If it weren't for the Oscar-winning film, I would have seen it again.
1
Listening Girl is this year's Oscar-winning film, a heartwarming and inspirational family film. The story tells the story of Ruby, a girl with normal hearing, who was born in a deaf-mute family, which forced her to take up the responsibility of the family prematurely and act as a bridge between the family and the outside world.
When the family faced various social conflicts and pressures, she also faced bullying from her classmates, estrangement from her family, and experienced the pull between her life and her dreams. After some struggle and growth, she was finally admitted to the Berklee College of Music and reached a reconciliation with her family. Her family also opened up communication with the outside world and found a place in society.
This work, adapted from the original "Bellier Family", shifts the stage of the story from France to the United States, and the characters change from herdsmen to fishermen, but what remains unchanged is the core setting of the protagonist: a deaf-mute The hearing girl in the family, the conflict between her and her family, and the conflict between the family and the able-bodied society.
This is indeed a special setting: we know that deaf and dumb people living among the able-bodied must face various difficulties, but what about the able-bodied person living among the deaf and dumb? In particular, when she assumes the only bridge for this closed small family to communicate with the outside world, what kind of difficulties and pulls will she experience?
When I was in high school, my classmates imitated Ruby's "deaf voice" and deliberately lowered the price when selling the catch; the time and energy between the fishing work and the vocal music lessons when I got up at three in the morning Conflict, when Ruby spread her ideals in front of her parents, what she got was the almost tragic appeal of "We need you" from a family that was in trouble at the beginning of her career, which almost made Ruby give up her musical ideals. Choose to stay and help the family.
One of the most dramatic demonstrations in the movie is when Ruby brings Miles home to practice duet, and Ruby's parents, who don't know anyone at home, are exercising in the next room, and they can't hear the sound themselves. He let go of his voice without hesitation, but it put Ruby in an embarrassing situation.
Troy Cotesoul, who played Ruby's father, won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Interestingly, the actors who played Ruby's parents in the film are really deaf and mute in reality, which may be one of the reasons why their acting skills are so touching.
2
The most touching part of the film is that Ruby sings three times in front of her family.
When Ruby, the only hearing girl in the deaf-mute family, put on the red dress prepared by her mother and stood on the stage of the autumn concert, her father, mother and brother also sat in the audience to watch. When the curtain opened, the cheerful chorus started with the teacher's piano accompaniment. The audience was immersed in the beautiful singing. When the atmosphere was just right, they couldn't help standing up and shaking their bodies. Ruby's family, however, looked around and compared sign language.
You may frown upon seeing this: how inattentive and disrespectful they are! This is a concert performance that my daughter has put so much effort into. She must want the support of her family. Even if you can't hear her singing, why can't you concentrate on watching her daughter's performance?
And when the opening show was over, it was time for a duet of Ruby and Miles, who looked at each other, and the music surrounded the concert hall. At this time, the camera moved to the viewing angle of Ruby's parents, as if the mute button was pressed, and all the sounds disappeared from the world.
Ruby's parents looked at their daughter, proud and confused. They used to fight at night over whether to send their daughter to music school: we haven't heard or heard her sing, does she really sing well? What if she can't sing well, our child—what if she fails?
So they couldn't help looking around, looking at other audience members around them. They were listening attentively, smiling, and someone quietly wiped away their tears... After the singing ended, the audience stood up and applauded, and Ruby's parents also stood up, applauding, waving, excited and happy. They who can't hear the sound can only know through other people's ears - Ruby sings, it's really good.
When the show was over and he got home, Ruby's dad stopped in the courtyard and offered to breathe. Ruby felt something, she sat in the pickup truck with her father. Dad asked in sign language, what kind of song did you sing at the concert?
"That's a... song about what it's like to need another person."
Can you sing to me? Dad asked.
So Ruby sang the song to Daddy. The night sky was vast and the night was peaceful. Father put his hands on Ruby's neck, feeling the vibration of her throat and vocal cords, watching her daughter's eyes slightly moist. At this moment, the daughter's singing was successfully transmitted to the father, and the father also used his hands to convey the understanding and love for this most different and ideal daughter.
The next day, at the Berklee College of Music exam site, Ruby, who had just experienced a performance error, saw her parents and brother sneaking into the auditorium on the second floor.
The most important family members in her life and the most important mentors on the road to her dreams all gave her strength in this small examination room. So she sang and signed sign language to the family members on the second floor. At this moment, sign language conveyed her singing voice to her family, and also connected her family to her musical dream.
Ruby uses her sign language to convey to the family: Yes, your bird is leaving to chase her dreams, but you are not going to lose her.
During these three songs, the Ruby family has completed a transformation: from the family struggling to understand Ruby's passion for music amid alienation and confusion, to Ruby's initiative to convey her ideal pursuit and love to her family.
From the silent duet in the ears of the parents for the first time, to Ruby's singing with sign language in the examination room, the temperature of "home" flows slowly in it: the so-called family is not like this, struggling with each other amid misunderstandings and contradictions. Understand each other, grow up with each other, and in the end still understand each other and love each other deeply?
3
The compliments are over, and next is my personal rant.
As a family-friendly film, "Listening Girl" is indeed lacking in artistry. The Oscar for Best Picture this time is probably in line with the public's taste, but it should be controversial among professional judges, and it is difficult to say that this The film embodies the best of what the film industry has done in the last year.
In terms of plot arrangement, whether it is family conflict, youth romance, or the pursuit of dreams, the screenwriter has used a lot of routines, and almost never wanted to climb out of the rut. The various contradictions and difficulties that were paved at the beginning of the film were resolved at the end without any suspense, and no complete and reasonable solution process was given. After shining brightly in Berkeley's examination room, successive clips flashed, telling the audience that Ruby's dream came true, her family's career was on the right track, and the deaf-mute family finally accepted each other with the society.
And Miles, the biggest opportunity to push Ruby into the chorus and embark on a different life path from then on, has not been able to get more in-depth excavation in the plot, and almost only plays the role of a tool to promote the plot. The vague relationship between him and Ruby has not been shown (even not as full as the emotional drama of Ruby's parents). Puppy love?
Furthermore, the characters in the whole film tend to be one-sided, and the predicaments faced by the protagonist are also superficial and pale, and do not have the strength of real life: Teacher Wei, because of Ruby's musical talent, took the initiative to provide guidance for her to apply for Berkeley. Ruby was late many times, and even made it clear that she decided to give up the exam, she still bought time for her exam, and returned to accompany her again after leaving the exam room. The school bullying that Ruby experienced, except that Miles accidentally said that Ruby's parents were exercising at home, which was quite a blunt episode with a plot-promoting effect, was never reflected later. The family's fishing company, which was once so unsustainable and precarious, made Ruby have to choose to cut off her dream to support the family, but quickly got on the right track after the family reconciled, unloading the burden of family responsibilities for Ruby, allowing her to be able to Freedom to follow the path of music.
Lack of heavy reality, both the dilemma itself and the way to solve it become difficult to settle, and the final happy ending seems less convincing.
But think again, an amateur who has never received professional training, is busy fishing every day or even has no interest in studying, can be admitted to the Berklee College of Music after only one year of after-school tutoring (even taking into account fishing). , such musical talent...
It can only be said that this bowl of chicken soup is not something that ordinary people can drink...
(Author: saury soaked rice)
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