Waking up at 3 a.m., no more sleep, listening to the sound of summer bugs outside, I deeply felt the height of summer at this moment.
There are many, many films about summer, but when it comes to summer films, Japanese films are particularly impressive.
For example, the animation of Hayao Miyazaki, who is full of greenery and vitality; Takeshi Kitano's "Kikujiro's Summer", "That Summer, The Quiet Sea"; Kore-eda's "Sea Street Diary", and so on.
"That Summer, the Sea of Tranquility"
But today to share a japanese film that is not well known to the public.
It satisfies my memories and perceptions of summer to the greatest extent.
Rice paddies, watermelons, tomatoes soaked in water;
Children who chirp cicadas, birds, and play happily;
Big pants, sun hats, ghost stories that smell the wind and fear;
There is also the ignorant and shy innocence of the teenager.
"Natural Substructure" was released in Japan in 2007
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It must be said that the film's lead actor and director.
Xia Fan, who plays the heroine, is a representative figure of Japanese pure actors, and her pure appearance always makes it easy to think of summer.
But I felt that it was most appropriate to describe her performance as soft and transparent.
Xia Fan
It wasn't very remarkable, but that face was always easy to remember.
But I don't know why, the funny thing is that I always thought she was a post-70s, but she was actually a post-90s.
Masterpieces :Sea Street Diary, My Home Is Empty," "Flying in the Blue Hours"
Fly in The Blue Hour
When filming "Natural Substructure", Xia Fan was just 16 years old, looking like a neighbor's summer little sister.
The film was also a turning point in his career.
With his outstanding performance in the film, he was highly appreciated and concerned by all parties, and became a powerful rising star.
The film is directed by Atsuhiro Yamashita.
You may be unfamiliar with this name, but when it comes to his masterpieces, you should have heard them.
——High-scoring Japanese drama "Late Night Canteen".
Although there are no great Japanese directors such as Takeshi Kitano and Kazuhiro Shino, it is undeniable that he is a unique presence in the Japanese film industry.
For this kind of director whose personal color is very obvious, people who like it always like it, and people who don't feel it are also very boring.
Atsuhiro Yamashita
Therefore, "boring" is the evaluation of many viewers of his films.
But although it is boring, it can make you enjoy watching it.
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Well, back to the movies we talked about today.
Movies are simple, like the simple summer days of innocence.
At the same time, it is also very plain and flat.
But that doesn't mean it's a very attractive and good summer movie.
Peaceful and delicate, fresh and rustic, warm and comfortable.
If there is one sentence to describe this film, it is the following sentence.
Those pure love years without a trace of impurity!
Kimura, a quiet and comfortable little village by the sea.
There are not many children in the village, and there are only 6 students in the mixed school from kindergarten to junior high school.
Suye Right Field (Xia Fan), a girl in the second grade, is also the eldest daughter in the family.
At the same time, she is also a warm big sister for small children.
Every morning, everyone goes to school together, although they are different in age, but they get along very well.
One day, on this peaceful day,
Su Ye's calm heart is broken by the boy Osawa who has transferred from the school.
Su Ye and Osawa
Osawa and Suye are the same level, because his grandfather lives in Kimura, and after his parents divorced, Osawa followed his mother to transfer to Kimura.
In the summer afternoon, everyone meets to swim together on the beach.
At the intersection leading to the sea, the group stopped.
There are two paths leading to the sea, one of which is a shortcut, but this shortcut su ye and friends have never set foot on.
Because of rumors, there was a woman who committed suicide on the bridge of this shortcut trail because of her feelings.
This supernatural story made Su Ye very afraid.
But for Osawa from Tokyo, he is unique in insisting on taking this shortcut alone.
Then, Su Ye and her friends also decided to go once.
In the summer wilderness, the thick grass smell and the especially loud cicada chirping.
Su Ye and his party walked carefully on the bridge.
At this time, the air also began to condense.
A gust of wind blew through, and the originally standing wooden plank suddenly fell down, which frightened everyone.
Mom, there are ghosts, hurry up and run!
However, in the process of escaping, there was still an accident. Su Ye accidentally fell on the train track, and the train in front of him was coming.
Fortunately, Osawa helped in time to avoid tragedy.
As a result, the hearts of young boys and girls collided with each other in the hot summer sun.
Slowly, Su Ye became fond of Osawa.
But Osawa, who has always been open-mouthed and self-sufficient, makes Su Ye feel difficult to get along with from time to time.
At the same time, during the relationship, Su Ye learned that his father and Osawa's mother had a previous relationship.
Therefore, Dad is also strongly opposed to his association with Osawa.
But the taste of first love is still narrowing the distance between the two.
It's just that this first love is not so choppy.
On the contrary, it is more bland and immediate.
This simple and sincere youth is also not too much whitewashing and pretentiousness.
On the small bridge where the two are alone, Su Ye likes osawa's coat.
So he prepared to dedicate his first kiss to Osawa.
But in the face of unskillful kissing, it only ends with the two shaking hands with each other.
The summer days pass little by little,
The two ushered in the traditional festival in autumn and Valentine's Day in winter, as well as a spring school trip to tokyo.
Another summer is coming, and the pace of graduation is approaching.
Su Ye wants to stay at a high school in the countryside, but Osawa wants to go to a high school in Tokyo.
Because high schools in the countryside require boys to shave their heads flat, osawa doesn't want to.
In the green years, it is always indispensable to part,
But parting doesn't have to be sad!
The two sat calmly on the field,
Su Ye was helping Osawa sew the crooked buttons on his clothes, talking about the future.
On the day that the results of the middle school entrance examination came out, Su Ye and Osawa ran to the school happily.
Laughter surrounded the teachers and classmates.
Because both of them were getting acceptance letters from rural high schools.
After it gets dark,
Su Ye quietly looked at her school and the classroom where she had been growing up.
When all this is far away, the bits and pieces of the past are suddenly remembered.
She moved her face gently against the blackboard,
Then kiss the chalkboard deeply!
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The whole movie is extremely simple, there is no complex and changeable plot direction, no strong dramatic conflict, and no profound life truth.
Just like the first love of Su Ye and Osawa, there are no turbulent waves, and some are just like the faint and fresh fragrance of grass.
Simple rustic, sincere, warm and comfortable.
The people in the village, whether among children or elders, are also very simple, kind and warm.
And the sincerity, pure love and kindness in the green years are vividly reflected in Su Ye.
In the face of the little sister next door who did not take good care of herself,
She blamed herself immensely, and then gave up dating Osawa to visit her.
Although that wasn't her responsibility.
Treat your own brother,
Every Christmas she always prepares her chocolates on time.
And he inadvertently bumped into his father's past love affair, the whole person is not good, worried that it will affect the family harmony.
When going to Tokyo to participate in a study tour and shopping malls,
She would be the first to think of buying gifts for her country companions.
When faced with the stones demolished by Osawa's Tokyo alma mater, she would put the heavy stones in her bag and did not want to throw them away.
Because this is a memory and gratitude to the alma mater.
And finally a deep kiss on the blackboard of his alma mater,
The kiss was filled with gratitude, reward, and inner kindness and yearning for the future.
As for Osawa, on the surface, he goes his own way and has no mouth to cover, which is just his nature.
Inside he is also a sincere teenager.
Eventually he plucked up the courage to shave his head flat and stay at the high school in the country.
As for what the future holds, whether it is good or bad, it does not matter at this moment.
This summer day, innocent and beautiful feelings will always stay in the depths of memory.
About that sincere friendship, that youthful first love.
At last
Those pure love years without a trace of impurity are really good!
Whether he is true or false, whether he exists in real life or not.
Perhaps it is difficult to meet the summer of the pure love years on the road of adult life.
There is not even much state of mind to perceive the bits and pieces of this summer day.
But at least in the more than 4 hours that the film brought to people, it was beautiful and reminded me of those pure summer days I used to have.
Enough is enough!