The beginning and the end of the film are the same world, the beautiful scenery of Vietnam, the clear blue sky, the dark green mountains, the green fields, the hard-working Vietnamese people are farming, the innocent children are chasing and playing, and the tranquility is fascinating. .
However, the suffering also started from here. The outbreak of the Vietnam War completely shattered this tranquility.
The story is told in a self-narrative form from the mouth of a Vietnamese girl named Li Li. Although the small village where Lili lives is poor and simple, the family still feels happy and happy to live together. In the summer of 1953, France invaded, and since then Lili's peaceful life was broken. Fate, like an invisible hand, pushed Lili into an unknown and miserable future. Lili's experience is a microcosm of that history and an indictment of the war. At the end of the war, no matter which side wins, the damage will be both sides.
In just over ten years, Lili has encountered many things. She was forced to confess by the government army for assisting the Viet Cong guerrillas. In a blink of an eye, she was suspected of being a traitor by the Viet Cong, and was even raped by the Viet Cong militia. Later, she went to a Saigon room with her mother. A wealthy merchant works as a servant, but he is kicked out because he falls in love with his master and becomes pregnant. Faced with all kinds of setbacks, Lili still did not lose the courage to live, and relied on selling illicit cigarettes and drugs to maintain her life and that of her son. In the film, Lili's father once said to her: life is to follow love. Perhaps with this belief, Lili did not despair, and she could even love again.
By chance, she met James, an American soldier. They fell in love and gave birth to two sons. After the war, Lili followed James to the United States. Lili quickly adapted to life in the United States and integrated into the local society; but James could not face the pressure of life and spirit, and finally committed suicide. The materially prosperous American society does not need soldiers, and James can only rely on government subsidies to live; on the other hand, due to the brutal killings during the war, James was troubled by conscience and morality, and finally made what may be the most important thing for him. Good choice. Different skin, same sadness.
In 1986, Lili returned to her hometown with her three sons to visit her mother and brother-in-law who survived the war. Things have changed, but everything has changed, and the end of the film reproduces that peaceful world. "Pain is grace, it brings us close to God; it teaches us to be strong when we are weak, to be brave when we are afraid; to make us wise when we are lost; when we can no longer rely on God, lasting victory is in our hearts, not On the ground."
This is a film about helplessness and hope, everyone can only live once, and can only live in a certain kind of environment, it depends on how fate is arranged, but suffering seems to be eternal theme. Wars, diseases, partings, desires, disasters, etc. all bring pain to people. People are small, but they have never been able to change this inevitable pain. All we can do is to bear it silently, face it firmly, and have hope in our hearts, believing that everything will pass, and the sun always comes after the storm. Perhaps this is what the film is about to reflect. It is not to protest the war, nor to reveal the inferiority of human nature, but to tell us how to face adversity calmly, and how to look at the ups and downs of life with a normal heart. Don't be happy with things, don't be sad with things. There are always one or two Buddha statues in the film. When Lili encounters misfortune and despairs, she will think of the Buddha. The kind and peaceful face of the Buddha statue can bring comfort and strength to Lili. She raised her hopes of living again. Since fate is irresistible, maybe we just have to accept it and obey it.
Today's society always encourages us to show our individuality, to have our own ideas and our own way. But in fact, when we were born, we didn't have many choices. How to arrange our life, we have destiny in silence, we actually have no ability to change the direction of life, all we can do is to constantly adjust ourselves mentality, until it is in line with the pace of destiny. Or this statement is very negative, but in the vast universe, people are so insignificant. Since it is destined that I will not think too much, everything will go with the flow, and I will walk through my destiny silently between the sky and the earth. This may be life.
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