In the special NHK documentary "Bankruptcy after Old Age: The Nightmare of the So-Called "Longevity"", the real life of the elderly in Japan was described as follows: "Not enough money to spend, zero savings, not enough to eat, unable to sit in the car, afraid to get sick, no one to take care of, no friends, desperate work..."
The above is a portrayal of the real life of the elderly in Japan, which is a world power, and the elderly who are common in today's society. These elderly people, who have devoted half their lives to the development of Japan, look at their bodies that are no longer young, and are more and more aware of their aging and the boundless crisis and pain behind it.
Watching countless peers around them fall into the darker and darker moments of life, many Japanese elderly people even sighed: "People always have to die, it is better to die early, I don't want anything long life." In the true description of this documentary, the old people's negativity for life is helpless against fate and social atmosphere.
Also about the tragic old age of the elderly, this domestic drama film "Joy and Mourning" extends its tentacles to the level of fate, family affection, society and human nature, and interprets the twilight of an old man in rural China thrillingly.
The film is based on the 86-year-old elderly Lin Guoshi's family life in his later years, and the director tells her "insignificant" and "indispensable" life through realistic lenses.
In addition, the film also uses the perspective of the heroine Lin Guo to look at various low-level social figures, such as the family of the second son who works as a farmer, the family of the second daughter who is supreme in money, the sister who is disliked by the children, etc., reflecting a series of shocking social problems.
An 86-year-old widow who was rejected by her children reflects the "hidden pain" of today's elderly life
The protagonist of the movie, Lin Guoshi, is an 86-year-old widowed old village woman. At that time, raising six children, she was widowed at a young age, survived countless years, and finally supported all the children to start a family, branches and leaves, and lin Guoshi was finally able to live a clean and comfortable life in the old house alone.
However, when Mrs. Lin's health deteriorated, especially after suffering from a cerebral thrombosis, the children strongly demanded that the old woman stay in the nursing home. In the time of waiting for the vacant beds in the nursing home, Mrs. Lin decided to stay in the homes of each child for a few days, going around and around, and the "filial piety and virtuous grandson" were full of ugliness.
The night before Mrs. Lin was about to be sent to the nursing home by her children, after a simple grooming, she looked at the family portrait for a moment, swallowed the rat poison calmly, and quietly passed away, she was discovered by the children the next day. When the children and grandchildren held a beautiful funeral for Mrs. Lin, Mrs. Lin in the portrait still smiled kindly, and at this point, as the lowest level of Chinese society, she completed her sad life.
At the beginning of the film, Mrs. Lin, who lives alone in the old house, lives a clean and comfortable life every day, idly listening to books and plays, and prostrating herself reverently in front of the statue of the bodhisattva every night, praying that the bodhisattva will bless her children with peace and security.
In the eyes of the children, Mrs. Lin's body has not been as good as before, because she has suffered from a cerebral thrombosis before, the children are worried that the old woman will have another attack, if it is found that the consequences are not in time, the consequences are quite terrible, and then they discuss send the old woman to the nursing home, helplessly, the bed in the nursing home needs to wait, and Mrs. Lin's heart is also unwilling.
In order to make the old woman agree to go to the nursing home, several children gathered in the old house and simply fried a few dishes, which was considered to be a meal for the children to accompany the old woman. At the dinner table, the second son, who seemed to be thinking about the old woman, said falsely at the side:
"Mother, you still go, who is waiting for you at home, the crazy lady died at home, and when she was found, she was crawling with maggots."
The communication between the other children's eyebrows was clearly full of dislike for the elderly woman, and she did not want to bear the reputation of filial piety, and in the face of her children, Mrs. Lin was silent.
Heaven and man five decay since no one can hide from the fate, Mrs. Lin brain thrombosis once again, fell alone in the old house, the children no longer care about the old woman's feelings, insisting on sending her to the nursing home. This time, Mrs. Lin, who could not help her children, said that when waiting for the empty beds in the nursing home, she wanted to live in the children's homes for a few days, and most of the children agreed.
From the twilight years when she once supported her family and worked hard for half a life, from a mother who was dependent on her children to an old woman who was disliked by her children and grandchildren, going around for decades, Mrs. Lin really responded to the sentence "People are not old, they will not understand what is suspected of their children and grandchildren."
In the film, the director uses a calm, subtle lens language to show what Mrs. Lin has to do every day. In front of the close-up, Mrs. Lin must reverently worship the statue of the bodhisattva wherever she goes, no matter what happens, as if this prayer can make Mrs. Lin feel relieved in her heart and can also experience rare stability.
However, in real life, Mrs. Lin has become an "old immortal" who should not be disliked in the eyes of her children, and an "old house occupier" in the eyes of her daughter-in-law. There is no doubt that Mrs. Lin is like a marginal figure at the bottom of rural society.
It is worth mentioning that in addition to Mrs. Lin, the director also made a realistic and accurate portrayal of the elderly in China's rural society, reflecting their old age plight that is different from Mrs. Lin, but is also helpless and embarrassing in nature.
Among them, the most vivid image is the children under Mrs. Lin's knees who have also entered the stage of old age. They also have to pay for their children continuously, even if they are unwilling in their hearts, they still have to go all out. These people all have one thing in common, that is, they are also facing the same old age dilemma as the old woman, but they will never treat the old woman with their hearts. Even the second daughter-in-law once satirized Mrs. Lin in public:
"The older the more foreign, there is nothing to add to the chaos of the child."
But there is also a special emotion flowing in these people who are about to grow old. Even if there is helplessness and complaint in their hearts, and life is tired, they still hope that their children will be safe and smooth. For them, this is the greatest comfort and sustenance in life, but also the heartache and helplessness, and the last luxury.
The final way back if the original intention does not change its direction is "hell" and "heaven"
Bai Juyi once gave the poem "Yong Lao Gift Dream": "With junju laoye, ask yourself how old it is." The eyes are astringent at night, and the head is unfit. Sometimes the staff comes out and closes the door all day. Lazy to look at the new mirror, Hugh read the small print book. Love for the deceased, traces of the youth sparse. Only small talk, there is still more than enough to meet. ”
As the saying goes, "human nature is not credible, and people dare not grow old." But the superiority of "Joy and Mourning" is that it does not stop at showing the desolation of "old people", but also makes meaningful philosophical thinking about the intriguing between "old people" and "human nature".
In the film, what makes such an old woman who is "hairy, blind, teeth wavering, and body smelly" go to the final destination is precisely when she chooses to live in the homes of various children.
Mrs. Lin's first place to stay is the second son's home closest to the old house, before leaving home, the second daughter-in-law is still sneering, but when she comes to the second son's home, the second daughter-in-law has come to a false feeling, and Mrs. Lin complains that she still wants to take the old house for herself. Mrs. Lin listened and disagreed, and the house should be left to her fourth son, but also to leave a foothold for her grandson Xiaodao.
Seeing the old woman's refusal, the second daughter-in-law once again cooled her face, only caring about the farm work in her hand all day, ignoring Mrs. Lin, and Mrs. Lin did not think so, and would sit at the door with a bench every day, sullenly holding her head and holding the insoles in her hand.
One night, the granddaughter-in-law shouted that she wanted to go out to work and wanted her mother-in-law to take care of the children, and the second daughter-in-law poured bitter water at this time:
"You ask your grandmother, did she show me the child?" I said you don't believe it, just ask your grandmother, I haven't pulled up all of your sisters, and now I'm making you start a family."
From the words of the second daughter-in-law, Mrs. Lin clearly felt the helplessness of life of "who will not grow old, who has pity when they are old", and for the second daughter-in-law who has also entered old age, such a reference to mulberry scolding is the cruelty of the weak to the weak, and it is also the beginning of cocooning and self-binding. And what pushed Mrs. Lin step by step to the way home had to start from the helplessness of her temporarily living in the home of her third son and second daughter.
When the second daughter-in-law sent away the daughter-in-law who decided to work unexpectedly, the old woman was also taken by the third son to live temporarily, before leaving, Mrs. Lin handed over the key to the old house to the second daughter-in-law, and also told the daughter-in-law not to be too tired to renovate the old house, so far, Mrs. Lin has changed from an old woman with a family to a homeless.
The third son's family living in the city, although the house is not large or spacious and bright, but the third daughter-in-law is very disgusted with the arrival of the mother-in-law, eating and wearing are treated differently, and the hands and feet are all restrained by Mrs. Lin. Fortunately, the granddaughter is kind and filial, often helps Mrs. Lin wash her hair, and often listens to Mrs. Lin talk about the past.
Granddaughter Pingping has always wanted to go out to work but was blocked by her mother, but Mrs. Lin was very supportive of her granddaughter's idea: "Planting those two acres of land at home, what is the beginning." In the end, PingPing did not say goodbye and went to the field, but the third daughter-in-law was angry with Mrs. Lin and threatened Mrs. Lin: "In case something happens to the child, I will find you to settle the account." The third son pulled away his daughter-in-law, and only said "The mother is confused."
At this time, Mrs. Lin was pitiful and helpless, and all she could do was kneel in front of the statue of the bodhisattva and pray sincerely: "Pray that the bodhisattva will bless her granddaughter with peace and security."
Knowing that she could not stay at the third son's house, Mrs. Lin continued to go to the second daughter's house, who opened a shop in the city, but there, Mrs. Lin was still faced with a lot of complaints and her children's deep dislike for herself.
When the son-in-law's friend saw Mrs. Lin, it seemed that the pertinence was even more ruthless to remind the other party:
"So old, as the saying goes, 70 does not stay overnight, 80 does not stay overnight, such an old age, like a ripe melon, do not know which day will come to an end, Lao Zhang you should also be careful, when the time comes, don't eat and go around, when the brother-in-law does not get cheap and play well."
The leak in the house happened to rain overnight, Mrs. Lin squeezed in the second daughter's home but once again had a cerebral thrombosis attack, when the second daughter finally lost the last bit of patience, the same bad words to her old wife:
"You say that you are old and sick like this, and that none of the children and grandchildren have come to see you, and what do you mean when you say you are alive?" Mother, do you want to die? When I'm old and can't move, I don't go to the nursing home, I hang, I drink medicine, I die, save some money for the children."
In the film, Mrs. Lin presents us with the image of an old mother who has never complained about the ruthlessness of her children from beginning to end, with her as the center, surrounded by a group of children and grandchildren who continue to cruelly hurt and accuse this weak old man because of their own interests.
In the film, the director cleverly shows the compassion of a mother through the dialogue between Mrs. Lin and her granddaughter-in-law. Old Mrs. Lin, who was killed in a car accident and was preparing to return to the old house, gave the golden ring to the granddaughter-in-law of the grandson legion before leaving: "You are still young, you can find another one, the days are longer than you think."
And when the granddaughter-in-law who couldn't cry asked: "Grandpa left early, why don't you find it", Mrs. Lin's words can be described as a thousand arrows piercing the heart: "6 children, the top 13, the top small 9 months, if the child has no mother, how pitiful!" ”
No matter how difficult the road ahead, the mother knows that she must take good care of her child, but when the mother is old and useless, the children who have worked hard to raise rarely remember this kindness.
Does Mrs. Lin live in hell or heaven? Perhaps, being rejected by her children is hell, but watching her children blossom and scatter, Mrs. Lin, who is calm in her heart, is already in heaven.
The examination and insight of vulnerable groups, tearing open the "fig leaf" of the whole society
Mrs. Lin, who had been walking around and walking more hesitantly, finally returned to the old house, but the last pure land had long been occupied by the second son's family. Mrs. Lin was placed in a hut where the miscellaneous things were placed, and still prayed to the bodhisattva like a devotional prayer every day, but in the face of such a useless old woman, the second son's family even thought that it was a luxury to let the old woman live in the utility room.
When the second son smashed the bodhisattva statue to pieces, Mrs. Lin laughed all day because of the uncontrollable "laughing disease" caused by cerebral thrombosis, and the old woman was finally sent into the cowshed by the cruel son and daughter-in-law, and the second daughter-in-law did not change, still sneering: "Desperately laugh and go."
In real life, these old people, like their children, need to take care of their children, support the elderly, and manage their lives, but they continue to grow old due to the passage of time, and can only finally choose to survive in the corner where no one cares.
The warrior Koji Shitoshi once said, "One of the most beautiful things in life is maternal love, which is selfless love, and morality dwarfs it." Perhaps, this is the truth and greatness of maternal love in the world, even if it will eventually be hated and resented, it will still not change its original intention.
One night, when Mrs. Lin learned the news of her sister's death from her second son, she whispered, "This old man still owes me money, and Ming'er is looking for her to go." When the second son asked Mrs. Lin whether Mrs. Lin resented herself for treating her mother like this, Mrs. Lin, as an old woman, replied as always: "Hey, net talk, my son."
Throughout the movie, Mrs. Lin will often ask her children whether the nursing home is vacant, but when the second son told her that she was waiting for the empty bed that night, the old woman did not laugh, but kept sobbing, took out the insoles for the second son to distribute to the children, and also gave the bracelet to the second daughter-in-law who always complained about herself.
In the middle of the night, Mrs. Lin got up to wash her face, comb her hair, look in the mirror, carefully look at the family portrait, touch the cheeks of each child, and have mixed feelings in her heart. Finally, she still prayed to the shattered bodhisattva statue to bless the children with peace and security, and sat on the edge of the bed, Mrs. Lin suddenly laughed and began to sob, thinking for a moment, and eating rat poison.
The next day, the car of the nursing home came to pick up Mrs. Lin, and everyone found that the old man had passed away.
At the end of the movie, after mrs. Lin's death, the children held a lively funeral for her, and the 86-year-old was called "happy funeral" by the locals.
The old saying goes: "People have mourning, mourning is also, Fang mourning is not timely, how can there be joy." The so-called mourners, on the other hand, take the blessings and longevity of the deceased as gratifying. ”
The widowed old man Lin Guoshi, a person in the mud at the bottom of the Chinese countryside, with maternal love, supported the six children with a piece of heaven, and prayed to the bodhisattva all the time for the peace and security of his children and grandchildren, but the cold treatment of his children in his twilight years, the title of the film "Joy and Sorrow" has been clearly revealed.
Today, "money" carries the whole focus of people's lives today, animals still know filial piety, but today's people have lost the heart of grateful parents, a nation that does not know how to respect the elderly and filial piety, no matter how rich and powerful, will eventually collapse because of the concept of desperate success, and eventually collapse because of drinking and quenching thirst.
This "fig leaf" of the whole society was finally torn off and torn to pieces in the silent interpretation of the film.
I can't help but think of the melodious song on Mrs. Lin's radio at the beginning of the film: "We want to fly to that distant place, take a look, this world, it is not so desolate, we want to fly to that distant place, look at it, this world is still a piece of light."
At this point, the tears fell silently, may the old lady under heaven still smile without complaint or regret...