is waiting impatiently.
The finale of the Spring Festival stalls.
still has to be left to true model workers -
Article 20
is also a family fun and group comedy.
Compared with last year's "Man Jiang Hong" which won the annual box office championship with 4.5 billion, during the Spring Festival this year, Lao Mouzi's presence is pitifully low.
currently has a box office of 750 million, which is less than half of "Hot and Furious" and "Flying Life 2", and even less than the 950 million of "Bear Bears".
's Douban score dropped from 8.0 to 7.8, ranking fourth among the five live-action movies released during the Spring Festival.
seems ordinary.
However, sir saw "One Second" which was briefly removed from the shelves for "technical reasons".
Zhang Yimou’s most courageous and compassionate expression at this stage.
1
Before watching "Article 20", sir didn't have high expectations.
It has a judicial theme and a comedy style, but it was released during the Spring Festival. This is destined to make it impossible for "Article 20" to escape the positive energy demand that exceeds the normal schedule.
Like both posters and trailers, they are weakening the labels of true adaptation and social criticism.
The shortcomings of Article 20 are obvious.
First of all, the author's style is extremely weakened.
In the past two years, although the reputation of Lao Mouzi's works has been unstable, "Sturdy as a Rock" has been completely changed due to deletions, and "Man Jiang Hong" has also been criticized for having empty characters and illogical logic.
But one thing is certain -
Zhang Yimou is still the director with the most obsession and ideas for visual expression in the domestic market.
But "Article 20" is very unlike Zhang Yimou.
's camerawork is mediocre, the soundtrack is sensational, and the pictures are boring. It makes people feel like they are in an eight o'clock TV series or even an extended sketch.
This is also what many viewers are criticizing -
I really can’t figure out why so many noisy and trivial parents are arranged?
For example, Ma Li suspected that Lei Jiayin was having an affair with her first love, and she repeatedly found fault with her, which actually became the core laugh point of the movie;
There is also Lei Jiayin teaching her children about her humble family status, especially like in the Spring Festival Gala sketch, where a middle-aged man gives his wife The earthy plot of handing over all wages.
If it weren’t for Ma Li and Lei Jiayin’s comedy skills.
Based on Zhang Yimou's almost non-existent sense of humor, "Article 20" is probably a substandard comedy.
But think about it from another angle -
For a director like Zhang Yimou, who has such a strong obsession with film aesthetics, it is impossible for him not to understand this.
So why does he still wildly enlarge and extend these details of family ethics that young audiences may find boring and watery?
Of course, there are Zhang Yimou’s own reasons for this.
For example, he believes that movies cannot be boring, so they have to add jokes that are easy to understand.
But Zhang Yimou is 74 years old. The era in which he lives has limited his understanding of the laughter of the younger generation.
This makes many people feel that such trivial thoughts are lengthy.
But Sir feels that the more important reason is that Zhang Yimou had the opportunity to hide his true expression under the trivial package that seemed to be arrogant.
is like "Qiu Ju's Lawsuit", the lawsuit is not that important.
Qiu Ju's argument is almost unreasonable, and her deep fear of officials guarding each other and abusing power is the more important thing.
Because that is something more Chinese, more rural, and more engraved in our bones.
Similarly, in "Article 20", how legitimate defense evolved from the "sleep clause" to what it is today is not what Zhang Yimou is most concerned about.
In fact, although "Article 20" is the title of the film, it is the most superficial and least important element.
What he wanted to say, is far from the end of the movie. Lei Jiayin's positive law popularization speech at the hearing was as simple as last year's "Man Jiang Hong".
2
The core question of "Article 20" is actually very simple -
What price does an ordinary person have to pay to be a good person?
From the Confucian gentleman to the modern Lei Feng, we preach "being a good person" more loudly than anyone else.
But why is the rule of law now sound and concepts civilized?
But we find it more difficult to be a good person?
Many moments in "Article 20" will remind people of social events that cannot be let go.
Barbeque beating case in Tangshan.
Mother-humiliating murder case in Shandong.
Many people say that Article 20 is lazy.
Because fairness comes so suddenly, and how to optimize procedural justice to help achieve substantive justice, these discussions are too rough.
But Sir believes that the surprise of Article 20 lies precisely in this -
Zhang Yimou does not want to answer these difficult legal concepts.
Because he does not want to discuss in a suspended manner how to improve the law to protect the rights of ordinary people to be good people.
is the opposite.
The first thing he dealt with was a core issue that hit the common people even more--
The secretive power food chain in Chinese society is how to wipe out the conscience and dignity of ordinary people bit by bit.
The movie takes "justifiable defense" as its core.
divides the plot into three clues - the
main line, which is the main case that Lei Jiayin is handling.
Loan shark Liu Wenjing locked up Wang Yongqiang with a dog chain and raped his wife many times.
In desperation, Wang became cruel and stabbed Liu to death by mistake.
But Wang heard Liu wanted to get a knife from the car, and in order to protect his wife and daughter, he stabbed Liu to death.
The difficulty lies in this -
No matter how the police investigate, they can't prove that there was a knife in Liu's car.
Even the bullying, abuse, rape that happened in broad daylight... Because of the mutual protection of the rural society, it seemed as if nothing had happened.
What’s even more ironic is that the procuratorate delayed the prosecution of Wang Yongqiang because of doubts about the case and insufficient evidence.
And what about the other side?
Liu Wenjing’s family members, because they have lawyers and are powerful, will put pressure on the prosecutors.
They were able to gather people in front of the procuratorate and say that the prosecutor delayed the prosecution, causing Liu's team to be unable to pay wages, and build momentum for public opinion.
They were able to find Hao Xiuping faster than public officials, risking her daughter's life to threaten Hao into signing a statement stating that there was no rape, and then put Wang Yongqiang to death.
method, what is it?
To ordinary people, this is a fence that reminds us to keep our tail between our legs.
But once Liu Wenjing's family status as a martyr is superimposed, their unknown clan power in the primitive rural society of Kangcun is superimposed.
The law is a shield that runs rampant and a butcher's knife that kills people without blood. The subplot of the
movie is a case handled by Han Ming.
Bus driver Zhang Guisheng saw a gangster sexually harassing a young girl and stepped forward to stop him.
The opponent was beaten hard, so Zhang Guisheng had no choice but to fight back, but accidentally hit him and fractured his skull.
According to judicial practice, Zhang Guisheng's behavior cannot be deemed as legitimate defense, but can only be a fight.
He was not convinced and went to Beijing to petition again and again, but he could not get an explanation.
Han Ming, played by Lei Jiayin, is not a cold-blooded person.
He understood Zhang Guisheng's difficulties, so he helped him find a job.
But the premise is -
Zhang Guisheng must agree not to petition and no longer cause trouble to the government.
Of course, it is not to cause trouble for his work.
Why did Zhang Guisheng petition?
Daughter’s persistence.
My daughter doesn’t understand. Isn’t my father a good person when he takes the initiative for sexual harassment? Why are bad guys not punished, but good guys have a criminal record?
The same doubt also occurred in Han Ming's son's heart.
He saw bullying at school and beat people to fractures.
It turned out that the bully was the son of the dean.
Han Ming's family originally lived in the county town. Because of a temporary job opportunity, they had the opportunity to move to a big city and let their son study in a prestigious school.
Nowadays, if a fight occurs, not only will your studies be ruined, but you may also get a criminal record.
Han Ming and the teaching director are both in the system. They are not short of money, but they are fighting for face.
Ma Li did not want her son to apologize: My son did good deeds without leaving his name, why should he apologize? The dean of
felt: My son was beaten and he didn’t even come back with an apology. How can I manage students at school in the future?
is also "Article 20".
The same dilemma between law and love.
But in different classes, they are also so distinct and insurmountable.
Wang Yongqiang's counterattack was not because he wanted to be a good person -
This kind of request is too extravagant.
All he wants is to live, be a human being, and protect his deaf-mute wife and daughter.
Zhang Guisheng is a little better. He has a fairly stable job in a big city and is satisfied.
Because he originally thought -
is poor and not afraid.
At least I can set an example and teach my daughter to be a kind, upright and brave person. But reality told him that poor people should not have such delusions.
Han Ming, a grassroots prosecutor and a senior intellectual.
This may be the class that has nothing to worry about.
But he can't be a good person either.
When he was in college, his first girlfriend was molested by his senior, and he insisted on coming forward. As a result, it is not known whether the obscene incident has been resolved, and he himself was assigned to the county seat due to a demerit.
has been doing this for twenty years.
And twenty years later, nothing seems to have changed in the world -
His son wants to be a good person.
He wants his children to have the courage to be good people.
Faced with the children's questions, Han Ming could only remain silent.
son: Am I wrong?
Han Ming: You are right.
son: Is the law wrong?
Han Ming: The law cannot make mistakes.
son: So who is at fault?
Han Ming:...
3
In "Article 20", who is the most qualified to be a good person?
In other words, who is a good person, who can do everything with ease and get applause from the whole house?
Of course it is -
When the mute girl played by Zhao Liying committed suicide, Liu Wenjing's case caused a greater sensation, and the upper-level forces had to give guidance.
They would specially call Han Ming here, which fully demonstrated the importance attached to this case, judicial fairness, and public opinion.
With attention, Han Ming had the confidence to do things.
He was suddenly able to hold expert hearings, and that's why he had that "passionate speech" -
"The law is to make the cost of crime for bad people higher, not to make the cost of good people higher."
Such a way of handling Many people criticized it, thinking that what happened in the end was Master Qingtian's trick again, but when you look back and think about it, isn't this way of handling a realistic filming method?
Just like many people question that it is not as good as "The Defender".
Because in "The Defender", a little-known lawyer is willing to give up the safety of his family and awakens the strongest sense of citizenship to fight against the country's biggest villain -
the abuse of public power.
But such things are not made up, but have happened in Korean history.
And what about us?
If you didn’t shoot it like this, would you believe it was China?
Speaking of this, sir thought of "Qiu Ju's Lawsuit" thirty years ago. It was obviously not a comedy.
But it is an observation and satire of reality.
is something that all domestic comedies today cannot do.
An old man said that Qiu Ju’s lawsuit will definitely be won. Because the law of "citizens suing officials" had just been introduced at that time. The Qiuju case will definitely be regarded as a successful case by the higher authorities, which will then play a role in popularizing the law.
As a result, Qiu Ju lost her lawsuit.
But the movie’s satire doesn’t stop there.
Qiu Ju hates the abuse of private power, just like she hates the village chief for throwing money in her face and insulting people, and even more hates the public security bureau's reconsideration document, which fell into the hands of the "public family" village chief without a word.
As a result, she had a difficult delivery. How could she save her life without relying on the village chief to use his personal power?
At the end of the movie -
chased Qiu Ju who wanted the village chief to apologize and decided to forgive him. She even went to the house in person to invite him to her son's full moon party.
At this time, the most dramatic scene appeared - during the full moon wine party, the village chief did not show up, but the police were waiting for him. The police told him that because the village chief's kick was found to have caused minor injuries, he would be detained for 15 days in accordance with the law.
Hearing this, Qiu Ju was caught off guard.
She ran after the police car, and the police car went further and further away.
At the end of the video, Qiu Ju’s confused and frightened eyes freeze.
This look is really Chinese.
Because it not only satirizes Qiu Ju, but also awakens us in front of the screen -
We hate the abuse of power, but we are so dependent on the abuse of power.
"Article 20" is certainly not good enough.
Compared with "Qiu Ju's Lawsuit", it has lost its sharpness.
However, looking back and thinking about it, can it be sharp now?
Do today’s audiences have the same ability to accept these unsolvable and helpless dilemmas as they did back then?
gives the simplest example.
The most intense controversy currently surrounding Article 20 is not even about creation.
but once again "discomfort to watch".
For example, like last year's "Man Jiang Hong", there was a "rape scene".
Even some people think that "Article 20" is once again promoting daddy taste and male gaze.
Why does the progress of the judiciary and the progress of society rely on women’s bodies and even lives as sacrifices?
sir doesn't want to respond to this question from a gender perspective.
Not to mention that the rape scene flashes by without any nudity or even excessive violence.
When "comfortable viewing" becomes the evaluation criterion for movies.
This is actually equivalent to the fact that even if the creator talks in a roundabout way, he still maintains the greatest conscience in an environment where there is very little truth left. We can no longer accept
.
Yes, Zhang Yimou has indeed been criticized for "the hollowing out of female characters" in recent years.
This is true.
But in fact, "Article 20" is Zhang Yimou's most successful creation of female characters in the past five years.
On the surface, those who “do good things” are men.
But which man doesn’t have a strong, chivalrous, and straightforward woman as his important strength?
includes Zhao Liying, who is praised the most.
In the past, she was still an actor who relied on instinct. Due to the limitations of her appearance, she challenged many more complex TV drama roles, but her acting skills still did not make a qualitative leap.
But in "Article 20", even if there is no line, it only relies on eyes, body, and crying scenes.
She impressed everyone.
This is not just a mother who has suffered so much.
She is still a tough and brave woman who can distinguish right from wrong and can remain sober even when she is forced into a desperate situation.
Without the maturity of the script and the depth of the characters, we would not have such deep resonance with the extreme situation of the people in the film.
So, in this sense, sir is willing to applaud Article 20.
Even though it has many shortcomings.
Even if it will not surpass "Qiu Ju's Lawsuit", it will not even reach half of the former.
But it is still a rebel in this era.
The pictures in this article come from the Internet
