Seventh brother has a saying, "People who mature early tend to mature late." For example, I only knew at that time, wow, there is a person named Tony Leung, and he is so handsome and so melancholy. The word "Hong Kong" has also entered my concept with this melancholy undercover image since the return of Hong Kong in 1997: there is actually a type of movie called "Hong Kong movie"...
But I found this After that, I looked back and found that this legendary Hong Kong film has long been popular on both sides of the strait, and even surpassed Korean films and Japanese films to become the leader of Asian films. For me, who has given up old films from the mainland before the 1980s and turned to American blockbusters for three years, I can't help but say it's a pleasant surprise. Who says Chinese people can't make movies? It can produce a high-level work that is not inferior to American movies.
Undercover, this image that brought me into the gentle trap of Hong Kong movies can be regarded as a type of character that is more favored by movie creators. Because this role is the most contradictory and conflicting. And conflict is the core and soul of the drama, so movies about undercover are the easiest to win in terms of plot and grab the audience.
Before "Infernal Affairs", there were also many undercover gangster movies in Hong Kong. For example, Chow Yun-fat's "Dragon and Tiger" was very classic, and it seems that he brought a golden statue award to Fa Ge. Unlike "Infernal Affairs", "Dragon Tiger" focuses on the gangster side, and describes the undercover mental journey of Gao Qiu played by Fa Ge very deeply. In this regard, it is even more delicate and touching than "Infernal Affairs". . In "Infernal Affairs", after all, Liang Chaowei still did not have any brotherhood with these big guys, at most the scene with Du Wenze in the car was a little traceable, but it was not clearly stated; but "Dragon Tiger Wind and Cloud" "Fa Ge is really in pain. He has entered the underworld, and he sympathizes with the Jianghu brother Li Xiuxian, but he can't give up the task, and both sides can't give up. Justice and injustice, duty and mission and brotherhood, have been entangled due to inner contradictions, Until he was finally shot and killed by his own people.
The undercover character with a deep impression, as well as Daxian's "Pride in the Sky", although I feel a little bit bloody, the script also focuses all the conflicts on this "undercover", but the main contradiction is unfolding on the side of the police. The police suspected the undercover renegade, and then Daxian continued to embark on the "unofficial" undercover road in order to prove his innocence, and finally completed the happy ending. (Could it be that only the death of the undercover will become a classic...?)
But whether it is dog blood or a classic, the dramatic conflict in the undercover will always focus on the contradiction between "trust" and "betrayal". Whether "trust" or "betrayal", these two words eventually fall back to the word "people". Whether it is trust or betrayal, it describes the relationship between people.
Humans can never exist apart from other people and society. The reason why "Infernal Affairs" can become a landmark work in undercover movies is because its discussion of the identity of "undercover" does not stop at creating dramatic conflicts and increasing plot appeal in order to catch the audience's attention. Going a step further, it discusses a person's relationship with those around him, with his surroundings. What identity am I, which side do I belong to, am I still the old me, who am I?
Chen Yongren dared to say, "Actually, I am a policeman" only in a joke. But in fact, when he said it himself, he didn't know how much of the sentence was true or whether it was false. He needed a lot of approval and needed someone to tell him, "I know, I believe in you, yes, you the police."
But when the psychiatrist said "actually me too", only he knew the bitterness in Chen Yongren's smile.
Liu Jianming is even worse. He lives in the sun - of course, this is what Chen Yongren can't even dream of, but his heart can't bear this light. He was promoted, moved a big house, married a wife, and the happier his life was under the sun, the more he was afraid, fearing that such a beautiful castle in the sky, built on betrayal and lies, would collapse one day, leaving him with nothing.
The rooftop is a very symbolic metaphor. As the place to connect with the boss, only when he meets with Sir Huang at this time, can Chen Yongren truly "see the light", so that he can bask in the sunshine and talk, laugh and discuss with his boss. The case, at this moment, he is returning, he knows where he belongs, and has a sense of belonging. But this is too short.
Another highlight of the film is the conversation between the two undercover agents when they meet on the rooftop: "
I'm sorry, I'm a police officer."
"Who knows?"
Suddenly pulled away, on the empty rooftop, two silent people in black shirts, behind the large background is the clear and distant sky of Hong Kong.
That's a great question.
who knows? Who knows who you are? Sir Huang died, the file was deleted, all the evidence that can tell you "you are a policeman" no longer exists, who knew you were a policeman? Do you just tell yourself, "I'm a policeman," and you are? The word "police" is the authentication of you by someone other than you. You live among others. Without others, "identity" is a meaningless term, not to mention the many "identities" of "police". One of them... and you have long since separated from the original environment and the "others" in that environment, and then have been living in another environment through "betrayal" and coexisting with the "others" in that environment, then " What others think you are, what you are, and yourself, has no choice.
"Who am I?" This is a question that can never be answered by oneself. Because you can never know who you are, only "others" know who you are.
And the question "Who are you?" will never have a correct answer, because the person answering the question will never be able to give his own answer, he can only give the answer prepared by "others".
This is society, individuals, and society.
"I thought I had reached absolute loneliness, but I found out that I can never exist without others, because without others, I don't even know who I am."
Therefore, people invent ID cards, passports, and various proofs, in order to solve the problem of "who knows" when there is a conflict between "who I am" and "who you are".
At this time, "Infernal Affairs" tells not only the story of undercover, but also the portrayal of the hearts of modern people living in anxiety and confusion: more and more closed, farther and farther away from the crowd, more and more do not know what to do The true self has no sense of belonging, yet yearns for an identity so much that he separates himself from the society, only to find that he cannot survive without the society at all.
And this undercover unease and confusion has expanded in Hong Kong.
A while ago, "Student Police III" became a big hit in Hong Kong, and undercover has become a topic again since "Infernal Affairs". When I was reading some film reviews at that time, I remembered that someone seemed to have said that Hong Kong is suitable for undercover movies, because Hong Kong has always been in such a position that is not embarrassing or embarrassing. Before returning to China, I thought I was not China, but after returning, I didn't know what I was under the "one country, two systems".
"return". But where does it "return", and where does it "return"? Is it possible to "return" once the flag is lowered and raised once?
Hong Kong people have always had a lingering confusion about their status. I can't see my identity, I can't find my way. No embarrassment, no ups and downs.
The sense of belonging has always been an untouchable weakness in Hong Kong. Because it hurts too much.
The loneliness, emptiness, confusion and wandering brought by this lack of embarrassment have become an important part of Hong Kong culture.
In addition to a large number of undercover themes, the most typical reflection in the film is Wong Kar-wai, and the more typical one is that he shot - I think it is currently his best work - "Happy Birthday".
This film was made in 1997, and Wong Kar-wai himself said that what he mainly expressed was his thoughts on "return".
The most impressive scene for me in this movie is the scene of Li Yaohui playing football with a group of Argentines on the streets of Buenos Aires. In a hot summer day, the white shirt is set against the dazzling southern hemisphere sun, and the swaying figures, And the shaking lens makes you suddenly unable to distinguish who these figures are shining in the sun, and where is the figure and where is the sun. In this swaying and erratic, football walks under people's feet.
I don't know why I haven't had any feelings for the widely mentioned waterfall and waterfall lights, but it is the kicking scene that I can't forget.
Like most of Wong Kar-wai's films, this film also depicts loneliness, but in this loneliness, there is a sense of confusion without direction and purpose, and a sadness of being left homeless and wandering.
This tone runs through the entire film, especially the feeling of the kicking scene: Yaobai's figure swaying in the sunlight, and the camera is also moving with the football, creating a bright white blur that makes People are restless and feel unreal, and the football that has been passed around seems to be a metaphor, implying that the protagonist is wandering and has nowhere to turn.
Maybe this is my speculation after all, but it is undeniable that the word "return" to Hong Kong in 1997 has always been a kind of confusion with nowhere to turn.
In Hong Kong's "short" history, there have been two waves of immigration. I won't say it the first time, and the second time was from the late 1980s to the early 1990s - before Hong Kong's return. For a variety of reasons, many people have undeserved distrust and anxiety about "returning", and choose to immigrate to Australia or Canada, and choose a second nationality in order to obtain identity recognition and protection (and not It is said that there will be a resurgence of immigrants in the future, and even if there is a resurgence, they will still return to Hong Kong). They still lack a sense of belonging and security at the root.
Zhong Liwen said to Brother Laughing, I am not a person on both sides of being an undercover agent, and I have had enough of these days.
Brother Laughing said that being an undercover agent will kill you, have no friends, and have no feelings...
As for Hong Kong, the foreigners are called "Ghosts", and the working girls in the Mainland are called "Northern Girls". I think that those who talk about English have nothing to do with it, but they still use English in official occasions and some official documents; I despise those who ask for directions in "Mandarin" on the street, but they speak Cantonese in private and are very enthusiastic. In Cantonese, sorry, asir, these so-called English words have been used so often that there is a Chinese character corresponding to them.
Neither side is human, and neither side agrees with them, nor do they know where they belong. Under "One Country, Two Systems", everything seems to be continuing the same pace of life. Famous, but I don't know when this "fifty" starts and how it ends. From the original passport of British Dependent Territories citizens to the current passport of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the word "British" was removed, but the word "special" was added - even this is used to solve the "who knows" problem It proves that there is such a vague embarrassment and helplessness.
Li Yaohui finally chose to go back. Because he found out that Zhang Zhen (can't remember the character's name) is wandering around because he has a place to "go back".
When Li Yaohui saw a photo of Zhang Zhen's family on the streets of Taiwan at the end of the film, I think the director did not conceal his yearning for the word "return" at all.
After all, yearning is just yearning, and there is still a trace of confusion about where to go.
Just like today, 12 years later, there are still people in Hong Kong quietly saying that Hong Kong is suitable for undercover movies. I still don't know where I want to belong, and I can't find my identity. Over and over again, I am unwilling to ask "I am the one", "Where do I want to go"...
Chen Yongren did not live to "return" to the past , but he "saw" Liu Jianming's arrest.
Hong Kong returned in 1997.
After 1997, more and more Hong Kong people began to discover that the mainland is a good place to "eat". Many Hong Kong primary school students began to learn Mandarin in class. I don't know if this is a sign of the real return of Hong Kong. .
For Hong Kong people before 1997, the word "return" represented too many meanings. Do they have a place to "return" after all?
Come back, come back, these words contain too much warmth. For this one who has never felt a sense of belonging or knows his identity
, "Infernal Affairs" reveals the unsolved sadness of modern people for the question of "who am I" through the profession of undercover.
It reveals the deepest sorrow of the profession of undercover, even of people. A sadness of not knowing "who I am".
Not to mention Hong Kong people, how many mainlanders can truly identify with Hong Kong culturally and culturally? It is easy for the pupils of a primary school in Xinle City of the National Choir to sing songs celebrating the return of Hong Kong; from top to bottom, it is also easy to shout "One Country, Two Systems" and "Mother Motherland", but if you sing and shout, you can It seems too simple to let a "small land" with a population of 6 million that already has its own highly developed entertainment industry "return" completely.
However, a special culture derived from this coveted sense of belonging constitutes an important part of Hong Kong culture.
The sense of belonging has always been an untouchable weakness in Hong Kong. Because it hurts too much.
"Return" is a good use of the word.
But where does it "return", and where does it "return"? Is it possible to "return" once the flag is lowered and raised once?
I have watched a lot of Wong Kar-wai's films in recent years, but my favorite is "Happy Birthday".
In fact, watching the movie at that time moved me the most. It was Tony Leung or the loneliness of Li Yaohui. This loneliness is even worse than the loneliness of the policeman in "Chongqing Forest" played by Tony Leung. In "Chongqing Forest", the loneliness of Sir, who talks to towels and toys, finally makes people feel deliberate, and the whole article expresses it very clearly. But in "Happy Spring", this loneliness is very hidden. Its existence is not like "Chongqing Forest" because of lovelorn, not because Leslie Cheung (forgot the character's name) left, but it has always been there. As an objective existence, it was there early in the morning. The story takes place in a completely unfamiliar country, and the protagonists also have a homosexual love that is classified as an odd number, without money or even a destination (can the so-called waterfall really be regarded as a destination?) In fact, there is no need to tell a story. All the backgrounds are actually stating "loneliness", a kind of loneliness of wandering and leaving home.
At this moment, Infernal Affairs is abstract and deepened.
It no longer stops at an undercover movie with a big name and a plot to win. He made everyone feel confused for a moment at that moment.
But this kind of loneliness has more of a sense of wandering from home. And this loneliness has nothing to do with the story, as an objective existence, it was there early in the morning.
A foreign country in the far southern hemisphere, can't speak Spanish, dare not go home, a broken car, a "boyfriend" who will probably leave at any time, no money, no destination, this setting for Li Yaohui has been narrated before the story begins He's lonely.
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