established? Modern civilization is built on the foundation of traditional culture, and once the foundation is broken, everything becomes a passing cloud.
When today's old people choose their faith, it may seem to many people to be feudal and superstitious, but we still have to fear their sincere goodwill, because that one is sincere. This rational view, like the current networked society, in the virtual network, has also derived such a grotesque phenomenon, who speaks on the Internet, it seems to naturally occupy the highest point of moral public opinion, this strange network society is not a lonely "one finger city"?
Don't ignore the value thinking conveyed by an animated short film, because it is enough to bring us enough warnings, bring us deep reflection, and bring us the strength to move forward! "One Finger City" is a domestic animation full of Chinese feelings, behind the seemingly bland narrative, it is a silent accusation and declaration. Tradition and modernity should be interdependent and accompanied by each other, and must not be developed in "one direction".
One day, when we look up at the tall buildings that are constantly developing upwards, we should also be able to feel the weight of the soles of our feet and stick to our hearts down-to-earth.
Finally, I would like to end with a small poem:
Vicissitudes of the old years, how many heroes and handsome,
Confused and sad, where to provoke autumn frost?
The mind is condensed, and the party has no regrets...