the old stuff.
I know Lee Changdong from "Mint". This writer-turned-director has only directed 3 films so far. The first one starred Han Shikyu. The name is "Green Fish". I haven't had a chance to watch it yet. quite attractive. The second book is "Mints", which made him famous in China, and the third book "Oasis" won two awards for best director and best newcomer in Venice that year, and Li was also able to enter the hall of world-class directors.
The lens of "Oasis" is aimed at marginalized groups in society. Although this is also a common film theme, Li Cangdong intends to use this special identity setting to express the true and pure love in his mind. The story of the general and the princess shows a different kind of cruel romance in this realistic social background. In the spiritual world of the princess, light and shadow turn into white doves and butterflies, and the paintings depict women, children and baby elephants walking down from India. Everyone dances in the room together, "If I were a poet, I would sing for you". The general was in charge of taking care of the princess's daily meals. He took her out to play, cranked up the volume on the radio in the car, and danced with her on the congested highway. However, the heaviness of reality has repeatedly overwhelmed this fragile two-person world, like a desert trying to ruthlessly swallow up an oasis. The combination of the two is regarded as abhorrent rape by the outside world, because in the eyes of the world, the general is just a gangster with many criminal records, while the princess is a patient with severe cerebral palsy who has almost no thoughts. How can there be love between two people like this? ! The police mocked the general's "special taste" maliciously. How could they see the unique beauty of the princess in the eyes of the general? Under the anxiety, the princess was speechless and could only bang her body against the wall, but it was considered to be silent anger at this "atrocity". Yes, she is angry, but not against the men who have been inflicted with crimes, but against the so-called "relatives" and the general public who think they are right.
Li Cangdong said frankly that this is not a beautiful movie. He mainly refers to the appearance of the movie after removing the gorgeous packaging, and it is also out of the need to conform to the public's aesthetic vision, but are those really important? This is obviously a beautiful and shocking story, with the strength to go through the appearance of things to the essence. Li Cangdong is worthy of being a writer and director. Telling a good story has become his natural advantage. In addition, he is also fully equipped with the ability to skillfully use film language. Several passages expressing the princess' spiritual world are obviously surreal scenes, but they are handled in a very calm and natural way, which is no different from reality. I remember that "Dancer in the Darkness" also has similar passages, but in the West, they use romantic musicals. processing form to contrast with the darkness of reality. And near the end, the scene where the general forcibly fled and cut off the branches in front of the window for the princess really forced me to tears. This is the oasis' declaration of war on the desert, the princess' music, the general's dance, can the shadow that was cut off so hard? Did it really go away?
At least the ending of the movie is warm and bright. In the room full of sunlight, the princess quietly and carefully wiped the floor by herself. The general came from prison with a letter (or a tape?), and with his nice voice, the light and shadow turned into white again. The small objects flying in the dust light, what is it? It is hope.
Wen Suli played the cerebral palsy patient with twitching face and limbs (this type can refer to the role of 14-year-old Leonardo in "Different Sky"), for which she even performed a 6-month drama. training. A good face can be ugly without any makeup skills, in addition to showing all kinds of different inner emotions, the Newcomer Award really deserves its name.
Xue Jingqiu was no less inferior, he changed his face and transformed into a prisoner who was released from prison all day long, with his head slumped and his nose blowing. He can wear his own summer clothes and buy sweaters for his old mother while freezing. Although he was imprisoned for his eldest brother's crime, he was rejected by his family when he came out, but he has no complaints and still lives optimistically and independently. He steals money and steals a car to go on a date with the princess. In the face of social contempt, he is neither humble nor arrogant... This man is kind and fearless walking on the edge of law and morality. He is ordinary in appearance and strong in heart. He is definitely not an easy role. Xue accurately grasped this complexity and showed the general's state perfectly.
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