The director risked his life and at the same time, in a somewhat reckless situation, dedicated such a film to us, which can be said to be of great significance to the times.
He deceived not only the North Korean authorities, but also the heroine of the film, Xin Mei, an 8-year-old girl. If Xin Mei's family still knew that they were posing for pictures, the child would not be able to understand what he was doing anyway. She also won't understand what message the director wants to convey to the world through this film. She was even less able to understand what role she played in delivering the message.
No one asked her opinion, and no one cared about her feelings.
North Korea does not have it, neither does the director Mansky, and even Xin Mei's parents are more like props, and there is nothing they can do except cooperate.
Therefore, this movie is full of deceit through and through, as if there is no sunshine under the sun, it conveys cold despair and absurdity.
It's a movie that's hard not to be moved by. Especially for a post-80s Chinese.
I also recited the declaration of joining the team when I was a child, and I volunteered to join.... So skilled and fluent, just like Xin Mei at the end of the film. Of course, those words mean nothing to me. When I said the words "I will volunteer", I was still at an age where I couldn't understand what it means to be willing. When I was a child, I only thought it was fun, and at the same time, I had a sense of superiority among my peers. Until one day, when my self-consciousness was awakened, I began to dislike and resist such behavior. In order to cope with the inspection of the superior, it is impossible to do this kind of work by grinding the gun on the spot.
Beyond the coldness revealed by the film itself, she can still see a possible sadness in the distance. When Xin Mei wakes up one day, will she realize the meaning of that film, and when she realizes it, will she be able to see it again? Tears were shed once.
A single, dogmatic education will not have much obvious effect, but when countless such processes are superimposed, when the brain is silently loaded with such a thinking circuit, many concepts will subtly become part of the personality. .
When a thought becomes one with itself, self-censorship becomes difficult. Just like a bald man can only laugh at others being bald, but cannot find out that he is also bald. A concept can now be easily accessed through the Internet to give the illusion of false freedom. Looking at the various comments and debates on the Internet, you should know that this is an era when you can easily obtain information but it is more difficult to realize that you have been brainwashed.
The Internet has made brainwashing more active, more covert, more expansive and more refined.
However, if you look carefully, you can easily see the traces of brainwashing.
For example, the unanimous opinion on the Internet that Koreans are shameless, and everything is Korean, this kind of sentiment can easily spread, but how many people have actually done investigations and explored the facts. More people just read a report, or everyone in the circle of friends said so, so he followed suit.
Blind obedience to a certain ideology without understanding is the most common type of brainwashing in today's society.
The Chinese people described by Lu Xun, the mass psychology described in the rabble, all illustrate this fact.
People are easily brainwashed, but it is difficult to realize that they are brainwashed.
At the end of the film, Xin Mei cried for some unknown reason. It was in the absence of North Korean supervisors that she displayed an emotion that was the exact opposite of the gleeful, buoyed, patriotic spirit she was called for. Of course, crying, there are too many possibilities for children, but under the guidance of the director, under the background of music, under the processing of the camera, and under the brains of some caring people, this tear has been given too much. more meaning. From a certain point of view, if 99% of the film is supervised by the relevant North Korean people, can the last scene be considered a staging by the director Mansky? After all, she didn't explain anything before or after she cried. There was only one piece of information we could read. Xin Mei was asked what she expected after joining the team. She said that she thought that we should be responsible for our own actions, and that we could be responsible for our beloved ones. Leader..., and then she was silent, and then she cried.
Although there is an easier possibility in this tear, and it is a possibility that we are more willing to imagine, but after all, there is a lack of connection between the before and after scenes. For example, Xin Mei had a trouble with her parents today, or was just criticized by the director or other adults. Therefore, directly based on this tear It would be unfair to draw certain positive conclusions.
I think, I can see something from Xin Mei's two answers.
The first question is what expectations do you have for the future. An 8-year-old child, facing this question, even mentions the beloved leader. This is too inconsistent with the nature of children, and I can feel a strong depression here. .
The second question, then read a poem you like. So Xin Mei faced the camera and recited the declaration of joining the Young Pioneers naturally and skillfully. Without adding any interpretation, she could feel a kind of sadness.
The handling of this ending reminds me of Takeshi Kitano at the end of the fireworks, a gunshot sounded outside the quiet screen.
PS: Tucao about the so-called North Korean patriotic expression. I've seen this look before. No matter how good-looking a person is, once you put this expression on it, it looks very... In short, I can't appreciate it.
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