A few days ago, I went to see the preview of "The Three Gorges" in Shanghai. I found that this film is more mature than Jia Zhangke's previous films. To say that it is "mature" is too general, it is better to say that the story arrangement is sophisticated, the details are meticulously handled, and the ambition is greater. The occasional natural or subjective realism in the film—realistic, indeed—has made me feel like I've experienced it myself. Some of the plots are very cleverly set. What's notably constant is his rhythm and his handling of those songs - which seem to be on the verge of becoming a signature. However, my understanding of the film is somewhat different from what Xiao Ke himself said. In my opinion, the two Shanxi people in the film represent people in two states of existence. One is a worker in the lower-class society, and the other is a female nurse who can already meet the needs of food and clothing-their choices about the lost love are different. Maybe these two types of people live in two different circles, and these two circles are inherited. Shanxi miners will inevitably get rid of the era of buying wives one day, and they will inevitably face the collapse of the marriage of their own choice. They will inevitably find a different way out for themselves, and on the day when these were formed, what kind of mental state were the nurses in Shanxi in? Can't imagine. A contrast reflects the imbalance of the development of the times. But the joy is that both of them are trying to find a way out, and they have begun to actively create their destiny.
Xiao Ke's films are very "Chinese", not the things in the camera are Chinese, but the angle from which he sees things. What he captures is a member of the ordinary people in China today, reflecting the most common, simplest and most subtle phenomena. And some other films are to capture an alien person, from their exaggerated performance and bizarre language to reflect people's most common and most simple and subtle psychology. One is to expand while shrinking, and the other is to expand while zooming in. In fact, I personally prefer the latter, because I watch more of those alternative films, and Xiao Ke's films will give me a sense of comfort, because his themes are always very vague - people's general living conditions do not use a few Words can express completeness - he only embodies a concept, and I like to think behind the concept best. When I watched "Xiao Wu", Xiao Wu stripped naked and sang in Mandarin in the bathhouse. I was very moved. At that time, I was thinking, how to make a person fall in love with a person who had a bad impression - just Let him see his full life! The understanding between people does not need to be covered up and deceived. The real is always beautiful, because the real thing makes us realize the driving force behind all the apparent behavior of that person, and our anger is replaced by love.
View more about
Still Life reviews
