The old Beijing bathhouse is a very interesting place. It provides a large space, and many entertainment and service items are different from those of modern high-end hotels. It is aimed at the most ordinary people. People who like it can find everything they want in it. fun of. Lao Liu's bathhouse is such a place. Old men who like crickets fight crickets and bicker in the bathroom, middle-aged people who are afraid of their wives find peace in it, boys who are afraid of the stage sing underwater, apprentices and Erming are busy with laughter... The bathhouse is such a harmonious scene. When Daming in a suit walked into the bathhouse, the originally happy atmosphere suddenly solidified. Daming, who was originally born in the bathhouse, was incompatible with this place because of his "modern atmosphere". Although he was going home, he was inexplicably like an intruder and was in an embarrassing situation.
Lao Liu's two sons, Daming and Erming, one is a white-collar worker who is struggling in Shenzhen, and the other is mentally handicapped and works odd jobs in the bathhouse. In the eyes of ordinary people, Daming is a winner and Erming is a loser, but in the eyes of Lao Liu, Erming is his relative, and Daming is just a lost son. Lao Liu's bathhouse is the embodiment of old Beijing culture, but his eldest son is the representative of modern civilization. After the reform and opening up, Western modern civilization entered China turbulently, and the culture of old Beijing suffered a strong impact. Although Lao Liu's bathhouse was booming, he received a notice that it would be demolished. Daming is like the group of people who want to tear down the bathhouse, making Lao Liu upset.
The old Beijing in the bathhouse is not only the old habit of soaking in big ponds, the old method of massage and cupping, and the old game of fighting crickets, but also a strong and friendly human touch. The young man who promised to replace the neon lights for Lao Liu, broke his promise several times and wanted to make more money. Lao Liu never bothered with him, and even provided assistance when he was forced by his creditors; He lives like a normal person in the middle of nowhere, no one discriminates against him, he lives happily by his own labor; boys with mental disorders dare to let go of their singing in the bathhouse and are appreciated. This kind of strong love in the old culture makes people feel dependent naturally. The author likes this old culture and explains everything in the bathhouse in a glorified way. Habits such as fighting crickets were satirized in Lao She's "Two Horses" as playful and decadent, but in the movie it was a sincere emotional bond between two old people.
Daming developed in Shenzhen and had a good job, but he didn't go home very often. He didn't even bring his wife home to show his father. When he returned to the bathhouse, he was always on the sidelines with a numb expression on his face, and hurried to book a flight ticket when he left. He wanted to use material to express his feelings for his father, but it did not achieve the desired effect. In the modern world of Daming, the first time I took my younger brother out, I lost him carelessly. After my father left, I sent my younger brother to a mental hospital. I was afraid of being rejected and kept hiding the truth of the family like my wife... Compared with sincerity, it seems cruel and hypocritical. The author uses the lens to show the weakness of modern culture and oppose its invasion. While getting along with his family, Daming gradually found himself and began to return gradually.
The announcement of the demolition of the bathhouse symbolized the formal challenge of the new culture to the old. After learning about this, Lao Liu has been ignoring it, still running his own bathhouse, and gradually reconciling with Daming, everything seems to be thinking about the perfect direction. But just after a heavy rain, Lao Liu suddenly left, leaving behind a stunned task. The death of Lao Liu seems to mean that no matter how persistent the old culture is, it cannot escape the fate of being replaced. But the author is still not reconciled. Erming, like his representative, thinks that his father is just asleep, and still insists on opening the bathhouse, and does not want to admit defeat to the facts. Daming dissuaded his younger brother, and at the same time admitted the fact that the bathhouse was going to be demolished. At the moment when Erming finally realized that his father would not come back, everything was irreversible. But he is still struggling, escaping from the mental hospital and driving away the furniture moving workers with water, which shows the author's infinite attachment and maintenance to the old culture.
The bathhouse is finally about to be demolished, and the old guests are bathing for the last time in it. Some people advertise the quickness of the new shower, but most lament that the distance is far away, and there is no such place as a bathhouse that can bring everyone together. The sound of machinery sounded, the wall was pushed down, and two old men carried a surrounding bathhouse that had been demolished. Although there is an infinite nostalgia for the old culture, it still cannot stop the rise of modern civilization and the departure of the old culture. At the end of the film, a new era is about to begin, but the picture is full of helpless emotions. I wonder if the old guests and Erming will be able to live well after the bathhouse is gone? Can only go with the flow, only good memories are left.
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