Undoubtedly, "You are a young man" is a success, thanks to the trader of Zeng Guoxiang and Xu Yuezhen, the photography of Yu Jingping, and the performances of Zhou Dongyu, Yi Qianqianxi and Yin Fang. At the moment we can still see such a Chinese-language theater movie, and we must pay tribute to everyone in front of and behind the scenes.
However, although the film’s narrative and atmosphere are good, I always feel that there is a little out of focus, which reduces the intensity of the film. I am not opposed to lumping together campus bullying, system absence, youth growth, and youth sincerity, but they should not be confused.
Chen Nian and Xiaobei's life experience were clearly explained, so the emotional collision between the two seemed natural. Especially Zhou Dongyu's tolerance and cowardice, Yi Yang Qianxi's handling of recklessness and responsibility are in place, and the role is bound to be convincing (If this year's Golden Horse contest, Yi Dao might be nominated for Best Newcomer and Best Actor, breaking Peng in one fell swoop. Yu Chang’s age record). However, with mutual support, the film also has a major theme of "going out", which depends on the shaping of a higher environment. Family, school, police, as well as college entrance examinations, bullying, these factors must be woven into a net to bring out the strength of the struggle. It's a pity that apart from both family and college entrance examinations, the portrayal is still in place, and the other aspects are still lacking.
Of course, there may be some unexplainable reasons here, such as the difficulty of bullying and evidence gathering, but the inability of law enforcement. But even the bullying itself is too superficial.
I believe that the creative team has done their homework earnestly, and Zeng Guoxiang’s sociological research background will help him a lot, but the reason why campus bullying is difficult is not only the evil of the bully and the indifference with the bystanders, but also the secret and arrogance of the bullying. . Compared with several recent movies, "A River of Sadness" is related to sexually transmitted diseases and has the dramatic color of youth novels, so the alienation and hatred of everyone is quite reasonable. In "The Young You", Chen Nian was at best not gregarious. His mother was revealed to be involved in financial disputes, but was ridiculed by everyone almost immediately. The bullying of the trio is also quite blatant, rampant in broad daylight. If such bullying cannot be done by the school or the police, it will turn into a mockery of the lower level of the system. If you say that students are indifferent because of the college entrance examination, it is just that they don't want to be troublesome, and they won't turn a blind eye to the point. Real bullying should be hard to have evidence, but everyone knows it, so it’s hard to get ahead, so simply ignore it. This subtle repression is more real, just like the helplessness and disgust brought about by the failed family education in "Dog Thirteen".
I have no reason to deny that the bullying in the film does not exist, but as a witness of campus bullying, I believe or say that I am more looking forward to showing a more secret bullying. This is the real stubborn disease at the moment. And only this pervasive fear can better motivate the determination to "go out." Otherwise, the so-called "going out" is just to "live a better life", but I don't think so. Chen Nian and Xiaobei's "going out" is about living a dignified "human life." This is better, but it should be human first. If today's inhuman state does not perform well, this pursuit of "human life" will appear to be off the ground.
This is also the reason why the film is always short of breath. "Going out" is their most essential aspiration, and the "young heart" is the most important factor that affects the realization of this aspiration. The film succeeds in the latter, so Xiaobei's self-sacrifice seems so moving. It is no wonder that Officer Zheng has to say with emotion, "But they are teenagers, it is possible to do so." However, the film was short on the former, so that the whole film (especially the second half) was always incapable of being able to make use of it, and the plot was almost uncomfortable. If bullying only means that someone may be blocked on the way home, then hire a bodyguard to solve it naturally. But if bullying is a silent fear, it will arouse the roar of going out over and over again. As for whether to place hope on the college entrance examination or to use mutual trust to solve the prisoner’s dilemma, it is more logical.
Of course, the above is just my criticism of the film's excellence. For many people who still believe that "one slap can't be slapped" or "why don't you ask the police if something happens", this film is enough to educate them. This is also the greater social significance of the whole work. It can be expected that the film will have a better social response, which will be a good signal for all the main creators and investors on such serious themes. Hope that after going through the trough, we can see more and more powerful works.
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