What is the deepest bond between people? Is it blood? is love? Or money? Is it sex? Or the same sickness?
was born in China's five thousand years of cultural heritage, I think it is blood.
But, in this "family of six", no one has another person's blood flowing in their blood, but they also support each other and come together, and even let a 5-year-old girl stay there willingly. What is the picture of each member in "The Thief Family"?
"The Thief Family" is a feature film created by director Hirokazu in 2018, and won the Palme d'Or at the 71st Cannes International Film Festival. (For the specific plot, please watch the original movie or the movie clip on my homepage)
If it is not blood, what is it that replaces blood to connect the hearts of these people?
I think the answer can be found in the following four character relationships.
1. Xindai and Shuli---same scars, same branding
All the tears in the film were given to the "mother and daughter", the 5-year-old girl who was abused by her biological parents entered this special family is the whole film starting point.
Xindai was strongly against it at first, because she was scarred, she instinctively decided that this little girl was a burden.
Xindai experienced a tragic life. She was abused by her biological mother in her childhood, and suffered domestic violence from her husband after marriage, resulting in infertility. Although life abandoned her, she was still a "ruthless" character and ended her husband's marriage with her "friend" Dazhi. life.
It stands to reason that such people are more or less twisted in their hearts.
However, when he was sending the tree home, he heard the quarrel and beating of the girl's parents, claiming that she didn't want to give birth to the tree at all, Shinyo felt a little pity and chose to keep the girl.
The laundry factory where Xin worked on behalf of her was laid off because she could not pay her wages. The former "good sister" threatened to expose Shuli's whereabouts and forced her to resign. She was silent for a while, struggling back and forth between the balance of survival and protection of the girl, she nodded and left a murderous sentence: "Okay, but if you tell me about the whereabouts in the tree, I will kill you." (Not without I did, I believe)
Her bond with the tree actually resisted the sharp knife of "survival", what was this woman thinking? What made her care so much about the girl in the tree?
Although the tree was abused by his biological mother, there were scars all over his body, and he was thin. He wet the bed the first night he came, and kept saying sorry, sorry... This "frightened bird" who was afraid of being beaten, still Sitting in the hallway and waiting for a long time, she was worried about her brother, Shota, who returned late because of her. At the moment of
, Xindai was very emotional, the tree became Xindai's redemption, Xindai seemed to see hope and strengthened his faith.
's belief is: "I, who have been cut off from blood, can also be kind."
In the bathtub as big as a water tank, Xindai stretched out his left arm, stretched out his right arm in the tree, and there was a The common imprint comes from their parents, from blood...
The tree silently caresses the scars of the letter generation.
Xindai looked at her, and continued to deceive himself: "It's okay, it's already fine."
Shuri shook his head. How can a brand like
be cured?
The beating fire in the iron bucket was burning brightly. After taking a bath, Xindai burned the old clothes of the girl when she came, and also burned the past of the two of them.
Xindai hugged the tree, and she said, "It's not your fault that they hit you. It's not just because I like you. If I like you, I will hug you tightly like me.... .."
The next day, Xindai looked at the treeThe back of Li sighed: "We were chosen by her." Grandma
retorted: "Parents can't be chosen." After asking: "What to choose?"
Xindai smiled: "I'm fettered." Grandma
looked ahead and said, "It's like I chose you... and you are willing to be dragged down by me."
That For a moment, I seemed to understand their "fetters". Because it's all their own "choice".
2. Grandma Hatsue and Aki - Warming each other
The director laid out the "grandchildren" very cleverly. All the shots about grandma and Aji are full of "family happiness".
don't believe it, you see.
Aji will compete with Xiaoshuli for favor and sleep next to his grandma coquettishly; Aji happily eats the food his grandma gave him, and Aji holds grudges for his grandmother, saying that Xindai and Dazhi are biting old people. The grandmother loves this granddaughter even more, and supports Aji to save the money she earns, without having to subsidize the family, she can know her granddaughter's joys, sorrows and sorrows when she touches Aji's feet. This pair of "model grandchildren" is very cute.
However, the fact gave me a fat beating that made my jaw drop. They are not related by blood!
Grandma's ex-husband dumped her for cheating. Aji is the eldest granddaughter of her ex-husband and the third child. Because the family prefers her younger sister, Aji has been neglected for a long time and is not loved by her parents.
At the funeral of her ex-husband, Aji, who wanted to run away from home, was coaxed by her grandmother to live together.
She could have lived a prosperous life and be a materially carefree eldest lady, but she would rather abandon those and choose to live in a low and dilapidated 10-square-meter shabby house that barely squeezes 6 people, using The stolen shampoo has become a flirt at the custom shop.
Aki knows exactly where she's from. She could have chosen to return to her own family, the "close family" connected by blood, but she didn't, why?
may be the "warmth" that grandma gave her.
In a dilapidated and crowded hut, surrounded by all kinds of daily necessities, eating and sleeping in the same place, Aji got into grandma's quilt and said happily: "Grandma, it's so warm."
On the other hand, her biological parents Bian, no matter where she went, she never even asked about Aji's "disappearance", and she didn't know who she lived with. Outsiders lied that she had gone to study abroad, as if it had nothing to do with her presence or absence, and only warmed the little daughter at home.
can't imagine what kind of environment Aki lived in before. The big family that seems to live in harmony is actually falling into the ice cave.
A person who has been in the ice cave for a long time will be unable to extricate himself from the little warmth given by his grandma. This bit of warmth actually replaces blood and money, making them just rely on each other and can't bear to separate...
And those of us who stay in "warmth" all day, can't understand it, because we take it for granted , warmth is the standard of life, and only those who have experienced "cold winter" will feel that warmth is a luxury.
3. Daji and Shota - Gaining Dignity and Value
Daji is my least favorite character.
's wretched appearance, greedy face, lazy attitude, and cowardly look that dare not take responsibility are all annoying, but they are the most real, and the real can peep into everyone's heart.
Buddha said, everyone should be kind. So, I try to dig his shining point, maybe just a little bit.
When he was middle-aged, he went to work on the construction site to support his family, but his leg was broken...
In the snow and ice, he took home a tree that was locked by his parents and handed her a piece Hot croquette .
When playing at the beach, he told Shota: "It's not ashamed to like to look at girls' breasts, men love to see them." It solved the embarrassment and confusion of children's puberty development.
that's all... what more can we expect from him?
left that home, what did he get for a man's most important self-esteem? Money is a good thing. Sometimes it can buy respect from others, but he has no money.
He only has Shota, and he gave Shota his name. He asked Shota to call him Dad, because it was a title full of "dignity".
Every night he surrounds Shota and Shuri, performing clumsy tricks for them, indulging in a great sense of satisfaction and worth while the children exclaim and cheer.
He's their father and he wants that sense of dignity. It's a pity he has nothing to teach them except "stealing"...
Shota breaks up with Daji at the station, Daji runs madly after the car, shouting Shota's name, it's his own Name...
And I'm sure the guy in the car heard his call, he lowered the brim of his hat and waited for the sound to disappear. Silently called out to the window: "Dad..."
Fourth, Shota and Shuri-Cicada's transformation, each other's redemption , I will be inexplicably sad. Because the child with such clear eyes should have been studying well in the school, and should not have been stealing here.
He's just a kid who loves to read and think.
Every time he steals, he has too many questions in his heart, why should I steal? Why can't I go to school?
"Dad" Dazhi gave him the answer: "Things on the shelf belong to no owner until they are sold." The "liar" also told him that he was wrong: "Only people who can't learn at home. Going to school."
Shota accepts these values, after all, he's just a kid. It's not hard to imagine that Shota will eventually become another Taiji, but maybe he won't. Because the director hinted at too many redemption opportunities.
Before every steal, a little ritual is his salvation. Shota loves to read books and likes the story of Little Blackfish. Maybe one day books will tell him the truth.
And true salvation comes from the tree. The only vibrant scene in the
film, the tree shouted loudly: "Brother!"
Shota agreed and ran over.
A cicada clings to a tree trunk, twisting awkwardly, welcoming its own transformation. The two children naively cheered on this little life: "Come on! Come on!"
And my heart was shouting: "Come on, come on."
"Two cicadas waiting to shed their shells" came to the Yamato House and worked again Something bad happened. The older brother took cover, and the younger sister clumsily performed the "stealing" ritual, just for a candy. Unexpectedly, when Yamatoya's grandfather found out, he stopped Shota and handed him two snack popsicles.
and gestured to Shota: "Don't let your sister do this..." Well, Jesus redemption is everywhere, sometimes a convenience store grandpa.... ..
Shota caught the "salvation of Jesus" and moved forward awkwardly. At that moment, I was firm that Shota could fly.
However, Dazhi is already a cicada with broken wings, besides being pitiful, there is only pity left. Usually stealing some daily necessities is enough. After all, he challenged the bottom line of the law. This time, he called Shota.
smashed the window glass of the luxury car, holding the nameHe was running wild with the card pack, and he could no longer get Shota to fight his fists.
looked at the "No Entry" sign, Dazhi ran in desperately, but Xiangtai stopped and chose his own way of redemption, this time he also saved Shuri.
He deliberately disturbed the shelves, causing a riot, jumping off the bridge with a bag of oranges stolen from the supermarket.
The clerk looked from under the bridge, and there were oranges rolling down the ground, but there was no Xiangtai.
maybe his wings saved him, he didn't die, he just broke his leg and was reborn.
So six people came together with their own different stories. "Same scars, mutual warmth, dignity, mutual redemption" became their mutual bond.
They are the poorest people at the bottom of the society, but they warm and support each other, all of which are their choices.
Therefore, the ending can be imagined, and it is also something they can bear.
Xindai sacrificed himself and took all the guilt - burying corpses privately and kidnapping children, and sentenced to 5 years in prison. When
visited the prison, he did not forget to tell Shota about his biological parents. At that moment, the smile on Nobunyo's face was relaxed and hopeful.
Maybe five years from now, there will be a different generation of letters. And Shota went to the orphanage and could receive normal education. Shuli was returned to her biological mother's house, but she also learned to reject her biological mother's hypocrisy. The film
"The Thief Family" also depicts many social problems in Japan.
is like domestic violence; children are abused or even abandoned, and they are fond of playing marbles, which was popular in Japan at that time, and there are often news that children are lost.
In addition, there is also the issue of support for the elderly. They lack social security, it is difficult to enjoy their old age, and they have to face the state of loneliness and loneliness.
Grandma Hatsoe knew that Xindai and Dazhi had been fighting her pension plan, but she still lived with them, so that at least someone would take care of her in life, so that no one would know about her death. But human nature is greedy, in order to continue to receive pensions, secret mourning, private burial...
accept the complexity of human nature, accept the imperfection of family members.
In reality, we may come from an ordinary family of three or more, or a single-parent family, or be adopted. The people around us are never perfect, including our own biological parents, and the sooner we realize this, the sooner we can ditch unnecessary expectations and perfectionism, and perhaps live a better life.
