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early days, a friend told me, a person who refused to read, to read Kundera’s novels and thought I would like it. I read one or two books and did like it, although his most famous "The Unbearable Lightness in Life" I haven't watched it, even the "Prague Love" which was changed into a movie, but I think the most unexpected result is that I watched Kundera's "Le rideau" by mistake. This book is not a novel. It is a bit boring to read. It is a bit like writing a long essay with the touch of prose. The title can probably be called "the most precious value of a novel".
Great novels can still touch people's hearts and break the boundaries of regions and time and space, and are well received by the world after translations and even multiple translations (for example, first translated into English and then translated into other languages) because of the subtlety of the story. Through the style of novels, novelists use story plots to bring out the true meaning of life that cannot be directly conveyed in words, and they can resonate with readers at any time and place, inspiring them to think about their own lives.
The great novelists all look at people's lives and are veritable anthropologists. When I read Kundera's argument, I constantly feel that the carrier of film has similar power.
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Jia Zhangke said that he didn't dream of becoming a director since he was a child, but he just happened to encounter a camera tool, and there is a story that must be told. If he is not a director, he can be a writer and write novels.
Li Cangdong is known as the "writer and director". Before he became a director, he wrote novels. "Miyang" is the fourth work written and directed by him.
Excluding the Hollywood dream workshop-style tea and rice production, in fact, many outstanding film masters have the characteristics of novelists called Kundera. The difference between them is only in the tools of storytelling.
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As the director said at the film festival, "Miyang" is not about religion, so there is no talk of antichrist or anything at all. However, believers (especially Christians) must feel uncomfortable watching this film, because the question raised by the film is not directed at religion itself, but the doctrine and preaching method that reflects religion.
The script of "Miyang" is an in-depth novel. It has the necessary materials for mainstream Korean movies (death, sorrow, revenge, resentment...), but it tells an unconventional story. Every time the plot goes to a moment that is "suitable" for selling cheap tears (for example, Shin Ae, played by Jeon Do-yeon, goes to the riverside to personally recognize his son's body), the director's handling is extremely restrained to prevent the film from falling into Korean tears.
The movie is not about religion, but shows the two human natures of "resentment" and "forgiveness".
Resentment is human nature. If we are hurt, deceived, insulted, betrayed, or fooled by others, we will naturally have resentment towards the offender. Subjugated slaves will resent the invaders, we will resent our old lovers who have hurt ourselves, and our brothers and sisters who have betrayed ourselves. The heroine Shen Ai lost her husband and son successively. It is only natural that she resents the sky and hates the murderer. However, people have to live with hatred. Shen Ai hurts herself so much that she will still rush out of the street to call for help when she has settled down. This shows that people have the instinct to live and fear death.
If you want to survive, you have to dispel your grievances, and revenge is the "natural" way. There are many ways to revenge. The most straightforward is to have a bloody ruin like the "Original Criminal". Another way to dispel resentment is the "forgiveness" advocated by religious and moralists. They intend to seek spiritual salvation through the noble sentiment of "repaying grievances with virtue".
Li Cangdong showed an embarrassing truth in the movie, an inconvenient truth, which is to forgive others. There is a prerequisite for forgiving others: your situation is stronger than the other party. You can ask the enemy to finish hitting your left cheek and then hit your right cheek. That's because you have the ability and conditions to take this small loss, and after a loss, you can assume a generous attitude. This posture does not even have to be exposed to others, but it must be able to convince oneself to be higher than others. After seeing the murdered enemy, Shen Ai couldn't forgive her. Instead, she collapsed. It was because she discovered that the enemy had already attained the Tao and couldn't forgive it condescendingly.
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Forgiveness cannot redeem Shin-Ae from resentment. Therefore, Shin-Ae completely abandons her faith and hates her religion with the most bitter eyes.
How can we get the ultimate soul salvation? The movie can't provide answers, so it's open at the end. This is not that the director deliberately hides his position and asks the audience to "reflection" (this is not the same as the recent open ending of "Lions for Lambs"), but that there is no doctrinal absolute answer in reality (if there is one) Talking to the church can heal Shin’e’s heartache). Li Cangdong has the courage to question what we have always thought there is no problem, which is already very remarkable.
After Jeon Do-yeon was awarded Cannes Films for the role of Shin Ae, her acting skills are beyond doubt. Other supporting roles also have detailed and three-dimensional descriptions. I was particularly impressed with two of these characters, and I was particularly moved. One is the murderer’s daughter. She has a father who is stern but devoid of conscience in his bones. It is no less fortunate to say that the fate is unfortunate, but she has no resentment and has always preserved the nature of kindness. She ran to Shen Ai’s piano school in panic, out of conscience, and directly helped solve the case. She was insulted by hooligans, and Shin Ae, who loves being a mother, can even ignore her gambling, which shows that Shin Ae's forgiveness is hypocrisy.
Although the misfortune that the girl bears comes from the murderer's father rather than from her own sins, she has no trace of resentment. When cutting her hair for Shen Ai, she still deeply apologized. She is the most beautiful character in the whole movie, which is touching.
Another perfect character is the boss of Kim Jong Can Kim (played by Song Kanghao) who always follows Shin Ae. He is obviously obsessed with Shen Ai and has been guarding him unconditionally, but he is not in danger. At the funeral, he said something for Shin Ae, who had no tears, and taught Shen Ae's grandmother. At the police station, he did not hesitate to chase down the assailant who was arrogant towards Shin Ai. Even when Shen Ai flattered him, he would stop shouting. All kinds of performances show that he really treats Shen's hobbies and doesn't mind losing money for the other party, but it is not the courtesy of the suitor.
Boss Jin’s heart is as clear as a mirror, and Shen Ai is going to prison to "forgive" her murderous enemy. Boss Kim has questioned more than once: "Is there really a need to meet? Isn't it enough to forgive me in my heart?"
Shen Ai should actually believe in the existence of God, because although God took away her most precious things, he sent a guardian angel by her side to silently give her some advice and support. In fact, there are often these guardian angels around us, but we are just like Shen Ai, turning a blind eye until they leave.
At the end of the movie, Shin-Ae’s big hatred seems to be subdued. Boss Kim still stays behind her and has no intention to persuade her to continue to let Shin-Ae make her own decision. He just holds the mirror for her and lets her watch when she cuts her hair. You have to be clear about your appearance.
To resolve big grievances, time is often the key. The movie's open ending is because time is only a necessary condition but not a sufficient condition. In addition to time, Shen Ai will eventually have to face the knot she has been avoiding before she has a chance to break down the resentment. .
Shin Ai came to Miryang to kick off the tragedy. She said that Miryang is the hometown of her husband and the place where he wants to go back, but Shen Ai's younger brother once mentioned that the brother-in-law does not love his sister at all, and it is not worthy of his sister to miss him.
What is hidden behind the sun is probably only the person involved knows.
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