有一两个月没看电影了。突然想到《甜蜜蜜》,连续两个深更半夜娃儿们终于躺下了,看了两遍。看完脑子里是一片乱哄哄的空白,不知从哪里开始抽出头绪。去看影评,发现英文名叫Comrades:Almost a Love Story,译得不能更传神达意。顺口说一句,纽约时报的英文影评肤浅得不堪入目,豆瓣上倒是有几篇影评犀利深刻。《甜蜜蜜》不是一部爱情电影,即使满片都是邓丽君甜腻腻的歌声。只有结尾最后的意外(注定)相逢,才落入爱情片的俗套,但是毕竟已经纠缠了十年了,在电影里最后还是要在一起的,然后落幕,刚刚好。
导演可能想要以小见大地映照出一代香港/大陆人的生活,但是,这故事又何尝不是普天之下的故事呢?理想和爱情不一致的时候,你选择哪个?李和黎都很现实地选择了理想,不管那理想是多宏大还是多琐碎,不管是主动还是被动地选择,他们都“放下”了爱情。是的,那是爱情。爱情它没有那么伟大,爱情就是个很暂时、很偶然、很便利的东西。在它那短暂的持续里,它有强大的威力,可以使人盲目,做出很“伟大”的举动来。但是李绝对不是那种在爱情前盲目的人。自始至终,她都很清醒,知道自己的理想是什么。被黑社会大佬爱上,那是她的能耐,更是她的幸运,暂且不表这位大佬是多么难得地有情有义而又洞察秋毫。黎没有大志,单纯但不愚蠢,感性又不失理性,勤劳能干还有一技之长。他知明地,即使是被迫地,和李说了“再见”,然后短短两年里,李和黎都实现了自己的理想。 但是理想实现了,两人并没有幸福。就像当初说理想是要考上名牌大学,是要当科学家宇航员,然后发现一个理想实现了,新的需求又冒出来了。这就是人之所以为人吧。黎的故事很简单,也很不真实地幸运,一路从香港做饭到纽约,标准美国梦的模版。温饱问题解决后,就是情感的需求。我觉得影片里黎最勇敢的时候,就是在码头没有等到李回来,回家后还是像他在床上对李说的那样,对老婆说出了实话,也对自己说出了实话:“我们回不去了”。李呢,大富大贵大涛大浪过后,也终究是一个拿到了绿卡的普通人。乡下的房子盖好了,大佬可能还给她留下了积蓄,也是到了想要个娃的时候了。这时候,他们再次偶遇,天时地利人和了。这里爱情的成分是:在纽约的这么四五年,他们竟然都各自没有“爱情故事”。黎的心里一直都只有李,在电影里有清晰地表达。但是李的心里是不是一直都只有黎,那就不得而知了。我反而觉得,她和大佬之间的故事,才是“爱情”真正的模样。那相逢后的相视而笑,必要经受日后柴米油盐的考验。“爱情”才真正开始。但谁说非要天长地久,谁说必得日夜恩爱?爱情进行时,那就是最美的样子,那就是活着的价值。 我说《甜蜜蜜》不是一部爱情电影,却通篇都在说“爱情”。这里的“爱情”,有一半可以用“生活”来代替吧。理想只是一个目标,并不是生活本身,也不是生活的意义。年轻时很具体地说想要什么什么,中年后发现想要的其实是一种状态。状态很多时候难以言说,并且处于动态之中,比理想和目标难以捕捉多了,但是达到那种状态的快感,值得用一生去寻寻觅觅。 P.S. 我不确定外国人能不能真正感受到这部电影,所以我也懒得用英文写影评啦。 P.P.S. 两年后1998年黎明和舒淇拍《玻璃之城》,似乎想延续《甜蜜蜜》的那份传奇,但是《玻璃之城》差《甜蜜蜜》不知道多少个级别,不管是剧情、台词、表演、还是拍摄。
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I watched it on the flight to China, simply because it stars Tang Wei, one of my favorite Chinese actresses. It didn’t disappoint, though I am not a big fan of mystery/thriller films. It has a good story, and though the pace is slow, it keeps holding you. Tang keeps surprising her audience, this time by speaking Korean in the film. The poster is a great design too.
The Golden Era (黄金时代) is a 2014 Chinese-Hong Kong biographical drama film directed by Ann Hui, starring Tang Wei, based on the life of a Chinese female writer Xiao Hong in the 20th century who died at the age of 30.
With a length of 179 minutes and a character with a controversial personal life, The Golden Era is understandably not a crowd-pleaser, but I got interested in Xiao's life and writings, because a female with such a turbulent life and a rebellious mind in such an unfortunate era of wars must have so much to write about her pains, her brief lost joy and her loneliness. Hui's directing is definitely personal, and Tang's acting definitely boosted the likability of Xiao. They got me because these two ladies are two of my favorites in the Chinese film industry. Do I need to mention that Tang learnt Shanghainess and Suzhou dialect for her role in Lust, Caution, Cantonese for her role in Crossing Hennesey, English for her studies in UK, and Korean for her marriage with the Korean director Kim Tae-yong? A Simple Life: a 2011 film directed by Ann Hui starring Deanie Ip and one of my favorite actors Andy Lau. I wonder if anyone without Chinese background could fully understand the subtle emotions and the unspoken warmth between the two protagonists. But the fact that Ip won the best actress reward at the 68th Venice International Film festival proves that love transcends languages and cultures.
Due to personal and family events in the last three years, I’ve been thinking a lot about aging, illness, loneliness and death. And I think I’ve finally come to be at peace with these inevitables of one’s life, though not without any sadness. It’s a privilege that is denied to many to get older, so I never view aging as a sad stage of life. What is sad is the loneliness and emptiness in one’s heart, no matter young or old. Center Stage: a 1991 film directed by Stanley Kuan starring Maggie Chang, is based on the true story of China’s first prima donna of the silver screen Ruan Lingyu. I rewatched it after 15 years not out of my interest of her life but of Maggie Cheung’s performance. Elegance, reservedness, and the perfect model for Qi-pao, she is irresistible on the screen, just as in her later film In the Mood for Love.
The film is not only a documentary of Ruan Lingyu who ended her life at 24 due to tabloid and her ex, but also a mini documentary of the actors of the film, especially of Maggie Cheung who said: if I need to die, I would choose to die by myself, not because of anybody else. I would not show my sadness to make you (the media) satisfied. I would watch every film by her. My favorite Chinese-speaking actress even though she speaks also Cantonese, English and French at native level. Last but not least, the theme song 葬心 is also a masterpiece. Greek Salad is a new French TV series by Amazon Studios which came out in April of this year. Its success is no surprise given the list of its crew: Roman Duris, Kelly Reilly, Cécile de France, Lola Doillon, Cédric Klapisch… Does it look familiar? Yes, it’s “inspired by L’Auberge Espagnole” as it acknowledges discreetly at the end of the series. If you haven’t watched the 2003 film by the same director / producer and some of the same actors, don’t worry. It doesn’t have much connection in plot, but if you do have, you will enjoy several nodding “aha”s. I personally like Greek Salad much more. Aliocha Schneider didn’t give me much confidence in the first half of the first episode. He looks too young and too unsophisticated compared to the character-packed Roman Duris young or middle-aged, but he gained me eventually. On the other hand, I am instantly drawn by Megan Northam, young but full of character even in a look or a sneer.
Refugees, feminism, Ukrainian war, China, NGOs, New York start-ups and investments… Greek Salad is definitely more politics-sensitive than the romances of youth of L’Auberge Espagnole. In the latter, Xavier complains and struggles all the time about the messiness of his life, which is honestly, moaning for nothing in my opinion. All his messiness is just a normal part of the growing up experience of any normal and lucky middle-class youth in a developed country. Did he know that I also dreamed about applying for the Erasmus program but never got the chance? The young people in Greek Salad are much more rebellious, adventurous, mature and responsible, no matter where they come from, especially all the females (of course, now all the TV series strive to heroize the females to be politically correct). In 2003, lesbian was still a big thing for a French university guy. In 2023, transgender is a taboo and unacceptable to the old generation of Brunei even after death. In the end, Tom gave up the opportunity to work in Hong Kong for a Chinese multinational company in the last minute out of his love for Reem, a Syrian refugee who works at the NGO. Both know that they are from two different worlds, but who cares? Love may not last, but it is real at that moment, and that’s enough. I don’t know why I am so hooked on The Hookup Plan (Plan Coeur). A Netflix French TV series of three seasons made between 2018 and 2022, plus a 45-minute stand alone “The Lockdown Plan” dedicated to the pandemic. It’s the cliché formula of several best friends forever living in big fashionable cities such as Paris, who love, hate, support, sabotage each other in every aspect of each other’s life, but specially love life of course. With some witty dialogues, juicy characters, twisty plots and stylish outfits, it always works well. Maybe in the depth of our hearts, we all need such a close circle of friends in front of whom we can be naked, in flesh and soul. Despite all the dramatic merde they’ve been through, even if without the happy ending, we would be still envious of those women and men in their early 30s, who lived their life and laughed their hearts out to the fullest.
Theme song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIauUr_s11o&fbclid=IwAR0WlUyfmrZwqE5Bifkzzy15vXS9sfn50ztDs745XTEZQP6IbvhHdSL1pJg I am surprised that I watched so many films and TV series in the last four months, much more than I had in the previous six years before that. Here are some more:
1. Monsieur Lazhar (2011): It’s a Canadian movie in Québecois French, so that was an interesting listening practice. The story itself is a tribute to all those immigrants who made it to their new adopted country and tried hard to settle down and start again, but always with some distance, doubt and fear. The past is unspeakable to most of the people, and the mundanity that people in the new country take for granted can become easily unattainable. Again, can we have fewer “save the world superhero” movies and more telling the stories of the people around us who are almost invisible? 2. Perfumes (Les Parfums, 2011): It’s always a delight to watch films about men and women but with no sex or even romance involved, a delight very rare. 3. He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not (À la folie… pas du tout, 2003): Audrey Tautou is perfect for this film, just as in Amélie. A great psychological drama directed by a young female director Laetitia Colombani. 4. Kicking and Screaming (1995): first movie by Noah Baumbach at the tender age of 26. You can get as much jealous as you want. 5. Her (2013): AI chatbot is all over the place recently, but here is a movie made 10 years ago about the romance between a man and an AI program. It’s not crazy. It’s totally human I think. I would probably fall for her too if I was a man, just like many of them in the movie. I mean, who wouldn’t for a witty mind, a caring character, a sexy voice, and a body that you can imagine according to your own preference? I meant to watch TV series because each episode is much shorter than a film, but of course I always end up binging the whole season in one or two days. At least I could still say that I watch French TV series to keep up with my French. Here are some good ones:
1. Voltaire High (Mixte in French): how shocked I was to learn that co-education didn’t begin in France until early 1960s, and women were not allowed to own their own bank accounts until 1965. What achievements we have made in the last half century, and what a long way to go still! And those disturbing and unpredictable coming of age stories, I imagined in my mind what if the protagonist was my own daughter, my own son. I cannot protect them from everything, and I don’t think it’s necessary to protect them from everything. Their life is for them to experience, just as we have been experiencing and living ours. What I will do is to stand by their side with as few judgements or prejudices as possible. Huh, might be easier said than done. Very much looking forward to season 2. 2. Call My Agent! (Dix Pour Cent in French): very interesting and intriguing with great performances by the leading roles, and supporting roles which are played by top stars as themselves. Isn’t this a great idea for TV series? If I have to name one thing that I have learnt from watching it, it is stop telling lies, even the good ones, the harmless ones. Life would be much simpler, and probably better, if we don’t tell lies but just true feelings. 3. Family Business (fashionably it only has an English name): a hilarious comedy, a family’s fantasy. 4. Lupin: I am never a big fan of detective stories. Mr. Know-All just seems to have too much luck in every case. If you admit that you are just pretending to be Mr. Know-All, it’s fun to watch, as in “Les Petits Meurtres d’Agatha Christie”, but if you are seriously trying to be a real Mr. Know-All, it’s pretty lame. Nevertheless, Monsieur Omar Sy is so pleasant to watch, n’est-ce pas? 5. The Forest (La Forêt in French): a great suspense story with multiple well-developed characters. Watching films is like listening to others' intimate stories in a society where people, even familiar friends, don't open up to each other any more in real life. It’s also fun to compare American movies with European (French) films. To be biased and generalized, I would say Americans are obsessed about salvage and happiness: saving the world, saving the protagonists, finding happiness and peace, usually through love, and the ending of the stories are usually easy to predict (at least for me). Whereas the French ones could not care less about salvage. Their world is themselves, and love doesn’t necessarily bring happiness, but rather, complications. And they are obsessed with exploring the millions of facets of love and desire, and hence, unpredictable endings usually. Here are my recent ones.
1: When Harry Met Sally (1989): this is considered as one of the masterful pieces of rom-com, one of Nora Ephron’s best, and the key theme explored in this movie is: can a man and a woman be really friends without the man’s desire to get on the bed? Harry and Sally spent two hours of the whole movie to arrive at the conclusion surprising to themselves that no, man and woman cannot. I don’t think any French film would even bother to answer this question (counterexamples welcome here). 2. You’ve Got Mail (1998): a light-hearted cheerful no-brainer, but that short-haired Meg Ryan is so pleasant to watch. 3. Sleepless in Seattle (1993): I watched it simply because I am living in Seattle. When I visited Sweden, friends there would say: “Oh, Seattle, I know Seattle, it’s in that movie.” That’s usually all they knew about Seattle. But I really don’t get the movie. I mean, when Americans get crazily romantic, do they really ditch a perfect husband (albeit the massive allergies), fly across the US and bet their love on a guy whose stories they heard accidentally on the radio? On the other hand, I guess you would never know unless you try. Or, you would probably regret the rest of your whole life if you don’t try, as Francois said in No. 4. "It rains nine months in Seattle", that's the only thing I could sympathize with in the film. 4. Les Choses Qu'on Dit. Les Choses Qu'on Fait (2020): which literally means “The things we say. The things we do”, which is translated into its crippled English title “Love Affair(s)”. The French seem to be specially fond of long titles for their films (see No. 6 ) That’s how François and Daphné met: he walked away but turned around to invite her for a drink, saying: “It’s probably imprudent to invite you for a drink like this, but I think it’s also stupid not to ask.” And that’s roughly the philosophy that I am trying to live my life by nowadays, metaphorically of course. But then Daphné also said (not to François, who later becomes her husband, but to François’s cousin who becomes her lover): “People have the right to express their desires, but they don’t have to take actions. I want you. You want me. But we are both taken. It’s still nice to meet you in my life.” But of course they are all lying, hence the name of the film. Watch it, and also listen to the songs by Camélia Jordana who acted Daphné. 5. One Day (2011): Anne Hathaway is American, but Jim Sturgess is English, and the director Lone Scherig is Danish, so of course, it’s a European film. And isn’t the snobbish British English a delightful change from my daily American English? Some reviews say it’s just a British cover version of “When Harry Met Sally” as another friends-turned-true-lovers story, but somehow I am more impressed by One Day than Harry and Sally, probably because it’s less pretentious. We know about Em’s love and desire for Dex from the very beginning. She wanted to have sex with him. That’s expressed clearly from the very beginning. Let’s just throw sex out there and get it out of the way for a while, for like 10 years, and come back to it, no, not to sex, but to true love. No bed scene needed in the end. The story is a melodrama, the locations are glorious: Edinburg, London, Paris, French beach town. Good-looking people like Em and Dex never hang around in forlorn places. 6. Qu'est-ce qu'on a fait au Bon Dieu (2014): Literally means “What have we done for God’s sake!” Its crippled English translation: “Serial (Bad) Weddings”. Does English have to use parentheses to translate every French film with long names? Get some real translators please! Back to the film, a pure comedy, a true delight, just laugh out loud. 7. Mon Roi (2015): simply means “My King”, less challenging for translation. A powerful poignant exploration of a relationship. A very feminine perspective: writer, director, cinematographer are all females. Impeccable performance by Vincent Cassel and Emmanuelle Bercot. No judging, no preaching, no salvation. The man and the woman talk for themselves. The qualities that attract us can also be the ones that trap us. We might leave someone for the same reason that we love them. The other doesn’t change. Our expectations for the other change. Circumstances change. Cruelly true. 8. Finally, the blockbuster “Everything Everywhere All At Once” (2022). I get it that it may be good, I don’t get it that it is that good. It’s an ambitious movie taking on the eternal theme of the meaning of love and life in a very … grand and… imaginative way, just as its fitting name. But of course it starts with “saving the world”, and ends with a happy ending. Congratulation to Michelle Yeoh, but that universe jumping is a bit too much for me. |
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