text | Chen Jie
Among the National Day films in 2022, " " has attracted much attention. This is not only because this is a huge production that "focuses on the behind-the-scenes of the evacuation of Chinese diplomats for the first time", but also because there have been similar themes such as "Wolf Warrior 2", " Operation Red Sea ", and " Escape from Tehran". Films such as and Mogadishu were huge successes. And "Homecoming" is entrusted to Rao Xiaozhi, a director who is good at telling stories of small people in an alternative style. It is even more exciting to expect what new ideas will be between the theme creation and the personal expression of young directors.
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Judging from the completion of this film, although the theme of evacuation of overseas Chinese, a kind of high patriotism and a sense of blockbuster vision, "The Journey Home" is similar to "Wolf Warriors 2" and other previous works. but in general, they are works of different temperament. Although it is also based on real historical events, it does not intend to explore the complex political and human factors behind the war in the same way as "Escape from Tehran" and "Mogadishu". Although the film restores a war-torn African city at a scale of 1:1 in a small town in Ningxia, and restores the endless buildings, streets, and refugee camps all over the wilderness under the overlook camera, the production team requires every detail to be as real as the real, to create a unique It is an immersive "immersive" visual experience, but what the film really intends to show is not a real war, no matter what crowd tactics are used in the filming of the film, it is not a group-like film. In "Returning Thousands of Miles", history is pushed to the perspective, and the individual is highlighted, not Zhang Yi as an actor, but a Chinese diplomat named Zong Dawei. How is the character
different from the heroes played by Wu Jing and before? On the surface, it is a difference in identity, from a soldier's identity to a first-class secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, an unarmed ordinary person. But in the fifteen-day time and space constructed by the film, this ordinary person experiences the speed of life and death every day in the war in a foreign country, and it is still difficult to protect himself. How will he lead his compatriots and partners to return home? The best way to solve this suspense is a "mythical" narrative, which connects the story with a mythic archetype, and seeks some kind of echo in the character setting, narrative rhythm and style, and the universality of the theme. The most important thing in the narrative of "The Journey Home" is here.
In Zong Dawei's story, on the sixth night, the Numian government forces fell completely, Zong Dawei lost contact with the embassy completely, and in the occupied cities of Leptis and Sebrata, rain and fog Covered in the dark night, the air was dirty, the streets were muddy, a light pierced the night sky, illuminating a hellish bleak world, everything was out of control, but on this night, Zong Dawei picked up a broken book among the ruins. "One Thousand and One Nights".
This is an important turning point in the film. Since then, Zong Dawei's story has been accompanied by Fatima's voice reading the story of " Sinbad ". "One Thousand and One Nights" is the oldest Arab folklore, and "Sinbad the Navigator" is one of the most famous stories. In Fatima's reading, the film's pictures, sounds and words What is deliberately emphasized and clearly presented is the intertextuality between the two "mythical" texts.
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18z"Once upon a time, there was a navigator named Sinbad. One day he sold all his properties and fields and started his sea adventure."
From the perspective of character setting and narrative, Zong Dawei and Xin Just like Bada, he is a person who has repeatedly encountered the god of death and has survived nine deaths. He has experienced wars, earthquakes, and plagues for many years, but he still embarks on an adventurous journey again and again. Back home. No matter in the story of "A Thousand Miles Homecoming" or "Sinbad the Voyager", the whole world is shown to us through their eyes.
From the rhythm of the narrative, Sinbad's story is told in seven parts, recounting his seven miraculous voyages, and each time he ends one near-death voyage, he quickly dives into the next. The same is true of Zong Dawei's story. The dark night comes and the sun rises. In fifteen days and nights, he escapes danger again and again, and puts himself back into danger again and again. I thought I could go back to China without leaving the airport after completing the mission, but I gave way to Taiwan compatriots and stayed in the embassy; I thought I could return to China the next day, but Zhang Ning was accidentally shotAfter a battle of wits and bravery with border officer Hassan, he finally obtained an exit pass, but found that Zhang Ning's wife, Bai Hua, was still trapped in Sebra Tower. I embarked on the road to find Bai Hua again; I finally found Bai Hua and her daughter Fatima, but had to find a companion who was left behind; finally, I walked through the vast desert and arrived at Dilat safely after 326,713 steps. , hugged the border officer Hassan, and told each other to live well, but in the blink of an eye, Hassan's body was hanged high, and he had to face the rebel leader Mufta again, playing the game of Russian roulette...
"There is a giant whale that floats on the sea all year round, and in the sand accumulated on its back, a towering tree grows. The trees are connected into a dense forest. The whale was disturbed, it shook violently, and people held hands tightly and stared at the dark sea. Some people were crying and fearful, but no one was swallowed by the sea."
In Zong Dawei's heavy disaster, accompanied by Fati Ma's reading voice describes the fantastic journey Sinbad experienced. In this sound and picture relationship, Sinbad's ordeal and Zong Dawei's ordeal are combined into one, and the Republic of Numia is like a fairy tale. The adventurous world, those cruel and thrilling, we might as well as a kind of myth and metaphor.
is also because of this, the style of the film often fluctuates between realism and fantasy. The people in the film also lit bonfires, lit cooking smoke, and sang farewells. In the boundless desert, small people were connected in a line. They held each other tightly and stared at the distant horizon.
"Suddenly, the smell of spices came from the sea, farmers on camels, palaces with golden roofs, and green palm trees all appeared on the sea, Sinbad rubbed his eyes, this is not his hometown Is it? Sinbad thinks of the sweet milk and bread at home, father's hookah , a big wave slaps the hull, the city on the sea also disappears, the big ship loses its balance and goes towards the reef, Simba Da's companions were all buried at the bottom of the sea. Sinbad buried all his dead companions, but he was the only one left. He faced the direction of his hometown and dug a big hole."
Fatima asked her mother worriedly after reading this: " Is Sinbad dying?" And Zong Dawei is facing a duel with Mufta. Many people are puzzled by the Russian roulette that appears twice in the film, and don't know why such a dramatic scene and a "phantom" villain are used to dilute the authenticity of the film. When Zong Dawei spit out the four words "I'll play with you" to Mufta with difficulty, there was a dead silence, and the dark clouds passed over the sun, telling us that a mythological narrative about the growth of heroes began again.
Only when Zong Dawei is seen as Sinbad in "One Thousand and One Nights" can we understand all the fantastical things he experienced.
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"Sinbad floated at sea for many days and nights, and finally returned to his hometown. Everyone will die at the bottom of the sea, but Sinbad will bring his companions home. On the way home, they sing The song of my hometown, the singing is loud and clear on the sea.” In
’s “One Thousand and One Nights”, after the navigator Sinbad told the story of the seven voyages, he smiled and said to the audience, the hard worker Sinbad: “On land Mr. Sinbad, I have finished telling the legendary experience of the seven sea trips in my life, now you should know that my happy life today is not easy to come by!" Sinbad's story has grand war scenes, magical Magical world, unique exotic style, vivid characters, and dangerous plot conflicts. In the end, it is a story of an ordinary person who grows into a hero and then returns to an ordinary person. After going through twists and turns and disasters, an ordinary person finally understands. It is not easy to understand peace and ordinary, and understand that hometown is the final and only destination.
"Returning Thousands of Miles" tells the story of a Chinese "Sinbad", but Chinese "Sinbad" will not go home alone, he will bring all his companions and sing hometown songs, singing Loud at sea. He gave Fatima the incomplete "One Thousand and One Nights" and said to her: "As long as you keep telling stories, we will always be with you", which is a worldwide story, just like "One Thousand and One Nights" The fairy tales in Thousand and One Nights tell about human's desire for peace and yearning for home. Just as he said to the border officer Hassan: "We all go from this continent to the world", his story will also go from the mainland to the world. In the thousands of miles of sand and the long journey, the reality and the imagination are intertwined, and the A Chinese "Simba""The Adventures of Da Da" was told to the world. At the end of the
film, Zong Dawei finally returned to his hometown where he was still immersed in the atmosphere of the New Year in the snow. He got out of the taxi and walked slowly in the brightly lit, crowded On the street, it was like another world. His face was solemn, he could not see joy, and there was a trace of tension in his expression. The sudden sound of firecrackers startled him, and at that moment, it seemed to pull him back to the battlefield. He walked up the stairs like sleepwalking, Turning a deaf ear to the noise and greetings of the neighbors, he stopped at the door of the house. The house was full of laughter, warm as spring, and his wife hugged his newborn daughter, sketching the most beautiful picture in the world, but until this moment, he was still in disbelief. Expression. The scene of
made me cry, this "Sinbad" finally returned to his hometown and turned into an ordinary person again.
"How wonderful." In order to cherish today's hard-won.
