Yes, what they need is for Zhang Yimou to make another "Alive" in twenty years.
From this perspective, "Return" is undoubtedly a complete failure. Even if you don’t mention those literary lovers who hold Yan Geling’s tome in their arms and spit word for word, anyone who understands a little bit of contemporary Chinese history and has seen a few legendary Chinese banned films can feel the "Return" Deliberately downplaying the breath of the times. This dilution is not a perfunctory effort by Zhang Yimou on the surface. On the contrary, the film's reproduction of the times in the pictures and sounds is so accurate and refined that it is breathtaking. However, for the era itself, for the spiritual characteristics of that era, to put it bluntly, that is, the reflection and criticism that some populations hope to see, the film has just passed away. The absurdity of parent-child cannibalism, the pain of separation of flesh and blood, and even the exchange of identities between the perpetrator and the victim, these scenes and plots are not unfamiliar, and they are indeed worthy of digging, but Zhang Yimou deliberately or unintentionally ignored them. Become a painless branch in the movie. The most typical example is Lu Yan knows the revenge of the other's master. Lu Yanzhi, who successfully took off his hat, took a rice spoon and found the culprit of his wife's memory loss, Master Fang, but found that he was also facing a dilapidated and decayed one like himself. In the family, the mutual attention of the perpetrator and the victim reflects the absurdity of an era. However, such a finishing touch is indeed too little in "Return". It seems that Zhang Yimou is telling the audience faintly that many things are not what I don't want to say, but the reason-you know.
Yes, even an ordinary person who knows little about the film and television industry and the entertainment industry can express a seemingly rational view on this: a country where "White Deer Plain" will be deleted, and "Destiny" will be cut, at least It is not yet the time to freely talk about the sins of the past; a well-known wage earner who has just changed to a new owner cannot take the boss's check to go gambling and adventure, even if he bears the name of "national teacher" on his head.
But I think what is more important is that the softness of his heart will drive him to look at memories with a more forgiving and kind-hearted perspective. After all, he is not a middle-aged fighter with thorns all over his body.
Therefore, if you change the angle of view and change the coordinates of the film comparison to "My Father and Mother" or "The Love of Hawthorn Tree", then you can get the opposite conclusion from the above. In fact, it is obvious that these works have been passed down in blood. They are all telling the struggle of beauty itself in the ugly age. The right love was born in the wrong age, and it was twisted and twisted into unnaturalness. What it should look like. Zhang Yimou’s preference for this kind of story stems from a romantic and idealistic complex deep in his heart, and this kind of thing is shared by the fifth generation of directors. Covered by types, as long as there is an opportunity, they will be insightful after all.
Stripping off the heavy coat of the times, even abandoning the dispensable form of family, the core of "Return" is an ordinary story of pure love-how a pair of lovers face an unexpected blow together , To spend the rest of my life with another identity. Similar story modes have actually been repeatedly performed in Japanese and Korean romance films. However, Zhang Yimou's simple aesthetic pursuit has made the film a bit more true than those of neighboring countries. I don’t know if it’s because of the closer age. Compared with "The Love of Hawthorn Tree", which talked about the love of young people a few years ago, the emotional expression in "Return" appears more natural and sincere. The two national treasures are of strength. The performance of the actor allows the movie to at least get rid of the embarrassing hat of "pretending to be pure".
Relying on the script built up one by one, and the intentional restraint of emotions, including deliberately making small patterns, these huge changes happened to Zhang Yimou. It is indeed a bit surprising. You must know that he was still in the "Jinling Ten "Three Hairpins" try to imitate Hollywood's storytelling. However, for him, the huge leap from the West to the East did not feel too much against him. Maybe this is Zhang Yimou, no matter what kind of doubt he carries, he is one of the most anticipated directors of this era in China.
View more about Coming Home reviews
