Mexico, America's immediate neighbor, is a rough, magical and complex land. What do we think of when we talk about this country and the people who live there? Chicken rolls? A wide-brimmed straw hat? Or gangsters and drugs? I believe everyone will have a different answer in their hearts. The movie "McFarland" draws on the inspirational story of an ordinary coach and his students, which not only gives us a new understanding of Mexico, but also arouses our thinking about life attitude and personal struggle.
The film is based on true events, directed by Nicki Carroll and starring Kevin Costner. It was released on February 20, 2015. The main plot of the movie is not difficult to understand. If you do not do detailed interpretation and analysis, it is easy to classify it into a traditional American theme movie. The protagonist of the story, White, was originally a college sports coach who was repeatedly dismissed due to his reckless personality and had to settle in the small town of McFarland on the US-Mexico border. Through contact with local students, Coach White realized that these Mexican immigrants have great potential in cross-country distance running, and thus launched a series of hard training for them, leading them to the goal of national championship.
That's right, the general plot of this film is such a simple and "cliché". Some viewers may have doubts when they see this: this movie doesn't seem interesting, this kind of "chicken soup for the soul", which wears an inspirational coat and promotes American universal values, has long been tired of drinking this kind of old thing that happened in a foreign country. , Can it arouse the resonance and emotion in our hearts? The answer is yes.
The vivid and three-dimensional characters and the wonderful and moving plot complement each other and are inseparable, which can be described as the key to the success or failure of a movie. Only when the characters stand, the plot of the film can move forward smoothly, and the audience will not lose their interest in watching the film. The director of this film, Nicky Carroll, seems to be unknown, but the quality of most of her works is quite good. Through her previous works, we can feel that she has a profound skill in shaping the character image. Whether it's Josie, who sued his owner in court in "Never Give in", or Coach White, who is dedicated to his duties and shares the hardships with the students in this film, these vivid images make us feel the sense of their own. Strength and tenacity, as well as the indestructible personal will that the female director gave them.
As far as Coach White, the protagonist of the film is concerned, it can be said that he is the soul of the film and the main driving force for the development of the plot. His violent character is obvious to us at the beginning of the film: when he was a football coach in a high school, the students behaved lightly towards him, and without saying a word, he directly smashed the sneakers in his hand at the student. This sneaker not only hit the student's face, but also showed the violent side of Coach White's character. It also brought an important motivating event to the film: because of this reckless move, White lost his job. In order to make a living, he had to take his wife and daughter to the desolate and impoverished Macfarlane. When they got there, what greeted White was not only the wind and sand, but also the continuous difficulties: poverty, a dirty and unsafe living environment, the exclusion and suppression of colleagues in the unit, and the group of unwilling to study and stubborn in front of him. Spiritual students. Faced with this situation, what should White do? Can he lead these students to a new life? The core suspense of the whole film is thus generated.
The many difficulties, not only did not make White give up on himself, but instead fully demonstrated the strength and unyielding side of his character. He first discovered the students' outstanding physical advantages with keen insight, approached them proactively, and encouraged them to form a cross-country long-distance running team. It wasn't all smooth sailing: the Mexican students preferred to call him "white" rather than "coach." Just as its name is "White", in the eyes of those students, Coach White is an "upper-class" white man from mainstream American society, and it is difficult to build a bridge of communication and understanding with them. Faced with this predicament, White did not pick up anything and smash it at the students as before, but showed enough open-mindedness and benevolence. As a coach, he fully integrates into the students' extracurricular life and mingles with the warm and hospitable family members of the students. In the process, the barriers of the rich and the poor, as well as the prejudice and estrangement between the two races in the United States and Mexico have been eliminated to a certain extent; at the same time, White also set an example, forging ahead in the field with the students, encouraging them to cross the front. The seemingly unreachable mountains and mountains led the students to see the sea that seemed unreachable to them. "They are a strong team, but you are better." He set new goals and challenges for the students again and again, and brought new joy and hope to the students again and again.
Coach White's image is hesitant and changeable. After the McFarland team rushes to the state finals, he receives business cards from major colleges; at his daughter's birthday celebration, he gets involved in a local gang attack. The bursts of noise made him want to retreat. As the plot develops to this point, White's behavioral motives have become very real and natural. After all, as a husband and father, it is his responsibility and obligation to make his wife and daughter live a more comfortable and stable life. At a critical moment of decision, two factors led to White's "surprise" decision to stay at McFarland. First of all, his wife acts as a strong backing, bringing a subtle "discovery" to the development of the plot. She told her husband that on the night her daughter was attacked, it was his students who helped her survive. "They protect her as if she were family." "I feel more at home here." White, who believes that he knows the truth, must have mixed feelings in his heart. Secondly, in the process of communicating with local residents, White is also experiencing a change in his own understanding. On the one hand, he is moved by their kindness and simplicity, and on the other hand, he also feels the hardships of these immigrant families. Their children's sense of mission to lead them on the right path eventually led him to strengthen his beliefs and choose to stay in McFarland to continue his career in sports education. The change of Coach White's motivation did not detract from his image. Such characterization made his image more and more realistic and deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
It is worth mentioning that the students of Coach White are not blind background boards and foils in those mediocre inspirational films, but accompanied by the sound of running footsteps, leaving an unforgettable memory in our hearts. imprint. Group drama has always been difficult to handle, and it is easy to have the disadvantage of homogenization of characters. As for the students who appeared in the film, they all have difficult songs to sing, and each tune has its own sadness and helplessness: Valais, who has the most outstanding physical ability, his sister is pregnant, and the family is devastated; Diaz The three brothers almost quit the off-road team to help their family farm; Victor's father is in prison and his uncle was a former gang member. For them, the future is gloomy, waiting for them in addition to the hot fields, is a cold prison. The appearance of Coach White has opened a new bright door for their future. They didn't realize it at first, and because of race, the generation gap between classes and their own unspeakable difficulties, they have been in a semi-opposite state with Coach White for the first half of the film. This is especially true for Wallace. It was not until the plot progressed to the middle, when Valais was dissuaded by White that he could not bear the family conflict and intended to commit suicide. This awkward teacher-student relationship showed signs of improvement. In the course of accumulated contacts, the students gradually realized White's good intentions and gained a new understanding of their own life: it turns out that my life can be changed. The originally disorganized cross-country team gradually became a rope, and even Danny, who was fat and the weakest, played an extraordinary level in the state finals. At the same time, in the process of running, their respective souls also obtained some indescribable release and freedom. Just like Forest Gan in "Forrest Gump", in the process of practicing and competing again and again, their respective self-worth has been established, they have broken through their own limitations, and completed the experience and transcendence of life. .
McFarland, compared to those big cities, is desolate, poor, and insecure, but more vibrant and human. Coach White and his cross-country team created a miracle here, and also brought us inspiration and thinking. May hope never wither, and may running never stop.
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