The Balkan Peninsula, located in southeastern Europe, has been divided and merged throughout history, which can be described as eventful. In 1912, the alliance of Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia defeated the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) and won the first Balkan War. Macedonia was also reluctantly ceded to the three countries by the Ottomans. Later, due to the uneven distribution of spoils among the three countries, the second Balkan War was provoked. In the end, Greece and Serbia defeated Bulgaria, and the three countries divided up Macedonia. What Serbia got was what is now the territory of the Republic of Macedonia. After the First World War, Serbia became part of Yugoslavia. During World War II, Greece, Yugoslavia and Albania became allies. After the victory of World War II, Yugoslavia established a communist state headed by Tito. As a victorious country in World War II, Albania was in the territorial negotiations with Yugoslavia, due to the teacher-student relationship between Tito and Enver Hoxha and the selfless assistance of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia to the Communist Party of Albania during World War II. Therefore, in terms of territorial division, Yugoslavia took a lot of advantages, and many areas dominated by Albanians were divided into Yugoslavia. In 1946, Tito separated the Macedonian region from Serbia and became a republic of Yugoslavia, while the Albanian-dominated area was merged into the republic of Macedonia, which laid a hidden danger for the ethnic conflicts in Macedonia. When Yugoslavia disintegrated in 1991, Macedonia became the Republic of Macedonia with the peaceful independence of several other countries.
This shows that the ethnic conflicts within Macedonia have a long history. Macedonians and Albanians account for 90% of the entire country’s population structure. Because of the different religious beliefs and language barriers between the two ethnic groups, the contradictions between the two ethnic groups are becoming more and more irreconcilable, and bloody violence occurs frequently. The biggest obstacle to peace and development in the Republic of Macedonia makes the UN peacekeeping organization helpless. "Heavy Rain" was filmed against such a historical background and is the first film in the Republic of Macedonia to receive this honor, and the first film in the country.
Generally speaking, the first novels of literary creators are somewhat autobiographical. Whether the same is true for the writers and directors of the film and television industry is unknown. A bit of Mirko Manchevsky's shadow. Mirko Manchevsky was born in Macedonia and studied film in the United States. He is an excellent photographer and novelist. When he returned to his hometown to visit relatives, he was moved by the beauty of the motherland, and by the kind-hearted people who were suffering. The torment of ignorance and war was deeply shocked. Therefore, he was determined to make a film with such a theme. After three years of preparation and shooting, the debut work "Heavy Rain is Coming", written and directed by him, was released.
The film consists of three stories. The three stories are both independent and interrelated. The first story is the extension and result of the third story. The second story is the succession and succession of the other two stories. The third story The ending happens to be the same set of shots as the beginning of the first story. Therefore, from the perspective of the development sequence of the story, the development of the film's plot always follows a circular trajectory and is slowly advancing. But according to normal logical reasoning, in the third story Alexander is dead, it is impossible to appear in the second story, but the third story is indeed developed according to the second story. In fact, the beauty of the film is that it completely breaks the sequence of time and space and is free to splicing. The stories are images of each other and correspond to each other. Such a mysterious narrative structure is like a precise circle. It is difficult to distinguish the starting point and the ending point, which corresponds to the The phrase "time does not pass, the circle does not end" also implies that the violent conflict in Macedonia is like a circle, with no end or end in sight.
The beauty of the sunset at dusk is enchanting, the light blue sky is clear and vast, and Brother Corey is picking ripe tomatoes, his young face is pure as a baby. Not far away, the blue waves of Lake Ohrid are rippling, and the white waves swaying in the breeze are like pieces of white sails, disappearing and disappearing. With the vicissitudes of history. This kind of sunset may happen every day, but such a peaceful and peaceful moment is rare. The calm makes people feel a little uneasy, and it seems that there is some kind of indescribable danger hidden in it. The smell of rain wafted in the air, and sure enough, this unprecedented tranquility was a harbinger of the impending rainstorm. Here, the film uses a very layered lens language to slowly lay out the sky, lake, and characters, combining movement and stillness, which is picturesque and poetic. Lake Ohrid is located at the junction of Albania and Macedonia, where the environment is beautiful, and there are many Orthodox churches along the lake. Most Macedonians are Orthodox believers. This set of pictures depicting the environment and rendering the atmosphere is in stark contrast to the bloody, tense atmosphere of the later story.
1. The language
monk Kerui made a silent vow for the retreat. Every day he smiled and showed his silence. The sudden intrusion of an Albanian girl broke his peace. It turns out that the young and vigorous heart can not be suppressed and locked by a vow . The kind-hearted Kerui took in the fleeing girl. Although the two had difficulty communicating due to the language barrier, the two souls who had just begun to love each other could meet in silence.
Although the priest did not hand over the little girl, when facing a group of thugs with real guns, he chose silence and tolerance. A group of Macedonians almost went crazy for revenge, brutally beat a cat's flesh and blood to vent their grievances, shot their guns into the sky for fun, and swayed to the rock music on the radio. While they slammed their hands and mouths, they interfered with the pure holy land and trampled on the dignity of religion. In a way, they are both loyal defenders of religion, cruel executioners and blasphemers of religion. To defend or to desecrate, it depends only on revenge. The little girl's grandfather and brother also did the same. In order to maintain the dignity of Islam they believed in, they brutally shot and killed the little girl regardless of their kinship. When hatred has been deeply rooted, when revenge has become a manifestation of dignity, everything is powerless, without reason, without excuse. What we see is a distorted human nature within the deep thinking of the two nations and the two religions antagonizing hard. Language is pale in front of the maddened Avengers, life is so small and fragile, and communication is like the bright moon hanging in the night sky at this moment, as if it is within reach, but it is actually out of reach.
The contrast in the film is unique. In this story, whether it is the silence of the priest, the contrast between Corey and the little girl's resistance and the cruelty of the perpetrator, or the comparison between Corey and the little girl's sympathy with other people's communication barriers, everything is profound. A reminder of the difference and good and evil between them. When a religion with justice and truth as its main purpose becomes the acquiescence of evil, and when sacred faith takes precedence over truth, goodness and family affection, religious faith will inevitably become a disaster. In the film, when the priest stands in the rolling hills and faces the beautiful scenery, it is a perfect irony when he says that he feels the joy of the scenery and has to praise. He had to speak for the beauty, but remained silent about sin and violence. What kind of religious spokesperson is this? What kind of faith adherents? People are accustomed to pin their hopes on religion for peace and stability, which shows how illusory it is. Love is the powerful force that truly turns war into jade and silk.
A group of children ignited firewood and formed a circle of fire, put a turtle into the circle of fire to play, and then threw bullets into the fire. With the crackling sound, the turtle in the circle of fire was struggling with its hooves facing the sky. . Children are innocent and have nothing to do with violence, but the group of children in the film who play in a cruel way and use bullets as toys are no different from the perpetrators at this moment. In fact, they are not victims of hatred. The seeds of hatred have already been sown in their young hearts. They can only unconditionally accept the arrangement of fate, just like the tortoise in the fire, going to death in passive fooling. The circle of fire symbolized the continuous flames of war, and the people who ignited the flames were themselves.
At the end of the story, the little girl resolutely ran to Kerui, even if she was greeted by death, there is nothing more worthy of pursuit than love. The moment she fell to the ground, her eyes were fixed on Keri, the sky after the rain was blue and deep, and the ground beneath her was covered with withered and soft autumn grass. Seeing Keri's heartbroken expression, she put her finger on her lips. In between, a comforting gesture, like a kiss, but also a hint of calm.
At this moment, love has transcended words, transcended hatred, and transcended death.
2. Ann with a fashionable face
is Alexander's lover. In London, the capital of the United Kingdom, people are well-dressed and live peacefully. Compared with the distant Macedonia, they seem to be irrelevant. But in such a civilized city, people are still confused, just like standing on the street in the film, watching the crowd rushing to rub shoulders, hearing the horns of cars and the noise of the engine one after another, in the bustling crowd. In the bustling city, the cold wind blows through the street corner, and the loneliness and helplessness are like Ann's long hair flying freely.
Alexander, who was killed because of several photos, won the Pulitzer Prize, but he could not escape the condemnation of his conscience, so he decided to return to Macedonia, which is his hometown. He took news photos all the year round and knew the current situation in his hometown. Understand the value of peace. If only death could free himself, he would rather fall in the arms of his motherland. Here in the film, Alexander and Ann break up at the cemetery, which is a metaphor for Alexander's death. And Ann met again after breaking up with him, right next to the tomb where Alexander was buried. It seemed like a dramatic coincidence, but it was actually a deliberate arrangement.
After the pregnancy, Ann hesitated between her husband Nick and Alexander. The two feelings made it difficult for her to choose. When Nick at the dinner table heard the news that he was about to become a father, he was ecstatic, but Ann hesitated. At this time, a drinker on the side had a quarrel with the waiter. All of them took care of themselves and watched a farce gradually escalate into a violent incident. or injuries are unavoidable. Nick was beaten to death, and when Ann picked up Nick's bloody face, he couldn't make it out.
At this moment, Nick's face, the crying face of a child in Alexander's photo, the emaciated face of a skinny refugee, and the face of crying beside the tombstone, these faces are so similar. The happy people in the world have their own happiness, but the unfortunate people are all the same. It is violence that makes them all encounter similar or the same cruel fate even if they are at the ends of the earth.
Violence is no longer unique to a certain country or region, nor is it closely related to a certain person or group of people. In fact, it is inextricably linked to each of us. When violence strikes, every individual living being is inextricably linked. Victims all have the same face, whether it is the triumph after victory or the cry after pain, the nature is the same, there is no winner in the face of the massacre.
3. Photo
Alexander returned to his hometown of Macedonia. Years of war made this beautiful land barren and desolate. Although he was full of excitement and enthusiasm for returning home, he was greeted by the cold eyes and dark muzzle of his hometown people. The dilapidated small building can still be seen in the low-rise buildings of the neighbors. However, today and today, the exhausted Alexander is like that house full of holes, isolated and helpless. Nothing but enthusiasm.
In the eyes of hometown people, the Pulitzer Prize is just a game for civilized people to entertain themselves. Only the gun in their hands can make them feel the supremacy of dignity. Guns have become a must-have tool for Macedonians, as natural as farm tools and tableware for eating. When a group of relatives and friends took pictures around Alexander, the warm scene made it hard to believe that they were the makers of violence, the madmen who wanted to kill in the church. Obviously, both Macedonians and Algerians are the same. On the one hand, they are dutiful husbands and fathers, filial sons, and loyal friends, on the other hand, they are executioners who kill without blinking an eye. When vendetta has gone deep into life and has become a habit and a necessary behavior, no one can turn the tide. They fight for the sake of confrontation, and they seem to have completely forgotten what the ultimate goal of confrontation and struggle is. Maybe they only lose their loved ones again and again. Awaken slowly from the pain.
Bozhen's death sparked a war between the two clans, and the disaster of one family had to be imposed on the other. In the film, the son of Alexander's first love shoots his sister and his attitude towards Alexander represents the hatred and paranoia of the younger generation of the two ethnic groups. Hatred makes relatives raise guns, hatred makes lovers become strangers. When Alexander tore the photo to shreds, he showed his desperate attitude to quell the vendetta between the two races. In fact, it was love that made Alexander make up his mind, just as Corey fell in love with a little girl. It was love that gave them the courage to resist. It is worth pondering that Alexander is Corey's uncle, and Alexander's lover is the mother of the little girl. The love of two generations and the lives of two generations have all been sacrificed on the road to this extremely difficult peace.
Alexander fell under the gun of his cousin. The sky was blue and deep, and the ground under him was covered with withered and soft autumn grass. He used his life and blood to open a corner of the prelude to peace. Time goes by forever, and Alexander's death may not be earth-shattering. In the hearts of Macedonians, it may only leave a short period of pain. When the rainstorm finally comes, the rain washes everything and the blood that seeped into the earth. I believe there will always be Some will stay, and in the reddish blood that remains, people will vaguely see the dawn of peace, even if it is very faint, but as long as the prelude is slowly opened, will the main drama be far away?
When the film is over, the picture returns to the beginning of the film. It is still the sunset at dusk, the sky is still light blue, and the young face of Brother Corey is still as pure as a baby. Not far away, Lake Ohrid is still rippling with blue waves, quiet and beautiful. All this seems to be a reincarnation, and people can't help but sigh, it would be great if nothing happened!
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