The box office of "Later Us" has exceeded one billion, but the scandal of "box office fraud" has intensified. Both the producer and the propaganda party said it had nothing to do with them, and actively cooperated with the relevant departments to investigate Yunyun. Could it have something to do with our audience, this audience can't do it? When will Chinese films make "decent" money? Last year's Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, "The Square" was a story about "decent".
"Square" is a work of art, shot for intellectuals or the middle class. You have to be patient and have a sense of what the film is trying to convey. So, use a scenario as an analogy here.
When you walk into a Starbucks excitedly, a beggar sits behind a seat and reaches out to you. You smiled politely, "I'm sorry, I didn't bring cash." The beggar said, "Then buy me some bread, don't put too much butter". Embarrassed, you bought it on request and placed it on the beggar's face table, not wanting to touch her hand. You walk away and the beggar swears at the crumbs of the bread.
Interesting, right? You are highly educated, you have a good job, you live a prosperous life, you are worried about the environment, and you are angry that you have too little voice. You think that education is not just about gaining more knowledge, but about being nurtured and being polite. In particular, it is necessary to maintain the greatest goodwill to the marginalized, such as beggars on the street, such as people of color, such as minorities, such as infidels.
For individuals, it's upbringing and politeness. For society, it is fairness and justice. Therefore, our social policy will be more inclined to them, and a bill to better protect their legitimate rights and interests will be introduced. We will also do more volunteer work, donate money and materials, and treat them kindly in our lives.
In China, we advocate urbanization, encourage more and more children of farmers to work in cities, and provide them with housing and medical security. In Europe, immigration policies are getting looser. Residents of developed countries open their doors to welcome refugees from the Middle East, give them solutions for nationality, medical care, and education. Mainstream social media will promote these "political correctness", and affirmative action has repeatedly emerged.
We don't see anything wrong with it until the horrors in Europe are rampant. It turns out that those Middle Eastern residents are not happy, they still feel social injustice. Their homegrown terrorist forces took advantage of this dissatisfaction and ignited a fire of vengeance in their hearts, allowing them to burn the fire of vengeance on the civilian population of Europe.
Europe's middle class panicked, including their leaders. However, their leaders still have to emphasize "political correctness", and for the votes of ethnic minorities, their governance philosophy is "fairness and justice". They condemn these acts of terror, but it must be stressed that this is only a pagan extremist force, this is only a small group of them. Most Middle Eastern immigrants are still fine, and we will not have an xenophobic immigration blockade policy.
But what if those immigrants went too far? For example, they promote their extremist ideas on the streets and build mosques everywhere. What about gaining a seat in politics, or even becoming a national leader, through immigrant voters? Are you middle class shivering?
Let's go back home. The middle class in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou may often encounter this kind of problem. For example, the "poor relatives" from their hometowns come to visit, and their parents ask them to receive them properly. You got up early, took the subway for two hours and waited for more than an hour at the train station. Then they left the station, looking tired and glancing around, "How did you get here? Where's your car?"
You help him carry the bag until you are out of breath, and you are half-tired to accompany them to the shopping district and Disney. Please eat, accompany you to chat, and arrange accommodation. Looking back, he told other acquaintances in your hometown that he couldn't hang around there, and the arrangement was very bad. When you hear the "bad reviews" from your parents, are you willing to open your heart to them next time?
The mainstream values of the West tell you to be peaceful and fraternal, and to be kind to minorities. Dongfang’s parents tell you that you must be good-natured and polite. They are relatives after all. They have watched you grow up since childhood and took care of you a lot.
The museum director in the movie had such an experience, and accidentally mocked the minorities in order to promote his exhibition. He was "cut" by the board of directors and ordered to resign, lost his excellent job, and had to be questioned by all "just reporters" at the press conference.
The price of staying "decent" without being "embarrassed" is really high. So what can you do? You can only be kidnapped by these "correct" values, and continue to receive the next wave of visitors from your hometown with a smile on your face, and you dare not have the slightest dissatisfaction. If you break out, break up, even make fun of them and laugh at them. Then the whole hometown people will isolate you and your "family". Mom and Dad will regret the beginning, thinking that it is better not to let you go to college and work in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Art knows no borders, and "Square" does this too, allowing both Eastern and Western audiences to relate to it. Western audiences saw the threats and provocations of ethnic minorities, while domestic audiences saw the polarization between the rich and the poor and class solidification. Although the perspectives are different, there are similarities in the same way.
For Hollywood, movies are industrial products that export mainstream values along the way. For Europe, films are works of art, and Cannes is an exhibition hall for works of art and a refuge for directors. For East Asian films, film is a business, and it is necessary to serve the audience and attract the audience to the cinema to the greatest extent possible. As for Chinese movies, for their producers, they will do everything possible to trick you into entering the cinema. The quality of a movie is not the same as the box office. The announcement is what matters, even if it is announced by unscrupulous means. After all, the box office is the last word.
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