Text: Jie Yi
Editor: 蓊蓊
"Zishan Fish Recipe" is a 2021 work by South Korean director Lee Mao-yi. Prior to this, Li Maoyi's films such as "Suyuan" and "Si Mourning" have gained good reputation. "Zishan Fish Recipe" continues the stylistic characteristics of Li Maoyi's previous historical films, and the whole film is calm and soothing, deep and desolate.
Poster of "Suyuan"
Poster of "Mourning"
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="4" >01 Yamanaka's mentor</h1>
The main line of the film consists of a pair of conflicting teacher-student relationships. Ding Ruozhuo, a Confucian who was full of poetry and books, absorbed foreign cultures with a broad mind, but was exiled to Montenegro Island during the Xin You Incident; Changda, a fisherman on Montenegro Island, was an illegitimate son who was not recognized by the nobility, he knew fish well, loved to learn and was full of enthusiasm.
Russ Tins
Fisherman Changda
The two represent two very different sets of knowledge systems, one is Cheng Zhu Lixue from China, the mastery of the mind of the monarchs of East Asian countries, focusing on recitation and study, representing the academic school of sitting and discussing the Tao. A set of empirical learning from nature, containing the mysterious mechanisms of marine biology, representing the practical school of physical practice. The film does not intend to suppress one or the other, but through the gradual mutual learning process of the two, it expresses an eclectic and open attitude of winning the strengths of all, which is in line with the development concept of the intersection of east and west in contemporary Korea. Ding Ruotuo taught the Four Books and Five Classics to Changda, and Changda instructed Ding Ruotuo to complete the Zishan Fish Recipe, and the two gradually formed a relationship of mentorship and friendship.
There is an intriguing place in the film, when Ding Ruotuo, Changda, and The Aunt eat corn, Ding Ruotuo said that corn is delicious because the seeds are good. The aunt disagreed, believing that good land can grow good corn, which is the same as the role of parents. Everyone thinks that the good children are the credit of the father, but they forget the mother's parenting. Ding Ruotuo and Chang Da had a great understanding, and this scene had the flavor of "threesomes, there will be my teacher".
Think differently, knowledge and experience can break through the old framework. Whether it is a male perspective, a female perspective, Zhu Zi Theory, Christian theology, including modern scientific knowledge, etc., this film has repeatedly borrowed Ding Ruotao's mouth to express a broad and inclusive realm.
Changda holds a globe in his hand
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="9" >02 Black and white</h1>
Corresponding to the relationship between the characters is the black and white of photography. The black-and-white shooting method is one of the common expression methods of Li Maoyi, who used black and white tones in "Si Mourning" and "East Pillar". Compared with many current movies that pursue rich colors and brilliant special effects, the simple colors of "Zishan Fish Recipe" make the whole movie more restrained, calm and simple, giving people a pure and simple feeling. When the panoramic view of Montenegro Island is taken, it takes on the texture of an ink painting. Of course, the black and white tones also make the original color of the food not present, especially all kinds of fish, which is a little regrettable.
Black and white is the biggest metaphor of the whole movie. Black represents the dark and exiled days of Ding Ruo's imprisonment on Montenegro Island, and white represents the simplicity and nature of Montenegro Island; at the same time, black also represents the darkness and corruption of the imperial court at that time.
This kind of contrasting metaphor runs through the film, especially at the end, where the scenes of Ding Ruotuo and Changda alternate. On the one hand, Ding Ruozhu wrote the "Zishan Fish Recipe" on the island of Montenegro, interpreting various marine creatures and giving people a sense of quiet good years, while on the other hand, Changda faced corruption in the official arena.
Changda participated in the imperial examination and stepped into the official field
Ding Ruotuo said that the ink of cuttlefish is shiny, and when it encounters water, it can be colored, the flesh of the squid is soft but the bones are hard, it can treat the back sores of donkeys and horses, and the sea urchins are hard spines on the outside, but the inside is soft and can fly out of the blue birds. These series of explanations of marine life appeared at the same time as the darkness of the imperial court, which seemed to be a metaphor for the situation in which Ding Ruotuo was located, although exiled and excluded, the background color remained unchanged, and he still adhered to the purity of his heart and the integrity of the literati. Although it is deep in a place like Montenegro Island, it is still soft in heart and has a broad heart that cares for the people.
Ding Ruotuo completed the "Zishan Fish Recipe"
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="14" >03 Zishan swimming fish</h1>
Fish is one of the most important characters in the entire film. From the title to the plot to the theme, fish play different roles and have different meanings throughout the film.
First of all, fish is the main food of Montenegro Island and is the basis for the survival of the islanders. Secondly, the fish is the link between Ding Ruotuo and Changda, when Ding Ruotuo is bedridden, Changda goes to catch fish to supplement Ding Ruozhuo's body, and when Changda catches a rare large seabream, the first time to go back to Ding Ruosuo to see. Ding Ruotuo is attracted by the rich fish of Montenegro Island, and Changda exchanges Confucian knowledge with Ding Ruotuo with fish knowledge, and the fish connects The feelings of Ding Ruotuo and Montenegro Island and Changda. As Ding Ruotuo said at the end: "Changda, when I first heard about Montenegro Island, I was afraid of this name. But I met you, lived together, and the fear faded away. My intense curiosity, which had been tormented and disappeared by the sin of exile, was ignited again. ”
Ding Ruoshuo's exile on Montenegro Island is easily reminiscent of China's Su Shi and Shen Congwen. Su Shi was degraded, still open-minded in facing life, optimistically observing everything. It was written that "the east wind is full of sogo, and the incense mist is empty of the moon corridor." Only afraid of going to sleep in the middle of the night, so burn high candles to illuminate red makeup" such a verse; with the help of friends, he won more than fifty acres of wasteland, leading the whole family to cultivate the land and live an agricultural life.
Shen Congwen faced political pressure, turned to the study of cultural relics, studied costume culture in the museum, and wrote a book "Ancient Chinese Costume Research", which filled the gap in the history of China's costume. And Ding Ruozuo in the "Zishan Fish Recipe", was degraded to Montenegro Island, was ostracized by the islanders, loved fish research, integrated into the life of Montenegro Island, became a member of the island, away from the disturbances of the officialdom, wrote the book "Zishan Fish Recipe", leaving valuable materials for marine biology.
The tenacity in this calmness is the consistent expression of director Li Maoyi. No matter where Ding Ruotuo is, he is insisting on beautiful things, and the belief in his heart has never changed, just like he said: "Living as a crane that constantly flies upwards, although it is not a bad thing, but even if the body is covered with sewage and mud, he also chooses to live like Zishan (formerly Black Mountain), although he looks dark on the outside, he is full of vitality and freedom, and it has never been meaningful!" ”
Or live like the swimming fish of Zishan, spending their respective fish life, just as the so-called "spotted rays walk the road spotted rays know, stingrays walk the way stingrays know." "Here is a metaphor for Ding Ruotuo and Changda who finally embarked on different paths in life, but in the end they have the same destination, and like fish, no matter what road they take, they will surely fall into the sea and merge into the vast smoke.
END
More excitement, all in the shadows!