If Zhang Yimou's " Qiu Ju's Lawsuit " more than 30 years ago awakened ordinary people's awareness of the law, then what "Article 20" presents is the persistence and maintenance of social fairness and justice.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Zhang Yimou's new work " Article 20 " was released. This is the third consecutive year that Zhang Yimou has made a film in the Spring Festival. The year before last, "Sniper" was a small trial and showed its talents; last year's "Man Jiang Hong" was a great success and won the annual box office championship in one fell swoop; and this year's "Article 20" is another film after "Solid as a Rock" A realism-themed film that explores and ponders on realistic topics under the cloak of comedy.
"Article 20" uses the sharp sword of realism to cut through the fog of the real world and point to the truth behind the complicated and confusing cases. Through a series of interlocking cases, it explores the legal provisions of Article 20 of the Criminal Law on "justifiable defense" so deeply on the screen, triggering the audience's in-depth thinking about morality, law and human nature.
As a realistic comedy, "Article 20" allows us to see many social topics that have attracted much attention, such as campus bullying, bus harassment, reputation violations, etc., as well as the dilemma between love and law in related cases. The film revolves around love and law. Multiple aspects such as theory, morality and law, public order and good customs, and national legal system gradually unfolded, showing the film's pursuit of the sword of realism and the conscience of a legal society.
A realist sword hits social pain points
"Article 20" is planned by the Supreme People's Procuratorate and adapted from real judicial cases. It vividly interprets the "justifiable defense" system stipulated in Article 20 of my country's Criminal Law, and Zhang Yimou's "Qiu Ju" "Fighting a Lawsuit" has the same practical value. The film selects characters and events in real life and social changes, focusing on showing the multi-faceted nature of real life. By portraying typical characters in typical environments, it reflects the survival difficulties faced by Chinese people today, reflects fairness and justice in the context of the times, and evokes There is a sense of public recognition and inner emotions are vented. For the public, such realistic themes are full of appeal, with a rich and strong sense of the times and profound practical significance.
"Article 20" touches on the judicial hotspots that are of widespread concern in the current society and are related to the fundamentals of a country governed by the rule of law - that is, how to establish the relationship between natural principles and legal principles, how to achieve fairness, justice and the application of legal provisions, and attempts to answer them. The film tells people that if the conscience of a society ruled by law is turned upside down, then our society will become a legal jungle society, and the world we live in will become a complete World of Warcraft.
The "justifiable defense" system can be said to be one of the two most important principle systems in our country's criminal law (the other is the system of acquittal). This system declares a rule of law ethics: "The law cannot give in to the law."
However, since the "justifiable defense" system was stipulated in my country's criminal law in 1979, the system has been dormant for almost 40 years and is jokingly called the "sleeping clause." It was not until the "Kunshan Longge Anti-Killing Case" in 2018 that the system was suddenly activated, which eventually led to the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, and the Ministry of Public Security issuing guidance on the correct application of the legitimate defense system in 2020. For the first time, the judiciary has unified standards and standardized conditions for the application of the "justifiable defense" system.
videos reflect three ordinary stories in real life. When high school student Han Yuchen, the son of prosecutor Han Ming, went to the bathroom, he saw Zhang Ke, the son of the dean of students, bullying his classmates. Han Yuchen helped a bullied classmate and was beaten by the bullied classmate. During the fight, Han Yuchen accidentally broke Zhang Ke's nose bone, causing minor injuries...
On the bus, bus driver Zhang Guisheng encountered a girl being sexually harassed by a gangster. Zhang Guisheng stepped in to stop him and was beaten by the other party. During the fight, Zhang Guisheng picked up the fire extinguisher in the carriage and knocked the other party to the ground. He was originally a brave man, but he was eventually imprisoned for intentional injury and was sentenced to three years in prison. After being released from prison, Zhang Guisheng went to Beijing many times to appeal. After several twists and turns, the court finally revoked the verdict and gave him a replacement "Courage for Righteousness" award...
In order to treat his daughter, Wang Yongqiang asked the village tyrant Liu Wenjing to borrow a loan shark.Liu Wenjing is a complete bully, and everyone in the village is afraid of him. Without paying the money, Liu Wenjing forced Wang Yongqiang to drink urine and even insulted his wife Hao Xiuping. Seeing his insulted wife, Wang Yongqiang rushed out and struggled with Liu Wenjing. Liu Wenjing became angry and threatened to chop Wang Yongqiang to death, and then ran to the car to get the knife. Wang Yongqiang picked up a pair of scissors and stabbed Liu Wenjing in panic. The latter eventually died. Subsequently, the prosecutor prosecuted Wang Yongqiang for intentional injury...
In the long history, why has the "justifiable defense" system rarely been used in the judiciary? "Legitimate defense" is like Zhang Fei's embroidery needle, testing the law enforcement capabilities, law enforcement responsibilities and even law enforcement responsibility of judicial agencies and judicial personnel.
"Article 20" uses the sword of realism to directly attack this social pain point. In reality, everyone can talk about "justifiable defense", but how many of us really understand its essential meaning and its heavy weight. When it hits a person's head, it is a person's fate, or even a family's fate, as well as the most precious things such as reputation, dignity, and freedom. " Justifiable Defense" implements the Chinese legal concept of "handling not only cases, but also the lives and lives of others".
The Sword of Realism digs deep into the details of life
An excellent reality-themed movie lies in its control of reality. If the background of the story is only based on reality, the content will be empty and without depth, or even divorced from reality, and the audience will not be able to experience the emotions from life. The expression of reality and realism requires the creator to observe the details of life. It should not only be close to life, but also go deep into life, and have higher artistic value.
"Article 20" uses the perspective of small people in real life as an entry point to tell the fate of ordinary people today, and uses a story-based approach to bring the "justifiable defense" clause to the big screen. The three intertwined cases involved acts of righteousness, campus bullying, and self-defense. In the comic interpretation, in addition to the pursuit of fairness and justice, it also brought a unique kind of love to the audience by depicting the trivial warmth in daily life. Immerse yourself in the warm and joyful atmosphere of the urban nostalgia, and feel that although the world is difficult, love and justice are between every ordinary you and me.
"Article 20" digs into the details of life at the plot level and uses three cases to complete the argument for the theme. These three cases involve different families. The film strives to make the subject matter have a broad social radiation, so that the subject has a certain degree of realistic universality and can arouse more viewers' personal feelings and deep thinking. The three cases in the
film story have one thing in common, that is, they will all bring discussions about legitimate defense, excessive defense, and intentional injury. The film unfolds the story from things around us that everyone can know and feel. After watching the film, you will have a deeper understanding of "justifiable defense" and feel the power of fairness and justice. Justice may be late but it will never be absent.
When high school student Han Yuchen saw his classmates being bullied, he did not hide. Although the bullies were many and overbearing, he dared to confront them head-on. He is a man. Such children will be able to become more responsible people when they grow up. Isn't this what our legal society expects?
Bus driver Zhang Guisheng saw a female passenger being bullied and did not pretend not to notice. When he was outnumbered, he dared to take action and set an example to everyone on the bus. In the eyes of passengers, his wife and daughter, he is a hero. Could this girl and a whole busload of people see justice without such a person stepping forward?
Wang Yongqiang, who borrowed loan sharks at high interest rates to treat his daughter's illness, faced the bully's creditor who repeatedly raped his wife. He was also tortured repeatedly. He couldn't bear it and knocked down the village bully Liu Wenjing. As a person, can you let him control and grasp his own limits and proportions?
Although these people who fight back are not strong, they may not have an advantage in body or momentum. They don't like to fight, they don't know how to fight, and they have never even fought. But they still have an awe-inspiring air because they firmly believe that they are on the side of justice and morality. Several details in the
video are worth savoring. Ma Li plays the wife of prosecutor Han Ming, an ordinary housewife. After learning that her son bravely beat up the dean’s son who was bullied at school, she loves her son eagerly. For the sake of her son’s future, she tries her best to beg for forgiveness; The other party took matters into their own hands and repeated the same old tricks; faced with the legal embarrassment of their son being bullied because there was no evidence and the degree of physical injuries was not enough to report the case, the couple had no way to appeal; Ma Li described a mother's defense for her child. The helplessness, grievance, and maternal love forced into battle are vividly depicted.
Zhao Liying plays the deaf-mute Hao Xiuping, a low-class woman who has experienced too much suffering, a fragile little person, standing on the edge of the top floor of the construction site, letting the wind blow her long hair wildly, crying with tears streaming down her face, her eyes desperate, unable to scream. In his voice, only facial expressions and sonorous sign language express his anger and determination. In order to protect their disabled children and their husbands who were imprisoned in the detention center, they jumped in despair and tore the hearts of many mothers!
Lei Jiayin plays prosecutor Han Ming. During his youth and frivolity, he stood up for justice and was assigned to work in the county town. He could not let go of the bullying his son suffered when he stood up for justice. In the case he handled, in which bus driver Zhang Guisheng lost his job because he was convicted of intentional injury for acting out of a righteous cause, the bus driver's daughter asked "Is it wrong for my father to act out of righteousness?" This ordinary middle-aged man was determined. Persistence deep in the heart; Han Ming appeared at the hearing, and complained about the practice of "intentional injury/intentional homicide" in many cases of "self-defense" and the rigidity of legal provisions. Through extremely contagious and impassioned speeches, we sent out our The voice of justice “What we are dealing with is not a case, but a person’s life.”
The Sword of Realism shows the spirit of the times
Realistic-themed movies not only have story backgrounds that fit the reality of life, extended content to reflect social issues, and characters’ experiences that gain emotional resonance, but also need to reflect the spirit of the times and the display of deep values, with strong sense of the times. "Article 20" draws materials from life and deeply explores the connotation of life. Through the storyline and the changes in the fate of the characters, it subtly provides value guidance and spiritual nourishment to the audience.
Writer Haruki Murakami said in a speech in Jerusalem: Eggs and high walls, he will always stand on the side of the eggs. Caring for the disadvantaged is the spiritual pursuit of almost all works of art.
"Article 20" cares for the disadvantaged in thinking. The characters in the film are not perfect, but the story of the film has extraordinary significance. Why did the driver who acted bravely on the bus end up in such a miserable life? How could a man who was bullied by bullies just to protect his wife and daughter become a murderer? Why did the teenager who stood up to stop bullying at school apologize to the bullies? Han Ming, who is in "chaotic middle age", gradually begins to examine the weight of the prosecutor's uniform as these three big question marks approach in real life. When good people are trampled on because of the absence of justice, when the law is ignored because of the suppression of power, every bystander's speechlessness makes the world slip into a situation where leaks are everywhere.
"Article 20" focuses on this topic that has attracted national attention. Whether it is the main line of the plot - villager Wang Yongqiang rose up to resist after his family was bullied by the village bully for a long time, which eventually led to a murder; or the two sub-plots - the protagonist Han Ming's son helped his bullied classmate, Zhang Guisheng's courageous act of justice on the bus Being convicted of intentional injury points to how "justifiable defense" can actually help people protect their legitimate rights and interests. The significance of "Article 20" is that "the law is to make it more expensive for bad people to commit crimes, not to make it more expensive for good people to take action."
On the surface, "Article 20" is a comedy full of fireworks. Zhang Yimou completely abandoned the stylized film style and instead presented the story with the most simple images. The strong life-like quality of the film is easily reminiscent of his film "Qiu Ju's Lawsuit". Both of them use the interweaving of several cases to build a narrative structure and contain a huge amount of information. But the theme of "Article 20" is more focused, even if there are many laughs incorporated into the whole film.Throughout the film, the organic integration of the three cases and the careful study of legal principles explain Article 20 of "Legitimate Defense" in the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China in a mind-blowing way, leaving an endless aftertaste.
In this sense, "Article 20" is the positive interaction between public opinion and the rule of law. The judiciary does not forget its original intention of justice, and public opinion is also promoting the progress of the rule of law. The film conveys the spiritual power of forging ahead and moving forward courageously, and weaves the sword of realism and the conscience of a society ruled by law into the grand pattern of the times.
believes that China's law will continue to open its windows and listen to the "fresh voices" of the people, and China's rule of law will surely be able to overcome thousands of rivers and mountains and continue to move forward towards the ultimate goal of fairness and justice. (Liang Tianming)
