Gone with displeasure and trivialities

Oceane 2022-03-21 09:03:02

Although the eldest son who died in the film has been covering all the lives of the family, I especially want to talk about the daughter-in-law and mother-in-law in this drama. If you watch it carefully, you will find that these two women are the most sensitive in the whole play, the most thorough in seeing things, the most family-wise, and even the people who know each other best. Perhaps it is precisely because of this that they cannot regard each other as their closest family members when they are alive.

The daughter-in-law always flattered her mother-in-law and father-in-law's hobbies just right, and also very politely asked the father-in-law what music he liked. When the father-in-law said that he didn't like rap, the daughter-in-law also agreed with the father-in-law. When the atmosphere at home was embarrassed by many, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were also invariably diverting the topic. However, under the harmonious laughter and laughter, all kinds of contradictions and undercurrents are surging.

The mother-in-law thought about her father-in-law's water bills, and asked her little grandson to take a bath with her son. The implication was that this would save water. The daughter-in-law has a keen mind, and saw that her grandmother only bought pajamas for her son, but never thought that she should buy a set for herself or her grandson. Although she did not speak in front of her mother-in-law, she felt from her heart that her mother-in-law treated her mother and son. Treated differently, she realized that her mother-in-law minds that this grandson is not biological. When the mother-in-law was alone with her daughter-in-law, she was chatting sideways and asked her daughter-in-law if she wanted another one. The daughter-in-law was very embarrassed and shied away from the question. She didn't respond positively, but said she needed to think about it with her husband. But the mother-in-law didn't stop her words, and seemed to say something unintentionally. It would be a pity if she didn't give birth. Of course, the daughter-in-law understands very well that the mother-in-law wants a grandson who is truly of her own blood. The daughter-in-law is generous and decent on the surface, and is very polite to the old man, but she is not satisfied in her heart. Of course, the daughter-in-law's sensitivity is not a misunderstanding. The film gives clear lines and shots on this point. When the old woman was alone with her son, she directly expressed similar words, saying that when she became a father, she would understand, and many said that she was a father. When the old lady left, she also politely shook hands to say goodbye. There was no such ceremony when the daughter's family left, because the real family is ashamed to shake hands so frankly and deliberately, just like many people who don't shake hands with their mothers to say goodbye. . My daughter-in-law saw all the details, so on the way back, she changed her tone and said it was not good for us. It should be said that the daughter-in-law came here with the purpose of getting along well with the elderly. Of course, this purpose is vulgar. It is not that the daughter-in-law likes the old grandmother's family more, but the adult's consideration for the family, in order to It is necessary to better integrate into the family and get along well with the elderly. At least it must be decent in appearance. This is why the daughter-in-law never directly expresses different opinions on the in-laws. And when her husband wanted to come back on the same day, she insisted on staying for one night against all odds, and even took off the mobile phone that her husband had repeatedly taken out and operated during dinner. These are all her efforts. However, she was shrewd and thoughtful, but she also really felt that sense of alienation.

But in fact, the film is so powerful that it is here. On the one hand, she hopes that her mother-in-law will treat herself as a relative without any barriers, so she is dissatisfied with the way her mother-in-law treats her and her son differently. Others have reservations. For example, she always mentions her son's biological father with a smile more than once when she is alone with her son. On the way back from the cemetery for the first time, she and her son walked in front with umbrellas alone and talked cheerfully about her ex-husband and staying with her. The current husband and mother-in-law walk behind. In her conversation with her son after the bath, she said that you are half of your biological father and half of me. The son asked, what about good? Mother said he could be added slowly. When the husband came in, he booed his son, as if it was a secret unique to the two of them. The son does not usually address his current husband as father, but before departure, the daughter-in-law made a special agreement with the son to call him father at grandma's house. She was not satisfied with her mother-in-law's hospitality, but when she left, she smiled and said that she wanted her mother-in-law to teach her to cook. This just confirmed what her mother-in-law told her. The mother-in-law said in the conversation with her daughter not long after the film began that this woman was with a lot of people after her husband died. The implication is that she is worried that her daughter-in-law will have reservations about her son and them.

Therefore, grandma and daughter-in-law have their own concerns and opinions about each other, and there is no complete family-style friendship.

The entire film is basically trivial family life and children's laughter. It can be said that the first 90% are extremely slow family dialogue rhythms. From the child grabbing the flowers on the top of the head, to the mother-in-law gently breaking the old man's affair when he was young, to the family taking a bath after dinner, it seems that there is no substantive content. But if you look closely, you will find that there are needles hidden in the family's small talk, and even the play and conversation between the three children are also close to each other. They were also guests, and the children of the daughter's family were obviously closer. Most of the sons brought by the daughter-in-law watched them play without much talking, and were called serious princes by the mother-in-law and the others. Obviously, there is no such simple talk among the children who should have no scruples. The little girl occasionally asked a few words about the child's former father, and he didn't tell the truth and walked away quickly. Of course these are vague things, presented in the details. The dialogue that really exposed the family conflicts and estrangements in a positive way was on the bus. The daughter-in-law told her husband in the car that her mother-in-law's family treated them badly and would never live in her mother-in-law's house again. The film is interspersed with many small details that need to be carefully pondered in the countless trivial and long life plots, as if there are little debris hidden in the soft cotton wool. The almost overall slow-paced movie suddenly picks up the pace after the contradiction is revealed. The narrator suddenly revealed the reality of the death of her in-laws a few years later. Then came the second shot at the cemetery.

The deepest contradiction and the estrangement of those years have finally dissipated, the old people have passed away, there will be no more noisy family gatherings, no more bickering with the old people, no more unwillingness to come back, no more unwillingness to stay overnight. . Grandma's words that her daughter-in-law felt harsh to want her own grandchildren have now become a reality (there are many daughters at the end). What other gaps are there, no more, no more. The footsteps of time will not stop. What was uncomfortable in the past and the heartbreak have all passed away. Only the yellow butterfly is still preserved in my memory.

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Extended Reading
  • Jasen 2022-03-22 09:02:41

    Shizhi's works are quite different from Ozu in form, but are very similar in content and atmosphere. The film is rich in details, the lines are close to life, and the scheduling and composition are remarkable. Except for the medicine bottle, tombstone, chasing butterflies in the room and the rising mirror at the end, they are all fixed positions. The repeated images of ups and downs and stairs in the exterior fit the theme of "the road of life keeps walking". The deepest personal impression is the old couple's unbearable hatred for the rescued. (9.0/10)

  • Albert 2022-03-18 09:01:06

    In the summer solstice, at Hengshan's house, under the eaves of Ozu, there are two or three things around, grandma frying corn, climbing and folding crape myrtle flowers, chasing yellow butterflies. Calmly healed the heartache, and the limbs gradually healed. With the road of companionship, I stop walking for a while; I hold the hand, and the years will not look back.

Still Walking quotes

  • Yukari Yokoyama: Even when they die, people don't really go away. Your father's here, right inside you.

  • Kyohei Yokoyama: That useless piece of trash. Why'd my son have to save him? There were plenty of others.

    Ryota Yokoyama: Please don't call him useless and trash in front of the kids.