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In fact, in recent years, in addition to the social reasoning style that the Japanese film genre is good at, it has also given birth to many masterpieces about family affection.
For example, Kore-eda's "Walking Non-Stop" and "Thief Family", as well as the comedy film "Family Suffering" brought to us by the famous director Yoji Yamada.
The Japanese are extremely good at making such delicate films, recording the real life in the trivial life.
Last year, there was also a masterpiece of this style, which was well received as soon as it was launched, that is, "Where There is Shoichi Kumagai", which is shot by young director Shuichi Okita, who is known for his steadiness and delicacy.
"Where there is Shoichi Kumagai" 丨 2018
Director / Screenwriter: Shuichi Okita
Starring: Tsutomu Yamazaki / Kirin Maki / Ryo Kajiki / Kaito Yoshimura / Koseki Ken / Takataka Aoki / Akira Fukikoshi
Runtime: 99 minutes
Speaking of Shoichi Kumagai, movie fans who know Japanese art and culture should be familiar with this name.
As a representative figure of Fauvist painters, he lived in seclusion for thirty years, a small painting, easily auctioned out millions, born rich but lived a simple life, known as the "immortal in the painting", and this biographical film is to record the daily life of Kumagaya and his wife.
One of the shots at the beginning of the film is a huge close-up of our protagonist Kumagaya's face, and the old man's life begins.
Although 94 years old, Shoichi Kumagai, who is known for his secluded life, enjoyed this comfortable life with his wife and his wife, who got up in the morning to eat with his wife and maid.
With the camera footage, we came to Kumagaya's room, where on one side of the window hung several bird cages with colorful chicks waiting to be fed.
While tending to the bird cage, his wife Xiuzi whispered to the birds, who seemed to be very humane, quietly watching their owners whisper to themselves.
Leaving the house, we came to the back garden of Bear Valley, which is like a fairyland and heaven.
The first thing that catches his eye is a patch of grass, which is actually only a few steps away from the room, but for Kumagaya, it is a sacred ritual that needs to be taken seriously and is routinely practiced every day, because the pause of just a few steps is enough for him to observe all sentient beings.
He would gaze intently and curiously at a leaf, or watch a giant butterfly dance.
In order to be able to observe these creatures up close, The immobile Kumagaya Shouichi sometimes had to put down his crutches and crawl forward in the dirt, hearing movement in the grass, he would observe more closely, maybe a bug, or maybe a frog.
After completing this sacred ritual, Kumagai will continue to watch the praying mantis catch insects while sitting down to rest, and then find a stone that appears inexplicably.
This stone, which is plain in the eyes of most people, is regarded as a treasure by Mr. Kumagai, and he has been playing with it from time to time throughout the day after that.
He would stare intently at the stone, with a look of exploration of mysteries, observing the surface of the stone and finding inspiration for his creations.
These were the basic components of his life, and he saw them as his daily companions.
Although Kumagai likes to live in seclusion, the visitors are really endless, and every day all kinds of visitors are eager and sincere to enter his unique world, some buy books, some ask for words, and some want to understand him and record his life.
Among them, a visitor from Shinshu hoped that his new shop would get an inscription from Mr. Kumagaya.
But the wayward Kumagaya just wrote the words "nothing", and people had to persuade the visitor to change the name of his shop to "nothing" to resolve the embarrassment.
In fact, Kumagai is such a character, he just pursed his lips and immersed himself in his own world, sitting by the small pool for several hours, the sun sprinkled on the water surface of the small pool through the treetops, the fish swimming around, everything seemed transparent and ethereal.
One day, a photographer who frequented the photographer came to visit with a new assistant, and the photographer who had been shooting for several years showed the assistant the floor plan of the small courtyard he had drawn and the fourteen positions where Kumagaya would often sit, and the photographer was quite curious and recognized the lifestyle of Kumagai's grandfather.
At this time, Kumagaya lies on the side of the tree stump and observes the ants, which is also the most interesting bridge section of the whole movie.
After a long time, he said that he found that the ant walked with the second leg of his left, and he indulged in the novel experience of careful observation, and invited the photographer to observe it with him.
The photographer really did what Kumagai said, and carefully stared wide-eyed and did not capture anything.
At this time, a ray of sunlight swept over their faces, on the corners of their clothes and trouser legs, the birds around them, the wind blowing across the earth and making whimpering sounds, everything was so comfortable and beautiful.
After a while, everyone gathered in front of the TV to watch an interview about Kumagaya, and when the interview said that the painter had not been out for thirty years, everyone joked about it.
Kumagaya saw that everyone was laughing at himself, so he ran to the street on crutches, only to see people and then flee home in a panic, Kumagaya is sometimes such an interesting old man.
Unconsciously in the second half of the film, Japanese real estate developers want to build apartment buildings, which will block the sunlight shining into the courtyard, everything will lose its vitality, and Shoichi Kumagai's creation will be affected.
In order to successfully persuade Kumagai, the businessman did not hesitate to visit the house, and Mrs. Hideko complained that the developer's building of a house had a major impact on their lives, and what about the various flowers, birds, fish and insects that lived in the yard, this is the life of Kumagai.
After seeing the old man, the fierce and evil developer hurriedly took out the child's painting and asked him for guidance.
After watching for a long time, Kumagaya opened his mouth and said that he was clumsy, but then his eyes were full of tenderness, because clumsiness is also part of the painting.
Even in the face of the developer, Kumagaya's heart is to protect everything in the garden, in his eyes, every flower, tree, every bird, fish and insect is full of spirituality, worthy of awe and respect.
At the end, Kumagai and his wife begin to play chess in the quiet of the night, and he complains that his wife always wins him, but then he shows a relieved expression and says: He is willing to repeat this life several times, because he is willing to live.
Watching the whole movie, we can say that in today's rapidly developing society, Kumagai Shoichi may be a strange person in our eyes.
But in fact, it is his life like this for decades, slowing down, observing everything in the world with his heart, truly loving life, respecting every living individual, in order to have the current artistic achievements.
He has no desires, some are just ingenuity, even if Japan wants to award him a medal as an encouragement, he is not moved, fame and fortune is an external object for him, if he accepts, more people will come to visit.
In his eyes, this garden is his microscopic world, and he only wants to be the protector and singer of the whole world, live every day seriously, and love everything.
In addition, it is worth mentioning that the film is also one of the last works of The Japanese "national treasure" actress Kiki Shirin, and the Showiko she plays in the film is still impressive, willing to meet with her husband's community to live a difficult life, but there is always infinite sweetness and warmth in her heart.
Therefore, most of us do not feel the beauty of life, mostly because there are too many desires in our hearts and dissatisfaction.
And the movie also tells us that after tasting the sufferings of the world, with great love and love for everything you have, your life has more color and weight from then on.
Text/Pippi Film Editorial Department: Fat Fat
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