(Southern People Weekly reporter Jiang Xiaoming/picture)
In 2016, 28-year-old Gu Xiaogang planned to spend 10 years making a trilogy of films called "Landscape Pictures". The first volume is about Spring River, the second volume is about Qiantang, and the third volume is about East China Sea. . Matching this self-awareness and ambition, "Spring River Water Warmth" (2019), the first volume, has received numerous recognitions since its release -
first won the best feature film and best director at the first Youth Film Festival, and then It was selected as the closing film of the "Critics Week" section of the 2019 Cannes International Film Festival - it was the first time that a Chinese-language film was selected as the closing film of this section. The following year, the long-established film magazine "Cahiers du Cinema" announced the top ten films of the year, and "Spring River Plumbing" was among them.
In his first feature film, Gu Xiaogang completed his initial attempt to combine landscape painting with film, using sightseeing and the boundlessness of the world to dominate his aesthetics. The protagonists of the story choose three generations of the Gu family living on the banks of the Fuchun River. They may have conflicts with family members of different generations on the concept of marriage, or they may adapt to the life changes brought about by urban changes, or they may be tired of evading debts and caring for patients. Children with Down syndrome may still be homeless and worry-free even when they are nearly forty years old. The urban life is wrapped in the landscape of the four seasons, with full and clear texture and long aftertaste.
At that stage, Gu Xiaogang said that he still didn’t know “what movies are” and “hoped to be as close to the essence of movies as possible.” Therefore, he had a mentality of being a servant of movies, seeing himself as a medium and believing in a higher dimension. Guide to things. Before
entered the mainstream, Gu Xiaogang, who was not a professional, grew up in the then developed independent film festival exhibition and training system.
When he was studying painting for the art exam in his senior year of high school, Gu Xiaogang was crowded together with four other boys in the dormitory, with his head against the bed board watching Shunji Iwai's movies on a screen the size of a mobile phone. In his junior year, Gu Xiaogang, who was interested in movies, took a borrowed DVD and made a short film "The Believer" about Hindus. With the proposal of this work, he was shortlisted for the Youth Film Training Camp of the Hangzhou Asian Youth Film Festival. The
youth training camp only lasted seven days, but it provided him with most of the theories he would need to base his future documentaries on. Not long after, "Believer" was seen by director Apichatpong Weerasethakul at the Chongqing Independent Film Festival. He said that Gu Xiaogang's film was emotional and reminded that as an individual as a believer and as an individual as a film author, there is a difference between each other. Differently, if you want to be a special film author, you must show your personality through your works. After the
youth training camp, a classmate called Gu Xiaogang to take a photo of Lao Jia’s family practicing natural farming on Chongming Island, and he went there with great interest. Five years later, the documentary feature "Planting Life" directed by him won the best documentary at the First Youth Film Festival.
In the past five years, Gu Xiaogang graduated from Zhejiang Sci-Tech University majoring in fashion design and marketing, and went to the Advertising Directing Department of the China Academy of Art. Then he went north to study at Li Xianting Film School and Beijing Film Academy. The former cultivated the awareness of independent creation, and the latter The history of film was clearly presented to him, allowing a young creator to find his place in the vast coordinates.
So, it was almost time to create a feature film. Gu Xiaogang wrote the script, prepared it for a year, and started filming, but it didn't go smoothly. The production of "Spring Plumbing" stopped for two years. During this period, in addition to looking for money, he also tried every means to maintain the main creative staff. For example, the second child in the film was played by a fisherman who has been delivering fish to his own restaurant for a long time. In the past two years, he has been in and out of the crew. More than a dozen times, I went to deliver fish and came back to film a movie.
At the end of 2019, the filming of "Spring River Water Warm" was finally completed. Gu Xiaogang said in an interview: "I feel like I have been swimming for a long time and I can finally go ashore. But when I get ashore, I realize that I have just arrived at a doorway, the doorway to a real movie world."
People who have watched "Spring River Plumbing" are very It’s hard to imagine that Gu Xiao just filmed " Grass and Trees World ". On October 28, 2023, "The World of Grass and Trees" premiered at the Tokyo Film Festival.After it was over, Jiang Qinqin , who played the protagonist Wu Taihua in the movie, asked him, why is this? It was her first time watching a finished film. She had imagined that this one would be like the last one she particularly liked, "so beautiful, so quiet, so sacred"; she strongly recommended Gu Xiaogang as the winner of the "Kurosawa Akira Award" After watching the same screening, Yoji Yamada had a public conversation with Gu Youchang two days later. He started by saying: I really thought it would be a second film like "Spring River Plumbing", but after watching it, it was a completely different movie. I was a little surprised. of.
"The World of Grass and Trees" was determined to be different from "Spring River Water Warmth" from the beginning, and Gu Xiaogang tried to "face the audience". In Volume 2, tea-picking girl Wu Taihua accidentally falls into a pyramid scheme, and her son He Mulian (played by Wu Lei ) sacrifices his life to save his mother. Gu Xiaogang combines MLM experience with Buddhist stories, trying to find a way to the depths of the individual, or in other words, to find the birth of suffering and the way to resist or transcend it.
This is a movie full of symbols and metaphors, from the name of each character, to the chosen story "Mulian Saves His Mother", to the murals in the Lei Feng Pagoda that the camera slowly pans across, etc., all have references. .
On the one hand, Gu Xiaogang continued his expertise in non-fiction creation, entered the MLM organization to investigate, and created a MLM organization "Butterfly International" according to the needs of the plot. Even the filming was like an experiment. The actor Chen Jianbin in the film mentioned his surprise on the set during the post-screening exchange at Peking University: "It allows each of us to look directly at our own spirit and look directly at us. Our own soul is whether it is possible for us to be alienated for some reason."
On the other hand, he turned to a more industrial filming method: he served as a screenwriter with the writer Guo Shuang, who wrote all the character biographies to make the fictional characters. The characters are brought to life; we cooperate with professional actors, use a shorter shooting cycle, and manage production funds that are many times that of the previous film. As the producer and producer of the film, we are responsible for the box office.
On April 3, 2024, "The World of Grass and Trees" will be released. On the eve of its release, Gu Xiaogang expected more audiences to see the film, but was also worried about the box office. One day at the end of March, while he was busy working on the main promotional film "Spring Dawn in the Old Capital" for the Beijing Film Festival, he was interviewed for seven hours in a row, and he also had to attend a post-screening exchange.
This is completely different from his daily life. Most of the time, Gu Xiaogang and his wife lived in their hometown of Fuyang and had little contact with the outside world.
Our interview took place at about 6 o'clock that night. He laughed at himself as if he had been on the MLM bus for a day. He was exhausted and couldn't talk. He felt embarrassed: "Sure enough, it is easy to be down after a day of interviews, hahaha. , I actually want to say it, but I just can’t go back, hahaha, please understand. "
"The World of Grass and Trees" indeed carries the expectations of many viewers, and also carries the creator's attempt to balance art and business, storytelling and exploration of literature. The fusion of different genres, the exploration of new possibilities for film language, and many other missions. The finished product under such a heavy burden has received mixed reviews. Critics think it is disorganized and fragmented; praisers think it is popular and practical.
But one thing is clear. Eight years ago, Gu Xiaogang decided to make "Landscape Pictures" with the original intention of recording the changing market scene and maintaining an open mind towards tradition to connect the past and the future. Since then, he has been following this self-directed path until this point.
Stills of "The World of Grass and Trees"
The following is his account:
Imperfect Victims
Around 2018, when I was filming "Spring River Plumbing", at a family gathering, a relative and friend of mine told us about a product. I said objectively that this was probably fake. He introduced the background of the company, saying that it was also listed on the market and had many products, including elderly health care products.
You will see in "Spring River Plumbing" that my family relatives (note: they are the main actors in this film) are relatively simple, and the social security in Zhejiang is very good. I think MLM is far away from life. A news event hit my life unexpectedly.
I searched a lot of information, how can I convince my family to come out. To be honest, it's no use.
I went to their direct sales conference and discovered that, oh, it turns out that this system is not about property. Its attractiveness is just like what Moss Flower said in the movie: "I am happy inside, I am happy."
That What made her happy and happy? In the movie, Taihua is a tea-picking girl. It is almost impossible for her to become Manager Wu or President Wu in her life. But MLM organizations have brought two very attractive things. First, cross-class social identity; second, "spiritual enlightenment", which is the so-called thinking about who am I? Where am I going? What should I do?
These are actually what Maslow's needs theory talks about, which is the realization of self-worth on top of basic material survival. How can we give these to our children and relatives? What cannot be given. So the scary thing about it is that it's not an IQ problem.
Later we contacted some anti-MLM people and went to a city in the far west of China to infiltrate a MLM organization.
Sitting on the bus on the first day, I felt that these people were all fools in the morning. Anyone with a little bit of brain would know that those words were false. For example, do you want to become a better person? Your current job is in a traditional industry, but our industry is a very special new industry. You can earn more than 10 million in one fell swoop. How many years do you think you will have to work in your current job, etc.
Except for having a meal at noon, the bus has been circling the road. They have three lecturers, two men and one woman, who just keep talking. His purpose is not to convince you, but to make you lose your will to think.
really couldn’t hold it anymore, so I didn’t want to do it anymore. But when the brain doesn't want to, the correct nonsense will slowly creep in. Because I clearly feel that there are a few words that can enter my heart - do you want to be a better person, or do you want to make your parents live a better life? Of course I would. But the logic that follows is, you come into our business.
’s deepest experience is that (these people believe in MLM), in addition to the psychological reasons mentioned above, the more intuitive one is the physical problem. By the afternoon, I actually couldn't hold it anymore. I felt like I would have to pay if I stayed there for a long time.
But MLM is not an obvious "disease". For the victims of MLM, will everyone think that he is a fool? Or was he greedy? Otherwise, how could he be deceived? But it's actually quite complicated. Not everyone is here for wealth. Many people have many good wishes in order to give their parents a better life, or to give their children a better life, or to get ahead, etc.
Stills of "Spring River Plumbing"
Shooting experiment
When we wrote this part of the script, we did not regard ourselves as screenwriters, but as organizers of MLM. We created an entire organizational structure, course development, product lines, and also built a company Promotional video. When
was filming, we followed the complete MLM process from beginning to end. Everyone sat there eating and drinking, then started showing promotional videos, and then everyone introduced themselves, played icebreaker games, and then recommended products. Don't turn off the phone for three to four hours. So there was a rumor among the group members that someone here was doing a pyramid scheme. Some of the extras teachers also left on the spot, so the assistant director and I sought out on-site psychological counseling to help. We are well prepared for this. As long as the leading actor completes a convincing performance, he basically calls it quits.
Even in this situation, Sister Qinqin’s eyes were swollen from crying (note: in the story, the mentor destroyed her will by denying her). Words really have the power to attack and will leave pain and scars in people’s hearts.
Although the actors have read the script, they don’t know how they will do the final game of the MLM activity. (Note: In the survival test in the movie, the tester imagined that he was driving a boat with 10 people on the sea. Due to unexpected situations such as running aground on rocks, he had to constantly throw people into the sea. Every time he dropped one person, he would When the name is completely blackened), if you are willing to fully open it, it is equivalent to experiencing the test of life and death.
Because Sister Qinqin was so sincerely involved in this game, she really collapsed on the spot.I hurried in and was scolded by the photography teacher as soon as I entered, saying that the characters had just reached a state of nothingness at this time. I feel like she is like in the movie "Coco", where her soul has been sent to a place of exile. If she is released further or longer, she doesn't know whether she will ever come back. So I said stop filming and quickly pulled her back and told her it was fake! Sister Qinqin, it’s fake!
The most dangerous thing for an actor is the moment when he surrenders his soul.
So the core of MLM is to destroy people's original personality and value system and reconstruct a value system they want. Even if many people are rescued from MLM organizations, they have become another personality and are likely to go back because they can no longer return to their original lives.
Jiang Qinqin (left) won the Best Actress Award at the 17th Asian Film Awards for "The World of Grass and Trees". In the middle is director Gu Xiaogang (provided by the interviewee/picture)
Key
To some extent, MLM is just a part of this movie a means. Tea is at the heart of it.
Because our movie is related to "landscape", we first need a landscape space. Where there is tea, there are mountains.
Just like in "Spring River Water Warmth", if there is no fisherman character, its aesthetics may not be successful. Because he represents Jiang's perspective, there is a lot of movement and vistas throughout the film watching the family. In "The World of Grass and Trees" you will see a lot of mountain perspectives.
To some extent, these two movies are like paintings, and the story is finished in the picture.
From a thematic point of view, tea is the tea in firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce and vinegar, and it belongs to the market. This layer corresponds to Lao Qian, the boyfriend of Tai Hua and the master of roasting tea. Most of the time, we live in a stage where we only have firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea, where we are struggling, being coerced, and fighting over each other, or in other words, suffering.
Tea is also the tea of chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine and tea, and is for literati. At this time, tea no longer belongs to the material level, but a way to train one's spirit or self-cultivation.
But the third part of tea is what this movie really wants to talk about, that is, tea Zen blindly. The third part is what we spent the most time on. Tea was promoted from the market to the literati class through Lu Yu's "Tea Classic", and then to the philosophical level through Bodhidharma. Now it has actually integrated the cultures of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. For example, there are countless koans about tea in Zen Buddhism. The most common one is "go and have tea." If you ask me what I am doing now, I say I am having tea. In short, it is to live in the present moment.
At the end of the movie, Mu Lian, who rescued his mother from the MLM organization, came to the meditation hall, where he made tea and drank tea. That tea has actually disappeared. We accidentally met a master who was restoring this tea. He was in Guzhu, Changxing, where Lu Yu wrote the "Tea Classic" when he was living in seclusion.
Regarding tea, we can see that Japan has such good films that explore aesthetics, such as " The Search for Sen no Rikyu ", then we also face tea, whether in terms of its form or philosophy, what can be shown more Something deep or our own?
During this process, we encountered the theme of pyramid schemes. When we were thinking about how to connect it, we found "Mu Lian Saves His Mother" as the mother story. In the movie, Mu Lian's father who ran away from home is named He Shan. "He Shan" means where is a mountain and why is it a mountain? Mu Lian first saves his mother and then searches for his father. In fact, searching for his father means searching for the mountain, which symbolizes searching for himself. Throughout the film, it serves as an allegorical carrier of our own culture.
How to resist pyramid schemes? In short, you still have to find yourself, your true self. In this process, you can resist the bugs, greed, anger, ignorance, ideals, or desires that come from the many settings of human nature.
"Know what is right, pursue danger"
(Reporter: Five years ago, after the completion of "Spring River Plumbing", you once mentioned, "We are also constantly learning and exploring film language, hoping to present it in depth through this trilogy" "This kind of exploration and learning", what new insights will you have after five years?) The most difficult thing about
's aesthetics is how to combine form and content.
Based on a traditional skill training system, Sun Guoting's "Book Book" mentioned that the stages of learning calligraphy are: "It is like learning distribution for the first time, but seeking fairness; now that you know fairness, you must pursue danger; having been able to avoid danger, , return to justice. "In fact, "Grass and Trees" is a process of "pursuing danger and chasing danger". I saw the possibility of a language. The farthest this language can go, it has to be risky.
now allows everyone to see the movie, I feel extremely lucky. During the filming, we wrote two finishing slogans, one was "Tough finishing" and the other was "Smooth finishing". It was still 2022, people couldn't go to theaters to watch movies, and capital didn't flow to the film industry.
In fact, in retrospect, "Spring River Plumbing" was about to die a lot of the time. While filming, I was thinking in the hotel, I could ask someone to borrow some money, how much can I spend on it, and then take out my wife's mobile phone, and do it every day How many days can I shoot, how can I get the money, and so on.
I just wanted to complete a homework project, and I could take pictures as much as I had. I understand when many employers refuse. There was even one employer who impressed me deeply. At that time, we had already filmed a season and we had the behind-the-scenes. When I showed it to him, he said, why do you want to film four brothers? It’s expensive and troublesome. As a new director, his control ability is not that strong. It’s such a big job. Well? Just pick one of the brothers and film the story, and that will be great.
Actually, I think what he said is quite reasonable, but I have already structured this matter. The teacher who funded our film also asked, "Do you want to wait a little longer?" I said no, if I wait a little longer I might not be able to take the photo.
Later, when colleagues communicated with each other, they often asked: What is the most important thing? The most important thing about
is the ability to complete this matter. I have always said that completion is more important than perfection. The reason is that film is an industry with comprehensive resources. Especially in the early stage, there is no so-called perfect opportunity when everything is ready. You are always waiting for funds, actors, creators, weather, and miracles. , if you wait a little longer, you may be mentally and physically exhausted. Having a good idea of the general direction and using limited resources, taking action first is more important than anything else.
Southern People Weekly reporter Meng Yiyi Southern People Weekly intern reporter Li Yifan
Editor-in-chief Yang Jingru
