"The Birth of a Legend", what exactly does this legend refer to? At first, I thought it was referring to Pele, a black kid in the ghetto, who led the team to the 1958 World Cup with Jenga despite the world's disapproval. Later, it was thought to be referring to Brazil, a rising star in world football, featuring its unique Jenga tactics to beat Europe's pride.
The film tells the audience in several impressive scenes that Brazilians love football as if it were part of their lives. The children of the slums love to play football, even at such a young age so well. The people in the tavern love to watch football. Although the viewing conditions are not good, the tavern is full of people every game; every time a goal is conceded, people are so excited that they even cry silently for Brazil's defeat. Despite the exaggerated elements of the movie, for non-fan audiences in China, despite having heard that Brazil is famous for football, these scenes are also a bit unexpected, almost unbelievable. And the excellent performance of the actors to Jenga is even more refreshing to the audience, so that the fancy kicks will not appear so densely on the actual court. Just watching Ren Jia, the viewing value of this movie is also very high.
However, I believe that the director is not just trying to tell the legend of Jenga, who led Brazil to the championship. Legend not only refers to Brazil's achievements in football, but more connotation of the growth of the entire Brazilian nation. In the movie, there are many plots and lines that almost express its true core:
1. The protagonist is reluctant to accept the nickname "Pele" and is also ashamed that he has no sneakers. Pele's father told him to "be yourself" before Pele and his mates participated in the small football final. Bailey and his buddies finally took off the wide shoes that didn't belong to him and played barefoot, like letting go of the shackles that didn't fit them, to be themselves, to admit their poverty and black identity, to be real "Brazilian".
2. After Bailey officially joined the team, the coach denied Jenga's playing style and asked him to play in a European way. The young Bailey was still not firm enough and fell into confusion again, and even wanted to go home and give up playing football. The owner of the club, Waldemar, who brought Pele to the team, told him bluntly: We cannot play like Europeans because we are Brazilians.
3. The white child who once humiliated Pele said in front of the media that he was of Italian descent, did not identify himself as Brazilian, and thought he could play football perfectly like a European. After many defeats, he told Pele: "Finally I found out that I'm Brazilian, I can't be European, you should play like Jenga next. Like him, the coach of the Brazilian national team was frustrated by the failure of the tactical rehearsal against Sweden. On the eve of the game, he saw the whole team's players in the hotel full of energy because of the way of playing, and was deeply touched. He told the players that he was the coach who took on all failures, and the players could play with confidence. In addition, the other team members also gained sufficient confidence in the hotel's Renga game.
If the first and second points are Pele’s identification with self-identity and the way of playing, then the third point is not just for Pele alone, but includes Brazilians of other races and classes. identity recognition. Especially in the last game, all the Brazilian players were full of tacit understanding and self-confidence because of Zena, and the media who had been belittling Zena before, as well as the Swedish supporters present, also turned the tide because of the confidence and strength of the Brazilian players. Ren Jia's charm and strength are deeply impressed.
Judging from the history of Brazil, the social status of blacks has always been in a very downturn in Brazil, and the idea of white supremacy still dominates. In 1950 Brazil reached the World Cup final with Renga but lost. In the two World Cups after that, the Brazilians regarded Jenga, who originally came from Brazil’s black culture, as a beast. Public opinion seemed to firmly deny the possibility of winning with this style of play. European football tactics were considered to be orthodox and correct. These differences in public opinion were inseparable from the status of blacks at that time.
And the film wants to tell us that Jenga does come from black culture, but it is also a unique wealth that belongs only to Brazil, and this uniqueness is worthy of Brazil's pride. By analogy with culture, it is for Brazilians to accept and be proud of their differences from Europe and the world. I think this is the embodiment of the so-called "Brazilianness". As Brazil is mainly composed of immigrants and their descendants, Brazilians have been confused for a long time: who is Brazilian, what is the difference between Brazilians and people from other places, and what are the characteristics of Brazil? And this film is an answer given by the director, screenwriter and actors to Brazil: no matter who the descendants originally belonged to, the uniqueness that took root and grew up in this land of Brazil is the treasure that belongs to Brazil. Brazil, which is different from any other country in the world, was truly born when its citizens finally recognized this after many setbacks. Such an arduous process, like Ren Jia being accepted by the Brazilians, is indeed a legend.
—Daniela
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