The 2009 edition of "Journey to Heaven", Douban score 8.6. There are no grand stunt scenes, no pompous performances, some are just people's silent protection of family affection in their hearts, and the warm interaction between family members in that frame makes people move and closely soothe people's hearts.
There are many movies with such family ethics themes, and the audience's tastes are also picky, why can it win 8.6 points?
The elderly Frank was a former worker who gave a protective layer for wire wrapping, and after his wife died for 8 months, he lived alone, and his four sons and daughters lived in different cities.
Because of an unfulfilled family gathering, listening to the children's apologies, and the sentence "Love you, miss you", he ignored the doctor's persuasion and took medicine and embarked on a journey to visit his children.
Along the way, he was talking to strangers about his four children. Painter, conductor, dancer, advertising designer, this glamorous title makes him proud and pleased.
But is that the reality?
Robert, who said that he was the conductor of the band, was just an insignificant drummer; Amy, an advertiser who said that his family was happy and successful in his career, actually had a broken relationship between the husband and wife; Rosie, who said that he was the lead dancer, and his real profession was a waiter in the restaurant, who loved the same sex and had children out of wedlock; and David, the painter who was proud of his father's heart, was caught by the police in Mexico and died of drug overdose.
There are many traumas under the seemingly bright life, and all this gradually became clear after he saw the real life state of his children.
Seeing some of the scenes in the movie, these feelings of déjà vu came out.
A friend once said that he had always been the pride of his parents, but in fact he knew that his life was not good. In the big cities, there are too many young people like him. Desperate overtime every day, all kinds of socializing, programs that can't pass, complicated interpersonal relationships, and roars from the boss.
And his parents and people talk about him, always living in a big city, sitting in a big office, with air conditioning, heating, all high-end consumption, making a lot of money every month, and the children are very productive.
And in the face of his parents, he always only said the happy part, squeezing the subway, getting drunk, staying up late and working overtime, etc. He did not mention a word.
We watch movies to get deep feelings, because we want all kinds of emotional baptism, which is the true meaning of successful films. Drama or comedy leads us to touch our inner humanity and experience emotional purification.
"Journey to Heaven" allows us to experience this kind of emotional baptism again with Frank's journey, the interpretation of family affection, this universal truth, people everywhere will resonate.
In this movie, the micro-expressions of the characters are captured very well, and all the close-up shots show the emotions of the characters, which is not only an acting skill, but also a reproduction of real life.
1. Envelopes
Without meeting David in New York, and without Frank knowing the truth, he slipped a letter into David's door.
The envelope read: "David, I wanted to surprise you, but unfortunately you are not at home, I will call you later, love your father." ”
The picture freezes on the letter, the camera zooms closer, and the viewer sees the look of loss on Frank's face, which is stinging.
How many people have waited for their parents like this, and how many people have made their parents wait indefinitely.
2． I thought I was going to shake hands, but in the end I hugged each other tightly
When he visits his son Robert in Denver, Frank discovers that what he sees is very different from what his wife told him.
The son was just an inconsequential drummer who came out of the training team without causing any discomfort. What was he thinking in his heart at that moment?
I wanted to talk to my son well, but because of the problem of "quitting smoking", the two stood on the street outside the house and argued with each other. Robert has repeatedly said that he is satisfied with his current life, not disappointed, and it is obvious that his father is disappointed.
The father was about to leave, and with some embarrassment, the son did not go to hold his father's hand, but gave the father a deep hug.
In the camera, Frank walks to the door and looks back at his son again. He seemed to see Robert as a child, the same expression, the same movements. The camera zooms closer, and the expression on Frank's face is heartbreaking.
Why didn't Robert and Amy keep their father and live with themselves for a few days? In the process of watching, I have learned about the dilemma that David has caused them. In order not to worry the father, they could not say anything.
We can think of the film story as the protagonist's emotional journey from naivety to maturity. Each protagonist's story is a journey with whom we walk. Many great film artists construct film narratives by identifying their true selves around the problems of their characters overcoming their relationships with others. Hollywood script consultant Michael Hauge calls the process of gradually discovering the essence of human nature the protagonist's inner journey: from identity to essence, from the initial evasion of wearing a self-protective mask to the final removal of the mask, emotionally honest and full of life.
And such a scene, many people have also experienced.
Friends do not like to study, after high school residence, one day at noon temporary something happened he ran home. Only to find that there were no dishes at home, my mother would eat a bite of noodles at noon. Because of his sudden return, he disrupted his parents' position. It turned out that only when he was at home, there would be a rich dish on the table, fresh fruits of all colors.
At noon that day, he finished eating a bowl of noodles in his mother's apologetic expression. It was also from that day that he finally had the look that a high school student should have, and he worked hard to study.
In this world, all noble emotions are ashamed to confess, and all profound experiences are clumsy in words. Understanding and understanding are white lies between us and our parents, who always make us learn to understand life at some point.
A well-developed theme is crucial to the nature of the story you're telling and will be presented in interesting ways, whether it's symbolism, dialogue, or description.
In Journey to Heaven, Frank's relationship with his children gradually changes, relying on good dialogue.
1． "Why, you say everything to your mother, but not to me?"
"Because we've always been in touch with mom, she's good at listening, and you're good at giving your opinions."
2. "Hello, Daddy, is Mommy here?" ”
Why is such a scene touching?
It's more like you and me once, calling home. If it is the mother to pick up, the topic continues to talk, if it is the father to pick up, we will also say the above words: "Is the mother here?" ”
"Journey to Heaven" accurately captures this emotion and feeling.
A film should be a process of emotions and feelings, themes, what is behind the emotions, the meanings contained therein, and everything that happens afterwards.
Perhaps in the eyes of Frank's 4 children, the father is strict, the young father works hard for the family's livelihood, and he never enters the hearts of the children. With my father, there is a sense of oppression.
It felt like David's conversation with his father.
"What do you want to do when you grow up?"
"I want to be a painter and paint myself."
"Don't be a painter, they paint on the wall, the puppy also pees on the wall, be a painter, the painter's painting can change people's lives." You have to be my pride. ”
"I'll work hard Dad."
In the movie, every time Frank is separated from his children, he asks: Are you happy?
When the child thinks that the father will be disappointed because of his life state, and the father knows that the children are pretending to be good at life, he does not care about the so-called success, he only hopes that the children will be happy and live the life they want. Knowing that they were all unsatisfactory, he saw through it and did not say it was broken.
After visiting Rosie, the medicine was gone, and Frank decided to fly back. Suffered bad weather and he had a heart attack.
A family that has been unable to get together for a long time is gathered in the ward at this time. Lying on the hospital bed, Frank listened to the news of David's unfortunate death, looked at the three children in front of him, and covered his face and wept. Thinking of his wife's death for 8 months, his interaction with his children is like a mountain and a sea, and his heart is like a knife.
At night, lying on his hospital bed, he seemed to see David in his confusion, and he said the words: "Whatever you do, I will be proud of you, sorry." ”
After recovering from illness, Frank rushed to the gallery to buy David's painting. The shopkeeper told him that the painting had been bought, and finally found another painting in the warehouse, and saw the graffiti-like wires, and only he understood the reasoning.
Don't be too low, because your father once lifted you above your head, and when you are sad, remember to laugh, because your mother's wish is that you can be happy every day.
Love will creep in at any moment, like a parent's pocket full of gifts for us. We all think that when we encounter problems, we cannot reconcile with our parents, but in fact, as long as love is there, there is nothing that cannot be reconciled.
"Journey to Heaven" is a film with a realistic theme, it is the core of the spirit, it is beyond the times and beyond the nation, which is why it has multiple versions.
This kind of realism will make you believe in this character, the logic, motivations, behaviors and feelings of this character, and he resonates with you and me.
At the end of the movie, the family finally gets together for Christmas, everyone is good, living the life they want, it's good.
In order not to worry and disappoint our parents, we selectively report our situation; because of the sincerity of love, we dare not get too close. No matter what we have with our parents, home means a lot to us, and love and understanding are enough.