The sun is one of the few things that really does justice. When people are in the light, it doesn't favor any of them. But for those exposed to the light, the effects were not necessarily the same.
Directed by Zhong Menghong, The Sunshine Shows how individual actions can radiate to entire families in unexpected and heartbreaking ways. The youngest son Ah He and his friend Cai Tou were sent to the juvenile detention center for slashing people, so the father Ah Wen was determined to cut off the relationship with Ah He, so he devoted himself to the work of the driving school and pinned all his hopes on the eldest son Ah Howe. Ahao dreams of becoming a doctor. Over the years, he has been placed high hopes on him, just like a ray of sunshine in everyone's heart.
After Ah He was sent away, his girlfriend Xiaoyu appeared in the family's sight for the first time - she was pregnant with Ah He's child. Ah He's mother, Sister Qin, did not drive Xiaoyu away, but accepted her as a member of the family, and usually asked her to help in the hairdresser. When Ah He began to reflect on his behavior, and when the turmoil at home seemed to have settled down, Ah Hao's incident hit the family hard again. As if the sun had fallen into the clouds, a tragedy forced them to find a way out.
In "The Sunshine", Zhong Menghong chose to extract complex human emotions and expose them to the audience. Human emotions such as happiness and anger are often the easiest to explain because we are more inclined to express them. And things like sadness, fear, jealousy, and hurt are hidden because we're too afraid that people will judge themselves by it. Even in a predicament like Catch 22, we still mask the latter with anger or the occasional forced laugh.
Depression is another thing that has a huge impact on the way we experience life. Zhong Menghong subtly reveals that those who are experiencing depression do not always show it. Instead of living in the shadows, these people manage to be in the sun, even if it's another burden for them. To the person traveling with it—mother, brother, friend or father—everything seems to be fine.
It is difficult for them to perceive what is going on inside their loved one. There are many visual metaphors to express the emotional state of the characters, but the director did not do this, but arranged for Ah Hao to tell a story about Sima Guang to reveal his state of mind. At the same time, this story is also a distress signal for Ah Hao, looking forward to his friend, or more likely his younger brother Ah He, to see the depths of his heart and rescue him from the darkness. However, it was too late until Ah He realized that this older brother, who had been living in a halo since he was a child, had fought hard and sought his own help.
I often say depression is the thief of happiness because it kills all hope, it tells you that there is no way out, it robs you of the peace you long for.
Through his characters, Zhong Menghong makes us realize how strong a person can be, even after suffering such a fatal blow. He encourages actors to express all levels of grief, from depression to sheer rage, as Ah He shows: when he finally understands that it is because of jealousy that he has never been able to live with Ah Hao.
"The Sunshine" is beautifully shot and produced, but what really lays a solid foundation for the film is the performance of the actors, especially the actors of Ah He (Wu Jianhe) and Ah Wen (Chen Yiwen). Wu Jianhe grasps Ah He's emotional transformation from a rebellious teenager to a mature youth very naturally, making the viewer truly feel that all this is hard-won. And as Arwen's actor, Chen Yiwen seems to be full of resentment for everything, but somehow, despite being grumpy and stubborn, he manages to slowly become approachable and sometimes even cute.
Even though the main character did a great job, I was also impressed by a supporting character, Liu Guanting (who played Caitou), because he made me hate Caitou so much. Any actor who can inspire anger and contempt is definitely a good actor.
"The Sunshine" is not only a film about the relationship between father and son, but also a profound lesson, telling us to pay more attention to people themselves, to observe them, to listen to them, because it is only in silence that we truly have something. tell. Only in this way is personal redemption possible, as Ah Hao - he wants the future to be bright - where sunshine is a blessing, not a curse.
—by Carolyn Hinds
Public account: Sujue
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