Collapse, escape and seek

Cecelia 2022-04-24 07:01:23

The city and the urban-rural junction of the Three Gorges Reservoir area condensed the epitome of China's urbanization: destruction and reconstruction are carried out at the same time, combining strong constructive and destructive forces, and the land is randomly filled with various rough aggregates. In the lens, the abandoned factories and buildings are alienated, fragmented, and asymmetrical; they are also greedy, lustful, and opportunistic. At the same time, they also remind the audience not to forget the huge social mobility and the small and helpless. urban fringe. They are here today and don't know where they are going tomorrow. For them, feelings and family are abstract. Beneath the appearance of a mechanical tool-like life, they still have their own stories.

The identity of the male protagonist Han Sanming is chaotic and constantly changing. He seems to have been a Shanxi coal miner who was not poor. He came to Fengjie as a seeker, looking for his wife, whom he bought for 3,000 yuan, and his daughter, whom he hadn't seen in sixteen years. After arriving in Fengjie, he became a destroyer and a bystander; he became a member of a migrant worker team to destroy abandoned buildings, and this is where his wife lived since childhood; during this period, she became a bankrupt state-owned factory, a female employee and a A friend of a street gangster, witnesses their forced departure and beatings to death. In the film, Han Sanming is always passive. Life always takes him to different places, allowing him to witness/experience the collapse of buildings and the slow departure of ships. However, a warm glow of humanity keeps flashing. , from the sentence "I came all the way to see my daughter" after being beaten, to not forgetting to repay the landlord, from the smile on the street while watching the performance of the rudimentary singing and dancing troupe, to the redemption before leaving Replying to his wife's phrase "you wait for me for a year, I'll give you money", the moviegoers living in the city are no longer alienated and unfamiliar with the life of migrant workers. The most touching thing was the meeting between Han Sanming and his wife. The distance between the two implied the uncertainty of their relationship. Han Sanming endured it for a long time and only said, "My mother won't let you work after your next confinement. ”, this is the only mournful line the protagonist has from the beginning to the end of the film. At the end of the film, Han Sanming suddenly became Moses again. He wanted to lead the migrant worker friends of the construction team to dig coal in Shanxi and live a life of earning 200 yuan a day. Part of his mission was completed, he found his wife, and knew that his daughter was working in Dongguan. . In fact, the protagonist's footsteps in the film are not so difficult and careful. Perhaps, the protagonist longs for the release and comfort in the air to hedge against the heaviness and responsibility in reality.

There's nothing bizarre about the plot, and it's backed up by history (Canadian trapeze and Xinjiang air prince Adili), at least not so absurd compared to the controversial flying saucer and the liftoff of the building, especially the very futuristic one Compared with the buildings with the color of ism. In my opinion, these scenes are not difficult to understand, this is the second theme of the film - escape. People in the reservoir area have to leave, some are forced (women workers in a state-owned factory "walk better than waiting to die"), and some are eager for the outside world (a 16-year-old girl begs the heroine Zhao Tao to take her out as a nanny). Although the film does not provide any reconstruction power while documenting the disappearance of the countryside in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, the galloping Yangtze River is a natural and perfect outlet, and the hero and heroine both leave by boat at the end of the story.

The still lifes in the film are as follows:

wine--Fenjiu in Shanxi--Han Sanming refused to deliver wine to his wife's brother, drinking with a gangster, a migrant worker friend, and his wife's current husband.
Tea——Wushan Yunwu Tea——Zhao Tao found the tea
cigarettes left by her husband Binbin in the factory——I didn’t see the brand clearly——Han Sanming handed people cigarettes many times, and ordered them to cover up embarrassment and sadness when he saw his wife cigarette.
Sugar---Big White Rabbit Toffee---The little gangster gave sugar to everyone before going to help the boss beat someone. The omens of death, and his wife sent sugar to Han Sanming.

These four still lifes are both symbolic and functional. Life adjustment for people at the bottom + social / etiquette / communication tools. Except the white rabbit toffee is a little too poetic and even a little contrived, the rest are very calm and calm. In fact, the director forgot the other two still lifes:

the cell phone—Han Sanming’s cell phone ringtone is in great contrast with the gangster’s. Zhao Tao’s wife called her husband and found that the phone was turned off. The gangster’s phone ringtone made Han Sanming find his corpse.
Water - Zhao Tao takes this mineral water bottle wherever he goes, and picks up water from drinking fountains everywhere while looking for her husband, but it's never full. The green water of the Yangtze River is rolling eastward.

The emergence of mobile phones highlights that China is the largest mobile market in the world. Almost all people have mobile phones. Communication should be convenient, but it cannot shorten the distance between people, nor can it deepen the understanding and familiarity between people. Water is not only the necessities of life, but also the ruthless power to eliminate everything and take away everything.

There are still two other plots that are very absurd and bizarre: the "Western Han Dynasty tomb" that is being excavated and the disinfection personnel who are wrapped in thick biochemical protective suits from head to toe (as needed for epidemic prevention, but unless the plague has occurred, and No need to dress like that). The director must have his intentions, but it is difficult for the audience to guess. It seems that the director is reminding the audience of the historical and political issues in the Three Gorges demolition and resettlement - I hope my understanding is superficial.

The film is generally viewed as:

the collapsed buildings are roaring,
the sailing ships are whimpering,
the light of humanity is warm, and
the flying saucers in the air are whizzing.

Compared with Jia Zhangke's previous films, "The Three Gorges" this time narrates three new themes: collapse, escape and search. Extensive use of non-professional actors, extensive use of pop music themes, all with a distinct Jia style. However, unlike in the past, the director's use of intentions and his grasp of the rhythm of light and shade have undergone many new changes. I dare not say whether it is on the road of becoming a master, but this film at least explores a new possibility of Chinese art films, giving us more expectations and excitement.

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Still Life quotes

  • Brother Mark: You're a nostalgist.

    Shen Hong: We can't forget who we are.