In recent years, the dual labels of "India" and "Realism" have become a golden sign. Every year, several local Indian films have achieved both word-of-mouth and box office success in the Mainland. Among them, educational films have repeatedly attracted attention. Previously, "Three Silly Troubles in Bollywood" and "Starting Line" have triggered phenomenal discussions. "Mr. Hiccup", which landed in theaters in the fall of 2018, is still committed to exploring the possibility of narrative in educational themes. If "Three Silly" and "Starting Line" focus on the educated side, then "Mr. Hiccup" spreads the line of sight to both the educator and the educated, and successfully created the image of an excellent female teacher. When it comes to teachers, one can always think of Zhao Yuesheng's memoir "The Lamp Burner" by his mentor Zhou Fucheng, so he simply used the title of the book to talk about the image of "Mr. Hiccup" Naina.
In the Gospel of Matthew, "When a man lights a lamp, he does not put it under the bucket, but on the lampstand, and it illuminates the family." The lamp-burning person becomes the best metaphor for a person who teaches by precept and example. There are two lamp burners in "Mr. Hiccup", one is the heroine Naina, and the other is Mr. Khan, the old principal of Naina's childhood. Naina unfortunately suffers from Tourette's syndrome, which causes convulsions and hiccups involuntarily. She has been discriminated against since childhood, and even her father is ashamed of it. She was originally inferior and gloomy. If she grew up on this path, she would probably become more delicate and sensitive, and she would be completely marginalized. Fortunately, Mr. Khan appeared in her life, encouraging her to speak out about her illness in public and to issue a plea of "please treat me like any other student". The condition did not improve, but fate took a turn. Naina gradually became cheerful, her nerves were polished rough, and when someone laughed at her disease, she responded with a bigger smile.
The spring breeze turns into rain, and the fire is passed down from generation to generation. Mr. Khan has long since retired, and Naina, as an adult, wants to take over the torch and become a light-burner for others. Although she already has a double master's degree, her congenital defects still make her encounter obstacles in her job search. In order to find a job as a teacher, she had been unemployed for five years and interviewed more than a dozen schools. Her family was neither impatient nor understanding of her obsession. Rather than saying that becoming a teacher is Naina's dream, it is better to say that this is the promise that Naina made secretly when she was warmed by Mr. Khan's halo for the first time - to inherit the spirit of the teacher, and to warm more people who are in the same chain of discrimination as she is. bottom man.
Indian reality films are often evaluated as "cliché", which is a derogatory term, but in the context of evaluating Indian films, it becomes neutral. The so-called cliché, that is, every turning point and every step of the story is expected by the audience, and a lot of lyrical soundtracks and slow motion are used to express the emotions of the characters, and the ending is usually an overly idealized and romanticized reunion. These techniques have been used countless times, and they should be outdated and boring, but they are particularly moving in Indian films alone, and clichés can also burst out with huge emotional energy. Perhaps it is because of the rare sincerity in local Indian films, facing the chronic ills of society, not covering up, not being slick, and always holding a pure idealism for the future. In the face of the strict censorship system and complex market environment, mainland realist films often fail to maintain their original aspirations and show excessive shrewdness and smoothness. Perhaps this is why mainland audiences are always extra tolerant of Indian films-Indian realist films make We've seen a better look at what mainland films can be.
The narrative of "Mr. Hiccup" is not brilliant, but it is not beyond the norm, and the rhythm is precisely calculated and steady. The director deliberately avoided the singing and dancing scenes that are popular in Indian films, and the story became more fluid. The film constructs a double dramatic conflict, one is how the school's admittedly poor students come to the fore, and the other is how a woman with a rare neurological disorder proves to people that she is a good educator. As for Naina's process of overcoming many difficulties and finally coexisting peacefully with the disease, the film just passed by quickly, and the whole film revolves around the main line of how she became an excellent teacher.
Naina's image in the film is always confident and optimistic, neither humble nor arrogant, but her attitude towards work has actually hidden two changes. The first transition occurred after the home visit. From many details in the film, it is speculated that Naina should be born in a high caste family. Although she suffers from a strange disease, she has not experienced material deprivation and has the opportunity to receive a good education. Before the home visit, her work was the practice of methodology, and the teaching method was full of experimental spirit. It is not unreasonable for Atish to say that students are her "guinea pigs for scientific experiments". In the face of the students' teasing, she is full of patience and magnanimity, but she has no deep understanding. It was not until the home visit that Naina's concept was impacted and she realized that the situation of the students in Class 9F was far worse than she imagined, that she finally understood the students from the bottom of her heart and was determined to help them change the status quo. When visiting Aolu's house, Aolu's mother was queuing up for the water truck to bring her daily water. When she saw Naina, she asked, "Teacher, are you running out of water there?" It was funny and bitter, like a farmer. He was asking if the emperor was hoeing the ground with a gold hoe. The last family Naina visited was the Atish family. It was getting late. She saw the underage Atish repairing the car skillfully under the lights, and she couldn't say a word. As far as the eye can see, as the students put it, "the whole world is outside the slums."
The second transformation occurred after Atish destroyed the science project of Class 9A. I thought everything was going in a good direction. The students love to learn, the coursework is progressing smoothly, and the teachers and students are eagerly awaiting the final exam. However, the accident caused by Atish dragged the entire 9F class into crisis again. Naina's confidence was shaken, she began to doubt her students and herself, and her condition worsened. Under the heavy blow, she said disheartenedly: "In short, I don't think you need me anymore." Although the brief separation was not a pleasant experience, it made Naina and the students more sure of their needs for each other in the process. Teachers and students finally formed the closest alliance and became a solid community of interests. Because of this, when Class 9F was framed for cheating, Naina could stand by the students without hesitation and vouch for the students' personality.
Strictly speaking, India is not a poor country, but a country with many poor people, which is caused by class solidification. The upper class refuses to open the door for the lower caste, and the lower caste are restricted from many life options since childhood. Against this background, Naina's choice is even more valuable. Her disease has even become a way for her to communicate with "poor students" to some extent. The disease has made her a discriminated person from a high caste. The concern of lower caste students comes more from empathy than sympathy from above. She is a lamp burner and a fire thief. Her teaching methods are bold and innovative, and she is free from the system. She constantly strives for opportunities for Class 9F, so that they can also stand side by side with the top students of Class 9A with dignity.
There are some critics who think that the concept conveyed by "Mr. Hiccup" is too chicken soup. In this era, "mourning" has become popular culture, and chicken soup and chicken blood, which were popular in the early years, have been abandoned. But to put it bluntly, "mourning" is more like a disease of wealth, a kind of cynicism in the new era. Those who are really closed by God have no option of "mourning" in their lives. They must desperately sail against the current, Not to be overturned by the waves of fate. At the end of the film, twenty years later, Naina retired and her educational career came to a successful conclusion. Her first group of students came to visit her, none were absent, and all grew into what they once wanted to be. So romantic, so idealistic, like a fairy tale. But it's not so much chicken soup as it's a little bit of hope, a boost to those who are at rock bottom.
We may live in an unsatisfactory society, and I only hope that everyone can meet the light-burner in life.
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