(Text / Yang Shiyang)
When you find that the people around you have fallen into a lie, and they are silently maintaining the lie for various reasons, but on the surface they seem to be peaceful and harmonious, how will you choose? Participate in that lie, be a part of it, or debunk it at any cost? In many cases, people often feel that such choices and torture must be aimed at some kind of grand proposition, but in fact, such choices may be encountered every day, but more often, we choose to turn a blind eye . This year's Academy Award winner for best live-action short film, "The Secret of the School Choir," uses a refined skit-style story to send people such torture.
Sophie transferred to a new school and wanted to join the chorus, but was told by the teacher that she would only need to "sing silently" in the future, because her level was not good. All are the best in the country. If nothing else, this year's competition will go to Sweden as the champion. Although Sophie was unhappy, she chose to obey. One of her classmates discovered the secret, and shockingly, she wasn't the only one who was asked to "sing silently".
In many people's minds, this "secret" may be too light to be considered a real "secret", but think about it carefully, young children stand in the queue, trying to maintain a consistent mouth shape and engaging facial expressions, Can't make a sound, what kind of shame is that? Singing dumb is more humiliating than being kicked out of the team and singing out of tune.
This Hungarian film full of childlike voices, music and a halo of rising sun raises serious questions. For example, the relationship between the individual and the collective; for example, the choice between interests and truth; for example, what kind of invisible field makes people participate in and maintain the lie for a long time, who should feel guilty and who should bear it.
When the teacher told Sophie to sing silently, her tone was kind, and she looked like "I'm doing this for your own good". She said, you don't want others to know that you can't sing well? You see, with that, things get tricky. Originally depriving you of your rights, it has been subtly transformed into a kind of consideration and care, which not only allows you to retain face, but also prevents the collective from losing points because of you. Originally, the psychological and mental pressure that a teacher who is a depriver should bear has suddenly shifted to the child. Under that kind of gentle and unquestionable gaze, what else can you say other than being grateful to Dade? You can only carry the secret alone, taste the shame, and digest it silently. When all this is slowly internalized, perhaps those who have been deprived will still blame themselves, and it is because of their own problems that the teacher needs to spend all their efforts in arranging all this. Let the innocent self-examine themselves spontaneously and make themselves feel guilty. Such a system is extremely evil.
More importantly, it seems that the teacher is not all for selfish desires. Then, things are more complicated. What is the teacher's behavior, for the collective honor? So if this honor and achievement is obtained by a certain degree of deception, how should we look at the legitimacy of it? Can we accept unscrupulous means in order to maximize our interests?
The small chorus is a very interesting art form, it is a collective project, showing some kind of "solidarity" and "tacit understanding", the project itself becomes a metaphor, you can make yourself small, be silent or merge with the flow A torrent of chorus, but you can also break up the harmonies. This small choir has become the epitome of all groups of people, even ethnic groups. Would you rather be silent, conspire or make a real voice?
The child and the child's voice turned the story into a "fairy tale" - a triumph of sunshine, innocence and pure heart. "The Secret of the School Choir" deliberately omits a lot of ups and downs, and also deliberately does not show the possible follow-up and consequences, until the teacher falls. When the children were competing, everyone united and "sang silently". Suddenly, the teacher who stood in front of them with a serious command, was set off by the "roaring silence" that was absurd and unbearable. The children were using such The way to declare, in the end who designed the lie. This is a real solidarity, which corresponds to the arranged, arranged, false unity and harmony that preceded it, and this protest is far more deafening than loud slogans. Silent thunder.
On the first day of school, the principal said with a smile, "It's my philosophy to have every child join the choir." It's a kind of performative equality. Idealism divorced from reality is destined to breed delusions and lies, not to mention all these are fueled by interests and vanity. You can guide a child who is not suitable for this to find his field of expertise, but they choose the worst one - setting up false appearances.
When the teacher left the stage in embarrassment, the children joined hands and sang songs. The children's voices that removed impurities showed a typical "fairy tale" ending, but among those omissions and blanks, there were actually more terrifying things that were not presented. ——Reality is not a fairy tale, if this happens in reality, there will be consequences. How do we choose when we know we will face the consequences? Effortlessly lip-synching, humiliatingly silent, or desperately protesting? How many people dare to refuse to be a singing mute, and how many people can not blindly integrate into the chorus.
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