1
"Long Time" is 175 minutes long, nearly 3 hours.
But compared to Liu Yaojun and Wang Liyun's life spanning more than 30 years in the movie, this short three hours seems insignificant.
An accident took the life of a child.
In the era of "family planning is a basic national policy" and "only one is good", this accident easily destroyed a traditional Chinese family of three, and also plunged another family into the abyss.
They staggered away from their original life, escaped everything they were familiar with, and fled to the southeast coast where language and living habits were completely different, but they could not escape the inner pain and mental torture.
Bit by bit, time slowly repaired their broken souls. In this long farewell, they went from youthful and vigorous to gradually gray temples.
Those unspeakable debts and guilt, those suppressed emotions, are finally released in the growth of the younger generation.
On a sunny afternoon, the joy of the new life swept away the sorrow, the two wept with joy at the phone, the gauze concealed their expressions, and only a slight sob came out.
Over the past 30 years, I have experienced so many people and events, and I am about to live with such pain for the rest of my life.
Destiny turned suddenly without warning, just like the tragedy that happened back then.
Life still stretched out a reconciling hand and pulled them out of their misery.
2
"Long Time" is not strictly a tearjerker movie.
Although it does have plenty of emotional moments that stimulate the audience's tear ducts.
In the bones, it shows the Chinese people's forbearance and restraint, the smoothness of fate and suffering, and the repression of emotions.
Liu Yaojun's anger, Li Haiyan's guilt, Jasmine's secret love, Wang Liyun's suspicion... All the emotions that might be rampant were finally covered by silence.
There is also the shock of the big era, such as crackdowns, family planning, layoffs, and going to the sea.
But the people in the movie can't take care of reflecting on the era and the system, and just deal with the life in front of them, which has made them breathless.
Director Wang Xiaoshuai did not put the propositions of the big era at the front, but only used them as footnotes in life.
Without questioning and criticism, under sadness, everything is gentle. After all, the theme of the film is about people and the relationship between people.
The loss of the only one is the main line, and it is the foundation that lays the emotional tone of the whole movie, but the movie still cares about these people who work hard to live, their joys, sorrows, joys and sorrows.
They can also make mistakes and be selfish, but most of the time, they are kind, kind, and strong. They are very much like the uncles and aunts I remembered as a child. They are always optimistic, determined and omnipotent.
You've never seen them gaffe or helpless, so you can't wait to grow up and be like them.
But when you grow up, you will realize that life is not like that at all.
So you know the movie.
3
I love the narrative structure of this movie.
It breaks the pure linear narrative and does not have too strong logic, and time is inserted into the film in a fragmented form.
When watching a movie, we do not have a very clear era boundary, and the change of time is almost silent.
The blurriness becomes more apparent the further you go.
You can only capture the changes of the years from the faces of the characters.
The film does not deliberately pile up and over-amplify the elements of the times, nor does it deliberately enhance the drama through the sense of the times.
The emotions of the whole film have been restrained, and the camera has avoided almost all the key moments, such as Xingxing's drowning, Liyun's suicide, Yaojun's derailment, Haiyan's death...
As soon as the shot is over, things happen and pass quickly. But the ripples caused by the matter have been flooding for a long time, rolling back and forth in people's hearts.
The couple picked up their drowning son by the river, and the camera stayed on the hillside, watching from a distance.
When the adult Haohao confessed to Yaojun and his wife, the camera was also far away. There is no close-up of tears, only the side of the person, the crystal teardrops hanging on the tip of the nose, swaying.
This is a more advanced expression. It does not use tears to urge tears and interpret sadness with sadness, but shows the entanglement, contradiction and struggle to the audience meticulously. It is not so outspoken, but it is extraordinarily real.
Daxi Dabei is full of strength, but it can't last, and it can't support this story that spans 30 years.
So those emotions turned into Liu Yaojun's absent-mindedness, Wang Liyun's gaze, embarrassment that he was polite but didn't know where to start, turned into a contrast of fireworks outside the window and the cold and quiet inside the house, and turned into a warm heart. After embracing, the desire to talk is not enough.
In a succinct way, tell the stories of these families. In the torrent of the times, individuals who were engulfed inadvertently still struggled to emerge and survive.
4
Still thinking about acting.
The award of the best actor and actress in the Berlin world is enough to explain everything.
But the performances of the two were different.
Wang Jingchun is of course the most eye-catching and outstanding one, the biggest halo shrouded him, and the most drama was given to him. His performances are more dramatic, full of detail and layers. Yaojun, the character who has undergone a huge personality transformation and presented a profound complexity, can be said to be the protagonist of the protagonists.
Yongmei is more calm, more restrained, and unassuming, and the whole feeling of her performance is smooth. There are not too many violent expressions, most of the time it is peaceful, Liyun is like a shadow, following behind Yaojun. There is no hoarseness, but it has its own position and attitude.
Their performances, intuitive impressions, are credible. You don't think they are "acting" in particular, but they are presented naturally. They did not specifically outline the growth background or mental journey of the characters, but only connected the changes in life through paragraphs of emotional states in place.
They are people who will use all the details. The close-up of the two people hangs high on the big screen and can withstand the long stare of the camera.
The supporting roles of Alia, Li Jingjing, and Xu Cheng are also very good, and the emotions of several key scenes are all in place.
As for Wang Yuan, he tried his best.
5
The final reconciliation was not so good, a little deliberate, or, in other words, vulgar.
Of course, Wang Xiaoshuai doesn't know how to leave blank.
But after three hours of emotional displacement, you may understand the director's kindness, which is both a business need and a comfort to the audience.
Compared with Jia Zhangke or Bi Gan, Wang Xiaoshuai's films are closer to the public's aesthetics, more in line with the mainstream narrative context, and more in need of such a happy ending.
It has a relatively clear theme, a popular and complete story, and a clear main line and contradictions. Even an audience who is accustomed to commercial movies will at most feel that the movie is protracted and tedious, rather than moving, confusing and boring.
It doesn't ask sharp questions or rebuke loudly, and it keeps enough distance from the core of the tragedy, even turning a blind eye.
This is also the art film that is closest to the general audience, or the art film that is most easily accepted by the general audience.
It has a little threshold, it is ideological and realistic, full of author's temperament, and it is also advanced in audition expression. But it is also friendly, not arrogant, and will not arouse the rebelliousness and anger of the audience.
Just like this beautiful ending, there was a gentle scene hidden by the gauze curtain, just the right light wrapped around the two of them, they were talking on the phone with a soft tone. The title of the film slowly floats up, "A long time and a long time", it is a life that has been frozen, so long, my son, it is this long farewell, reluctant to part, but still want to see you again.
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