The residual heat of the Spring Festival has not completely dissipated. In the week after the Lantern Festival, various films are still absorbing box office. The best performance among them is " Article 20 ".
This week, "Article 20" received a total box office of 280 million, becoming the daily box office champion for 7 consecutive days. The total box office also exceeded 2.2 billion, becoming the second best-selling work in Zhang Yimou's director career.
This is enough to see the potential of "Article 20", and after watching the video for the second time, I have some new insights and ideas.
Reality changes laws or laws guides reality
The head teacher played by Li Naiwen said: "Children who are bullied are unwilling to admit it, and children who see it dare not stand up and identify it."
The connotation of this sentence has been given many times in the movie. :Afraid.
Children who are bullied are afraid of continuing to be bullied. Children who see it are afraid that identifying them will make them the bullied. The sentence
appears not long after the opening and can be used as an introduction to the entire movie.
As a front-line educator in a junior high school, the head teacher played by Li Naiwen has seen many bullying incidents among students.
He seemed to be somewhat accustomed to Han Yuchen's violent actions to stop bullying incidents.
In his past experience, such things often went unnoticed, not to mention that the bully was Director Zhang's son.
parents Han Ming and Li Maojuan also chose to settle the matter for the sake of their children's studies. They persuaded their sons to apologize to each other, and an apology meant that they had made a mistake and their son would not obey.
Sure enough, Han Yuchen, who stood up for his classmates, also became a victim and was beaten by four gangsters ordered by Zhang Ke. This time he listened to his father's words and did not fight back.
Zhang Ke's wound was lowered by one centimeter and did not cause more serious consequences. However, Wang Yongqiang, the protagonist of Han Ming's case, stabbed the assailant 26 times, causing his death.
The main case in the film is the case of Wang Yongqiang. Hao Xiuping and her daughter Juanjuan, played by Zhao Liying, are both hearing-impaired.
This mother and daughter are physically unable to speak and are hiding in Tibet to avoid retaliation.
One wrote "Dad is a good man" in a jerky font, while the other chose to jump off a building, hoping to end the dispute and end his inner fear.
At the same time, co-worker Dayong was unwilling to testify for this miserable family, echoing what the head teacher said.
Wang Yongqiang was tied outside the window like a dog, and Liu Wenjing was allowed to be a beast in the house to violently abuse his wife. This was extremely cruel psychological bullying.
He clearly knows that he cannot compete with the bully without resorting to criminal methods.
But in order to avoid the beast's next atrocities, and seeing the silent complaints from his raped wife, he decided not to bear it anymore.
Tolerance is due to fear, the extreme of fear is anger, and anger when transcended is violence.
As the plot of the film develops and the various cases are intertwined, the sentence in the question has a deeper meaning. It is a thought deeply rooted in people's hearts, and it is also the cheering shout-out for Lei Jiayin at the end of the film.
is despair of the law, discouragement of justice, and abandonment of fairness.
Victims and witnesses are unwilling to come forward, while investigators are unwilling to pierce the comfortable layer of legal regulations.
is afraid not only of the people being bullied, but also of the prosecutors handling the case.
Like the head teacher, Han Ming cannot shake off his accustomed style when handling cases.
Holding a stack of cases that ranged between legitimate defense, excessive defense and intentional injury, he told Lu Lingling that this was how they were handled in the past.
Han Ming himself had had a similar experience. He knew very well how much pressure and unpredictable worries he would face if he got rid of the routine.
Does reality change the law, or does the law guide reality?
At least, in reality, the progress of justice will affect the ending of the movie. Han Ming's mentality has also changed, choosing to face leaders, public opinion and experts at the hearing.
The film does not show the details of the investigation of school bullying, the dismissal of Han Yuchen's injury case, and Dayong's testimony.
In fact, this is not important. Among the multiple meanings of the release of "Article 20", the meaning of encouragement seems to have been ignored.
It encourages people to take a step forward, encourages victims to stand up bravely, encourages witnesses to speak out, and encourages judicial officers to jump out.
As long as we take a step forward, we do not lack the ability to investigate and execute cases, but we lack the courage.
"Article 20" is not a simple afterthought movie. Article 20 of the "Criminal Law" is constantly being revised. How to interpret and apply this law in judicial activities? Can judicial personnel draw a clearer line between disputes? Judicial practices and How fair and just the interests of citizens will be weighed remains to be tested by time.
But the spirit and concept that the film wants to convey is positive and hopeful. For this reason alone, it is worthy of giving it a high score.
The prosecutor is also a common person
When he saw the police at the police station, Han Ming blurted out: "I belong to the prosecutor's office."
The real story was, of course, using his connections and social status to get someone to smooth things over.
In the small city where I live, this approach is called "finding people."
Looking for someone to buy a house, looking for someone to do a job, looking for someone to buy a refrigerator, looking for someone to do errands, looking for someone to buy tickets, it’s all about looking for someone.
This is probably the best embodiment of the acquaintance society. Small circles are nested in each other, forming a network of acquaintances where you look for me, I look for him, and he looks for you. Every class is woven into it, and people think before doing things. Find someone first.
And public officials, because of their position attributes and social status, are very comfortable in this network. This is the case for Han Ming and Li Maojuan in the
film.
After the incident of beating up their son Han Yuchen, the couple started looking for him.
first attacked directly, but the son was unwilling to apologize. They first found Director Zhang and hoped that he would apologize, but to no avail.
Then, Han Ming took the iron-covered Moutai left by his father-in-law and went to Director Zhang to ask for peace, but he did not make any move.
The reason why Tiegai Maotai was left behind was not just that Han Ming said it would be useless to give it away, but that in his heart, someone needed to mediate to do such a thing, which was also a habit he had acquired in society for many years. .
Han Ming has also experienced what happened to his son, and he deeply knows how much impact such a thing will have on the future. However, he is also a prosecutor. It is a bit confusing to give gifts to Director Zhang to seek peace, or Maotai liquor. not to mention that his prediction of the outcome was not optimistic.
Iron Cap Moutai eventually fell into the hands of his uncle Li Maoquan. Han Ming and Li Maojuan placed their hopes on their eldest brother from the Public Security Bureau. But as for Li Maoquan, the things he was interested in from beginning to end were, first, the relationship between Han Ming and Lu Lingling, and second, when Maotai would be available.
The video does not show any scenes of Li Maoquan doing this. Han Ming and his wife were waiting in the car. The uncle went in to do some work and came out in five minutes. It can be seen that Li Maoquan is the kind of person who is not very willing to participate. Find people in the "People Network".
Things had to go on. Han Ming was busy with the case, while Li Maojuan contacted Director Zhang's nephew, Lawyer Chen.
This lawyer Chen is the lawyer representing the other party's family in the Wang Yongqiang case in Han Ming's hands. Han Ming did not hesitate to violate the recusal rules. He not only acquiesced in his wife's behavior, but also went to the dinner hosted by Lawyer Chen.
What Lawyer Chen wanted was to have one more important person like Han Ming in his network. They appeared at Director Zhang's class reunion together and were caught off guard.
Director Zhang knew that he was wrong, but he still had to worry about his face in the school and insisted on his original request.
In the end, the film did not let the "find someone" method succeed. The screenwriter cleverly allowed Li Maojuan to be detained after another physical conflict broke out, and Han Yuchen's case also came to light under the school's investigation.
"Article 20" is Zhang Yimou's only film set in a contemporary city in the past 24 years after "Happy Time". It has a strong sense of life and Zhang Yimou's understanding of the current living conditions and psychological conditions of urbanites The grasp is also extremely accurate.
Although the length is limited, in Han Yuchen's case, every character involved has a clear goal and intention. Coupled with the humorous daily dialogue, the audience's reaction after seeing it is more realistic.
Han Ming’s mentality
For different cases, some of Han Ming’s mentality has changed, and some have never changed.
Han Yuchen acted bravely when he saw justice, but Han Ming's mentality never changed from the beginning to the end.
actor Lei Jiayin’s understanding of this is: From the beginning, Han Ming, as a prosecutor, believed that the child’s behavior was correct, but life and society are not like this.
Lu Lingling said: "We are not handling cases, but other people's lives."
The protagonists of the cases in the hands of prosecutors are all other people.
If the Han Yuchen incident can be reconciled, there will be no chance of being treated as a case, and the son's life will not be changed.
Zhang Yimou explained Han Ming's mentality when telling Lei Jiayin: Half of his body is his father, and half of his body is the law. He cannot express his sufferings. This is his dilemma.
Han Ming was very entangled, but entanglement was entanglement. As an adult, he still made a choice and firmly believed that his choice was correct.
Han Ming himself has had the experience of acting bravely for justice. He knows very well that it is risky to stick to legal channels and uphold justice in such matters. He also knows very well how serious the consequences will be once the risk comes and how much impact it will have on life.
In the time and space of the movie, at this time, Han Ming remembered all the similar incidents, which ones were classified as intentional injury and which ones were classified as excessive defense.
He will not let his son take this risk. The best way is to let this matter disappear under the table.
Later Han Yuchen was beaten. After Han Ming came home, he first asked four people and beat you like this? Behind
's funny dialogue is the professional attribute of the prosecutor, which gave him hope of making a comeback, but after learning that there was no evidence, he withered again.
Lawyer Chen organized a meeting with Director Zhang. During the whole process, Han Ming was still actively suing for peace, trying to make the two things offset each other.
In other words, from beginning to end, Han Ming was seeking peace from the beginning to the end, whether he was delivering Moutai, asking his uncle for help, or attending a banquet.
's wife Li Maojuan's outburst at the dinner table added another case to this matter.
Then, in line with the requirements of the film's plot development and focus, the outcome of Han Yuchen's beating incident was briefly mentioned.
This result can be regarded as a surprise for Han Ming.
As for the cases at work, the case of Wang Yongqiang and Han Ming's change of mentality were stimulated a lot.
Zhang Guisheng suffered a car accident, Hao Xiuping jumped from a building, Lu Lingling mentioned the past events again, and of course the attention of the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the changes in the public opinion environment gave Han Ming courage and changed his mentality.
"Article 20" is a realist movie based on comedy. The characters who take on most of the comedy scenes are Han Ming and Li Maojuan, and the realism they embody cannot be ignored.
Prosecutors are also human beings. They wear uniforms to handle cases when they are on duty, and they are ordinary people when they are off duty.
Han Ming's dilemma and choice regarding his son's courageous action echoes the highlight moment at the end, making the character more three-dimensional.
Zhang Yimou not only made "Article 20" close to the common people, but also close to the real life and real side of prosecutors.
I want an explanation
32 years ago, Qiu Ju, photographed by Zhang Yimou, repeatedly said the sentence "I just want an explanation."
In "Article 20", Yang Haoyu said the same thing when he first appeared: "I want an explanation."
The two "explanations" in the two movies have different meanings.
Qiu Ju's husband Wang Qinglai was kicked in the lower body. She wanted an apology from the village chief, but the village chief refused.
Being pregnant in Liujia, she appealed step by step until the lawsuit reached the city court.
As for the village chief, although he was unwilling to bow his head and admit his mistake, he was very helpful when Qiu Ju was in labor.
Wang Qinglai's family was grateful to the village chief, but while they were holding a banquet and waiting for the village chief to come, they received the news that the village chief had been detained.
Qiu Ju was puzzled. She just wanted an explanation. The village chief was a good man, why should he be arrested?
Regarding the word "say", what she wants more is "to say", to ask the village chief to apologize, just say it, it is harmless, but she ignores the "law", the law.
Zhang Guisheng, a bus driver played by Yang Haoyu, was harassed by a female passenger during work. He stepped forward and hit the gangster with a fire extinguisher.
And his case was classified as intentional injury.
The prosecutor handling the case, Han Ming, explained him this way:
"Here we are all acting bravely for justice."
"Then I just get beaten and don't fight back, right?"
"Keep watching, won't you take action right away? That's it!"
"That's it, this is a fight, you continue to watch."
"That's it, this is intentional injury, the other party's skull is fractured, what a serious injury."
"The reason why I did that, It's to stop gangsters from committing crimes."
Zhang Guisheng was sentenced to three years. After he was released from prison, he refused to accept the sentence and kept petitioning for an explanation.
The "explanation" he wants focuses on the law, formal channels, and petitioning.
Petitioning has long become the most basic right in the hearts of ordinary people, although sometimes it is not so effective when exercised.
Zhang Yimou's two films, which spanned 32 years, presented the progress of the concept of the rule of law on the big screen.
Nowadays, ordinary people's basic legal awareness has been formed. All matters that feel that their interests have been infringed, no matter how big or small, know to be resolved through legal channels, and grassroots police stations are becoming increasingly busy.
The distinction between theory and law has become clearer.
What's interesting is that "Article 20", like " Qiu Ju's Lawsuit ", is a movie about apology.
Qiu Ju wants the village chief to apologize. She only knows the village chief's ruthlessness, but does not realize the ruthlessness of the law.
Director Zhang wanted Han Yuchen to apologize. Knowing that he was in the wrong, he still wanted to transfer the mistake to Han Yuchen, otherwise he would take up the weapon of the law and rely on the ruthlessness of the law.
After all, in his understanding, when dealing with a case like his son Zhang Ke's beating, prosecutors like Han Ming would break down the entire process according to legal provisions to characterize the case.
What they don't know is that they are all in a changing stage of legal awareness and legal enforcement.
Among those who changed, in addition to Qiu Ju and the village chief, there were also Director Zhang, Zhang Guisheng, and Han Ming.
Law guides reality, and reality affects law. This dialectical relationship will always exist in society, and games are constantly being played out. The movie "Article 20" is nothing more than a fragment of these complex changes.
