This is a love letter to love, not a love letter to a lover. Lovers may disappear and leave after all, but love is always happening, and it is always worth being recorded and cherished.
"Love Letter" is an early work of Shunji Iwai's directing career. From the beginning of this film, his unique shooting technique, narrative style and presentation dimension have gradually taken shape. Compared with other directors of the same type, he pays more attention to the creation of scripts, the presentation of pictures and the fit of the soundtrack, which also makes him more perfect in shaping the theme of youth and pure love. Secret love and love seem to be the themes of many of Iwai Shunji's works. The tone is mostly cheerful, and there is no bloody plot in domestic youth movies, but they all reveal a helpless sadness. Whether it is the loneliness and loneliness in a foreign land in "April Story", the boring and deficient family life in "Summer Solstice Story", the choice of friendship and love in "Flower and Alice", or the life and death in "Love Letter" ,etc. While depicting youth and delineating love, he is mixed with thoughts about family, about death, about life and so on. Shunji Iwai is good at writing about love, but never limited to that.
"Hello, Zhihua", which was released in November 2018, also takes youth and love as the theme, and uses letters and memories as the needle and thread of the story to express the inevitable regret and loss. There are too many similarities with "Love Letter" in terms of subject matter and conception. It's just that the environment in Japan in the 1990s is different. The current market in China is full of audiences and fans who can accept and appreciate Shunji Iwai's films. But even so, Zhuyu is in the front, Cui Shicun is on the top, although the new work is not tile, it is really hard to beat in the same type of movie. Iwai Shunji once said in an interview: "When I was in high school, I went to a school with only boys. When I was the most restless in my youth, there were only boys around me. So I had been fantasizing for a while, if I went to a school with both men and women. Can I spend that kind of youth like a movie? Because I haven't experienced it myself, I will be very unwilling, and then I want to create something like this, maybe I have such a feeling This kind of obsession." "Love Letter" may also express such a kind of obsession.
the beginning of the movie. Watanabe Hiroko woke up from the heavy snow and walked down the mountain. (According to the plot setting, this should be Kobe - a city in western Japan, but the real location is Otaru, which is also mentioned below.)
This white snow scene reminds me of the Song Dynasty poet Lu Jiao's "Heavy Snow": Vientiane is all bright, and the sky is bright. Kawabata Yasunari's "Snow Country" should probably be the same. The black trench coat she was wearing formed a strong contrast with the surrounding scenery wrapped in silver, and also created a special beauty of elegance and solemnity.
The beauty of a woman is divided into two types, one is easy to make people have impulses and desires, and the other is that people can't get up and think badly. At this time, Hiroko Watanabe belonged to the latter.
Fujii Shu died unexpectedly in a mountain disaster. Today is his third anniversary. Hiroko Watanabe (Fujii Shu's fiancee during his lifetime) came to visit him. After the ceremony, Watanabe Hiroko sent Fujii's mother home. In Fujii's room, Hiroko saw his old photos from his junior high school graduation album, and he had a feeling of "I don't know where to go, but the peach blossoms are still smiling in the spring breeze".
She found (Fujii tree) name, and eagerly wrote down the corresponding address. At that time, her heart was full of life, as if there was a glimmer of hope that Fujii Tree might be somewhere, like before, with open arms and waiting for her to pounce. That was Otaru, a small northern town far from Kobe.
According to Fujii's mother, the place seems to be no longer there and has become a highway.
About Otaru, about the history on the graduation album, Watanabe Hiroko did not know about Fujii's past. After the unexpected death of Fujii Tree, Hiroko has been unable to accept this fact, and has not come out of the grief of losing his beloved. She started writing to (Fujii Ki) at the address in Otaru:
Bozi said, "I sent it because I couldn't receive it, because I sent it to the kingdom of heaven." Perhaps, Hiroko Watanabe really didn't long for answers and responses, she just hoped that she could create a little connection between lovers who were separated from the world, so that she could temporarily escape the nightmare of sadness. At this time, she didn't know that this (Fujii tree) was not her fiancé, but a girl with the same name and surname, and she didn't know that the three of them would have such a wonderful similarity and such an indescribable connection. {In order to distinguish the characters in the movie, the male Fujii tree uses the Fujii tree as usual, and the female Fujii tree uses (Fujii tree)} But to Hiroko's surprise, the letter that should have been buried in the sea unexpectedly received a reply, in this surprise, more should be joy. (Fujii Tree) is a librarian at the Otaru City Station Library. She caught a cold recently, and she couldn't remember who Hiroko Watanabe was who sent her the letter. It felt strange, but she wrote a reply out of courtesy.
Watanabe Hiroko quickly wrote a reply, reminding her to take her medicine on time and get back to health as soon as possible. In this way, the two people communicated with each other through letters, maintaining a mysterious and wonderful connection, which almost became Watanabe Hiroko's spiritual support. She tried so hard to believe that it was true, that he had sent these letters, and he even thought that Fujii-ki, the unforgettable love she had always loved, might still be alive. Akiba Shigeru was a friend of Fujii Tree during his lifetime, and he has always admired Watanabe Hiroko. During the correspondence between Hiroko Watanabe and (Fujii), Akiba also quietly wrote a letter to (Fujii), "If you are really Fujii, please show me the evidence. "
In addition to being surprised, Akiba's attitude towards receiving a reply from "Fujii Tree" should be more jealous and unwilling. He didn't understand why Hiroshi Fujii had been away for so long, and Bozi still cherished him. (Fujii Tree) After receiving the letter from Akiba, she was a little angry and worried, so she forged a fake certificate and sent it, but it was indeed her own photo. He replied, "This is the evidence, don't write to me again." Hiroko and Akiba discovered unexpectedly that the so-called fantasy (Fujii tree) turned out to be a girl, so why did the letter go to her? Is she really Fujii? What does she have to do with the Fujii tree they knew. "The difference between the logical hardship and the ideological romance. Akiba wants to help Hiroko Watanabe forget his sadness and untie his knot, but Hiroko wants to maintain his fantasy. : Maybe it's really him? Maybe he hasn't left me yet. But in the end they decided to go to Otaru and look for another man named Fujii.
With the help of friends and the hint of the address, Hiroko and Akiba found the home with (Fujii tree), but unfortunately, (Fujii tree) was not at home at this time. After waiting for a while, Bozi chose to leave a letter and leave.
It is worth pondering that in the letter, she did not tell her the news of Fujii's death. Maybe she didn't feel the need to tell such a secret to a stranger, after all, no one is obliged to listen to your troubles, or maybe she hasn't come out of her grief, or maybe she was just interrupted by a glimpse of Akiba And eager to leave. Movies are always such a coincidence that when Hiroko Watanabe was just about to leave, (Fujii tree) came back. They were in the same taxi, and the driver told Bozi that she looked a lot like the previous guest.
After a brief meeting and meeting in Otaru, Hiroko discovered a secret, she and (Fujii tree) are simply too similar. As a result, she had strong worries and fears. She was afraid that the love at first sight that Fujii told him was because the face was similar to the girl he liked. She was afraid that the so-called love was just a so-called substitute, so she eagerly asked about the graduation album. If that's the case, she can't forgive her. Hiroko finally knew that (Fujii Tree) was a classmate of Fujii Tree's junior high school, and the address he saw on the graduation album was not Fujii Tree, but (Fujii Tree).
She also began to learn more about Fujii Tree through (Fujii Tree)'s memories, and she eagerly sought the truth, like a curious child. Hiroko wants to know if Fujii tree has really liked (Fujii tree)? And what kind of existence is she and Hiroko Watanabe in this relationship? In Hiroko's view, the same name and surname seems to be an arrangement of fate, a very romantic thing, but in (Fujii Tree)'s view, this does not seem to be a very good memory. Because two people have the same name, there will always be a lot of misunderstandings and a lot of trouble, such as the embarrassing look at each other when the teacher calls the name in the first class, or being teased as a lover by classmates who don't know the truth, and so on.
There doesn't seem to be many happy encounters and memories between them. But (Fujii tree) said: I remember very clearly about him.
This seems to be a foreshadowing and a hint. Just like what Gao Xiaosong set in "When the Flowers Blossom", in our youth, people we don't care about are like dummies, and everything has nothing to do with us. So why does (Fujii tree) remember the Fujii tree thing clearly? In (Fujii's) memories, Fujii's always borrowed a lot of esoteric books, such as definition sets and industrial manufacturing tutorials, but what's even more strange is that he doesn't read, just wants to leave on the library card above" Fujii Tree".
After the second-year final exam, their test papers were swapped, and Fujii's 27-point paper became (Fujii's) 89-point paper. (Fujii tree) decided to park the bicycle after class and wait for Fujii tree quietly. It is said that this is a gathering place for lovers. In the evening, Fujii Tree spent a good moment with (Fujii Tree) on the pretext that the light was dim and could not see the test paper, although the way of generating electricity and lighting with a hand-cranked bicycle looked a little sad.
Then recalled Fujii's love, which is also what Watanabe Hiroko cares about most. In (Fujii Tree)'s impression, his character is withdrawn and calm, and it seems that he has no predestined relationship with girls. However, at that time, Oi Hayana wanted to be friends with him, and even asked (Fujii Tree) to be the god of love Cupid and matchmaking, but Fujii Tree didn't like Oi Hayana, so this episode ended without a hitch. Boys in school days seem to have liked a girl in such a way, always trying to get her attention by bullying her. Fujii Tree is no exception. He would rush out of the path on a bicycle, put his hood on (Fujii tree) head, and leave on his own.
But there are always some good memories, such as Fujii-ki fighting with her classmates who bullied her for (Fujii-ki), for example, when Fujii-ki was reading a book, the bangs were gently blown by the breeze, and the curtains covered his delicate face from time to time , this is the best picture in memory. So when (Fujii tree) tentatively asked Fujii tree if he had a girl he liked and he answered no, she was still a little lost.
What makes (Fujii tree) deep in memory is the last sports meeting of Fujii tree when he was a student. At that time, as a 100-meter sprinter, Fujii-ki suffered a complicated fracture in his left leg, but he still appeared at the scene of the competition. Unfortunately, he fell down before running a few steps. (Fujii Tree), who was holding a camera in the stands, recorded the scene.
The last meeting with Fujii Tree begins with her father's death. (Fujii Tree)'s father died of pneumonia. After dealing with the funeral, her mother also fell ill because of excessive sadness. (Fujii tree) needs to stay at home to take care of, so it is temporarily unable to go to school after school starts. One day, Fujii tree suddenly came to (Fujii tree)'s house with a book (the seventh volume of "Reminiscence of Time Like Water") and asked her to help return to the library. After returning to school, he learned that he had actually transferred schools. Seeing the mischief of his classmates, perhaps thinking of his father's death, (Fujii Tree) angrily threw the chrysanthemum on Fujii's table to the ground. In 1995, Bai Chongyuan was 18 years old and Sakai Miki was 17 years old. Their best moments were also fixed in the movie.
Gradually, through these meticulous memories, she also realized the hazy feelings she had with Fujii Tree when she was a teenager. It's like the whole world knows that I like you, only you don't.
Life is never perfect because of regrets, regrets for gains, regrets for not getting, regrets for having, and regrets for losing. No matter how time passes, it will always be there, reminding you of its presence like a scar. Maybe we've met the right person, and we've missed it.
A woman's intuition has always been the most accurate, and Hiroko also understood Fujii's feelings at this time, and the knot in her heart seemed to open up a little. Akiba asked Hiroko to come to the snow-capped mountain where Fujiishu encountered danger. Fujiiki stayed here forever, and Hiroko never got out of here.
In the conversation with friends, Bozi finally understood that the people are gone, but love is immortal. She said: "Fujii tree gave me a lot of good memories, but after his death, I still want to explore a lot of things about him. I am really a selfish girl." Maybe Fujii tree fell in love with her at first sight because of similarities Looks, but their later love is happy, and the dedication and devotion to each other is also sincere. that's enough. The next day, Shigeru Akiba woke Hiroko Watanabe early, facing the snow-capped mountains and looking at the bright morning sun. She shouted, "How are you? I'm fine!" I hope Fujii can hear her thoughts and bravery.
At that time, in the distant Otaru, there was another voice that echoed it. (Fujii tree) Lying on the hospital bed, he said in a weak voice: "Dear Fujii tree, how are you? I'm fine!" I hope that Fujii tree can perceive his dull affection.
It was impossible to forget, but Bozi finally let it go. She sent the correspondence back and forth (Fujii tree), which is their memory.
In addition to the main line of love, there are also considerations about life and death in "Love Letter". At the ceremony of Fujii's third anniversary, although his father and mother's performance was solemn and solemn, there was no mournful cry or hypocritical attitude. This coincides with Shunji Iwai's view of life and death. For him, death does not mean the end of everything. As Haruki Murakami said: "Death is not the opposite of life, but a part of life that lasts forever." (Fujii tree) Because he was sick and did not want to go to the doctor, his mother and uncle asked him to see the new house. Reasons to "cheat" to the hospital. In the car on the way there, when he accidentally mentioned the cause of his father's death, his uncle said that he did not remember that his father died of pneumonia. (Fujii Tree)'s mother said at this time: If a person dies, it is easy to be forgotten. When I heard this sentence, my heart trembled, maybe the ultimate purpose of life or death is to forget and be forgotten. But it is also true that, whether alive or dead, being cared about is always a very happy thing. When Hiroko Watanabe took the photo of (Fujii) in the graduation album and asked if Fujii's mother looked similar, Fujii's mother asked her: Are you eating the vinegar of a middle school girl? What if so? Bozi replied: If so, I can't forgive him. Fujii's mother said: "How excellent this child was when he was alive, and he can still be missed so much when he dies." This is a scene in the film that moved me a lot. In addition, another scene that moved me very much was that (Fujii Tree)'s grandfather told her that when she was born, a tree was planted for her, and the name of the tree was "tree" At that time, I inexplicably thought of an article in the high school Chinese textbook, "Xiangji Xuanzhi" by Gui Youguang. At the end of the article is this sentence: There is a loquat tree in the courtyard, which was planted by my wife in the year of her death. At that time, I was thinking that such deep affection and nostalgia are probably the most beautiful appearance of love. When Akiba's friend asked him if he would like to continue climbing, he said: But there is no way, I'm already scared. Because of his love for Hiroko, he developed a fear of death. Life is fragile and precious. (Fujii Tree) fainted from a fever, the ambulance said that it would take an hour to arrive, my mother was a little concerned about (Fujii Tree) father's affairs, but my grandfather insisted on enduring his aged body and carrying her to the hospital in the wind and snow , in the end there was no danger.
At the end of the movie, (Fujii tree) junior high school girl came to (Fujii tree)'s house and brought a book, which was the seventh book of "Reminiscence of the Time Like Water" that Fujii tree asked her to return before leaving. Volume "Recurrence of Time". The library card on the title page of the book has her portrait on the reverse. The past time appeared scene after scene in front of her eyes, and she burst into tears. The most beautiful love letter I've ever written is your name, and the most beautiful girl I've ever seen is the face secretly drawn on the title page of the textbook.
At this point, it seems that all the stories have a result, but this result is not so important.
Love is inherently selfish. In the film, Oi Hayana said: "Are men really selfish? But women may be more selfish." This is an eternal proposition. That's why there is Fujii's love for Watanabe Hiroko at first sight and Watanabe Hiroko's thoughts to Fujii, so Shigeru Akiba chose to stay with Watanabe Hiroko all the time, so (Fujii) did not send the last letter. go out. But it is this selfishness that makes love great. In Shunji Iwai's youth, it seems that everything is so ordinary and dull, but there are always some places that impress you, like the only star in the dark night, it may not be enough to illuminate the whole sky, but is all our warmth and hope. As Shunji Iwai said: The accumulation of seemingly meaningless things constitutes the presentation of the final film.
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(Part of the pictures are from the Internet, invaded and deleted)
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