In this story, the protagonists are two boys from different life backgrounds. Guo Liangui is a "Xiangzi" who came to Beijing to work. He works hard and his only dream is to own a bicycle of his own. Xiaojian is a child from an ordinary family, a vocational student. He wants to own a dazzling bicycle like his classmates, but his family can't afford it. Two ignorant teenagers harbored the same ideal, and behind their simple thoughts were their lonely or flamboyant expressions.
Gui is a wandering symbol, looking for self-identity in a strange city. He was too barren to waste, except for his youth, so he chose the most common means of transportation in Beijing as the first step to enter the city - it will be the reward after sweat. We can find such little people in our city every day. They are at a loss, their faces are blurred, and they disappear into the most inconspicuous corners of the city after passing us by. Have you ever looked at them seriously, hiding the silence and stubbornness of young people who do not belong to the city under the slightly arrogant eyes. Gui played his persistence to an unreasonable level, but it was not difficult to find a bit of helplessness in it. It was only when we saw his pleasing defense after he accidentally entered the sauna, his bitterness to the owner of the courier company, his powerless struggle when he was treated as a thief, and those helpless crying, we began to understand such a vastness. The youth, ravaged by reality, has lost its texture. However, he is still a teenager after all and will not give up his dream easily. His perseverance made me depressed, but also felt fresh and pleasant. The kind of youth that Wang Xiaoshuai wants to convey is sad and hopeful.
In the same situation as you is the unsmiling girl Hongqin. Although I have never quite understood what role Zhou Xun played in this film, she at least let us see the urban migrant workers in another state. A melancholy and somewhat neurotic woman, her gorgeous makeup and pale face, these are so in line with the characteristics of the city that others, even herself, can't tell her own identity. Qin and Gui have no intersection, but they are both looking for a sense of identity. Two souls, the same youth, are overwhelmed by material desires and have nowhere to escape.
Another kind of non-mainstream youth comes from a group of ordinary children in the city. Jian is their representative, with warm self-esteem and indulgent vanity, as frivolous as many 17-year-old teenagers, but cautiously looking at love. At this time, a bicycle can give him a lot of confidence, which is a kind of recognition that belongs to him: he can show off among his companions, and he can follow the girl he loves. But Jian has no such capital, and his 17-year-old mind is looking for a way out in depression. He stole his family's money and bought his long-cherished bicycle from the second-hand market. So you can ride a bike and run in the sunshine, pass those admiring eyes, and stand shoulder to shoulder with the girl, in the ruined but warm old Beijing Hutong. Of course, he has his arrogance, when the unspeakable secret is exposed, when the beloved girl only accepts the attention of others, the restlessness of youth set off incomparable anger. He and his buddies resorted to violence, the savage potential of youth, the same flamboyance, and added a price as big as theirs, just to recapture all self-respect. The camera is far away from looking at a group of entangled teenagers indifferently, and the arrogance and weakness are equally revealed. In an instant, the beautiful youth showed its hideous smile. Hearing Gui's heart-wrenching screams reminded me of Ma Xiaojun in "Sunny Days". What makes young children heartbroken? When they were at their best, there were tears streaming down their faces.
In the end, Gui unexpectedly became friends with Jian. Although their relationship was only tied to a bicycle, when I saw them asking each other their names, I knew the conflict of one youth against another was about to end. I think the director must not want people to believe that reality is so complete, so he arranged for a bigger turmoil, involving both Gui and Jian, and turning it into a real "Cruel Story of Youth". Bricks, dust, and chasing, the alley has turned into a criss-crossing maze of violence, in which Gui and Jian are lost, and there is no room for resistance. In the end, what we saw were the school uniforms that were tough, torn and dirty; Gui picked up the deformed bicycle and passed people's astonished eyes. This is how they grew up, and the non-mainstream youth left traces in their lives, not the grass growing and the warbler flying.
Then I know that youth, there is still such a look.
2002.5. (Old text turned out for application)
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