Since we have chosen this home, there is a bond of love between us.
I watched "The Thief Family" with my mother, she liked it very much, and I was very happy.
Some people say that this is the work of Hirokazu Koreeda's "collection". maybe. But this is undoubtedly the most vivid display of his personal talent. This time, Shi Zhi used almost all of his accumulation of family themes over the years, and added a lot of fresh family elements to discuss topics that were rarely covered before.
For example, can people choose their own family? What role does blood play in an intimate relationship? How deep can the emotional bond between strangers be?
There is a scene in "The Family of Thieves" where the little actor who plays the older brother, the cypress officer, reads a text "Little Black Fish" in front of his "family", which triggers a "father and son" debate about "unity is power" talk.
Tell a story first. "Little Black Fish" is contained in the first volume of the second grade Mandarin textbook in Japan. It is a fairy tale work published by the famous picture book artist Leo Leoni in 1992. The story is not complicated. There is a family of fish in the sea. Except for one small fish, which is black, the rest are red. One day, a huge tuna ate all the little red fish in the family, only the little black fish escaped. Since then, the homeless it has wandered around in the sea, encountered all kinds of marine creatures, and saw the real world.
Until one day, the little black fish finally met a group of the same kind as himself, they all hid in the shadows of reefs and seaweeds. The little black fish encourages them to go out and see the world, but the little fish are afraid to go out and become the meal of the big fish. The little black fish had an idea and said it would be better if we pretended to be the big fish. So they used their weak bodies to form a huge "big fish", and they acted in unison wherever they went. The united little fish won.
I think the story that it was Hirokazu-eda who added "Little Black Fish" to the movie has a special meaning. And this story is the key to understanding The Thief Family.
In that special "thief's house", everyone is all "little black fish", all have unknown unfortunate backgrounds, and they meet by chance after leaving their original family, and it is logical to form a new family. In order to make a living, they took the risk and became thieves one after another, just like in order not to be eaten, the little fish came together and pretended to be deceptive "big fish". It doesn't matter what is right or wrong, it is unexpected and reasonable.
In this cruel world of "big fish eat small fish", desperate people can win their lives only by joining a group to keep warm. Even if they did not belong to a family originally, since they have come together, they should face the reality bravely and live a good life. In the movie, the only thing that "The House of Thieves" depends on is the love for each other. The most important survival secret for everyone is "solidarity", no matter what you do, you have to be in step and careful. Only in this way can they hide their eyes and ears and divert their attention, so as to survive in the cracks.
The story of "Little Black Fish" may also have another ending, that is, "infighting".
If the small fish are not united by their own concerns, the illusion of "big fish" will be dismantled, and then all the small fish will be eaten by the big fish, and this special temporary combination will disappear. This cruel ending does not appear in fairy tales, but it often happens in reality. For example, at the end of "The Thief's Family", the elder brother Xiangtai's idea of "stealing" began to waver, and he had doubts about this "home". After he was deliberately caught, it triggered a domino effect, and legal sanctions led to the "home of thieves" seventy Ba Luo, this special combination no longer exists.
In addition to the scene of Xiangtai reading the text mentioned above, there are several foreshadowings related to "Little Black Fish" in the film. One time, "Dad" led the two children to steal in a fishing gear store, and Xiangtai and "Sister" played the game of catching small fish in front of the water tank; the other time was that unforgettable trip to the seaside, this time everyone gathered together very much. When they got close, the "family" kept laughing and laughing at the seaside. This kind of "family-like" warm picture can't help but remind people of a scene in "Little Black Fish". Whether it is a natural or acquired family, as long as they live together well, it is the greatest kindness in the world.
In "The Thief Family", because there is no blood relationship and is not protected by law, this "family" may fall apart at any time, and even the parties themselves do not believe that this relationship can last. Even so, in this "thief's house", whether it is the elderly, young and middle-aged, or children, everyone is content and cherishes the short time together. Instead, they get along more comfortably than in the previous family. .
The grandma played by Shu Xilin said, "Since we have chosen this home, we have a bond of love." No matter whether the law allows it or not, and no matter what others think, this "little home" is a shelter for everyone. The warm harbor of rain. Even if they don't live together in the end, this invisible bond still exists. Home is a station, and we cannot leave it in our entire life.
In the end, it was Hirokazu Koreeda who still focused on the emotional bond between his family, which is what he is best at. Whether it is the "conventional family" in "Walking On" and "Deeper Than the Sea", or the "unconventional family" in "Like Father Like Son", "No One Knows", "Haijie Diary" and "The Thief Family", He can handle all kinds of complex relationships with ease, and show restraint and calmness in front of the camera the emotional fetters that occur in each family.
Salty or bland, deep or shallow, they are all true and true feelings in the world.
(Personal account, Baltic Sea)
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