Speaking of domestic suspense dramas, I believe everyone is familiar with them.
As one of the favorite types of dramas for Chinese drama audiences, suspense dramas have always been loved by the audience because of their fast pace and strong plot.
In recent years, the production of suspense dramas has also increased, and there are also many high-quality suspense dramas.
But when it comes to suspense dramas that can be broadcast on stars, there are really not many, let alone those on CCTV's prime time.
Just recently, an emotional suspense drama was launched on the prime time of Yangba. The ratings of
exceeded 1 in the first broadcast, reaching a peak of 1.87, and the ratings exceeded 1 for three consecutive days.
Not only that, on Weibo, the official account of CCTV TV series also posted a promotion to promote this drama.
So what kind of suspense drama is this that CCTV can take a fancy to and choose to broadcast in prime time?
Well, let’s reveal the answer directly. This emotional suspense drama is called " The Dark Fire " .
is adapted from the novel "Little South Wind" written by Jiu Yuexi, telling a thrilling story caused by a bizarre murder case in the quiet Qingshui Town.
On the premise of a solid script, the director has also made a great contribution.
is directed by Yao Xiaofeng , who is also the director of this year's hit drama "The Storm Chaser". He is extremely skilled in picture composition and artistic conception creation.
As soon as the trailer for this drama came out, the aesthetics of the shots raised everyone's expectations.
When the show officially starts airing, Qingshi can say responsibly:
This show is really good! The trailer is not a scam!
Without further ado, let’s officially chat!
01,
is charming. This drama caught my attention as soon as it started airing.
The story begins on Millennium Night, in Qingshui Town.
On this day, because it is the New Year's Eve of the Millennium, many people in the town gathered by the river to count down the New Year's Eve together.
Just as the fireworks were blooming, a murder also occurred in the small town.
Xu Yi, an entrepreneur in a small town, was killed at home. He was stabbed twice, one in the back and one in the chest.
The day after the case occurred, Lin Fanglu, the deputy captain of the criminal police team who was parachuted from the provincial capital, arrived.
He was originally from a small town. Later, he left the small town after entering college and has not been back for many years.
encountered a murder case just after taking office, which was very difficult.
But there is good news, the murderer surrendered.
Xu Yi’s wife Nanya came to surrender. She admitted that she killed Xu Yi, but she accidentally stabbed Xu Yi to death when he was holding an ax to kill her.
The case seemed simple and clear, but there were many suspicious points, so Lin Fanglu launched a more detailed investigation.
As the investigation progresses, more and more secrets in the town can no longer be hidden, and there are more and more doubts, making people more and more curious.
The first doubt: Who killed Xu Yi?
There is another witness in Xu Yi’s death case-Zhou Luo.
According to what he said, he saw what happened in the house at the door - Nanya was lying on the ground, and Xu Yi fell on her with a knife in his chest.
There are dead people, people who have surrendered themselves, and there are witnesses. Every aspect of the
case can be explained, but there are also many doubts.
For example, the crime occurred just after 12 midnight. Why did Zhou Luo come to report the crime at 6 am?
What was he doing during the nearly 6 hours?
According to what he said, he was frightened and went back to think about it all night before making this decision.
But Zhou Luo is not an ordinary child. He was once the top scorer in the college entrance examination in the town, with good grades and ideas.
If there are no accidents, he is now studying in a key university.
He usually looks very thoughtful, and he doesn’t look like a child who would be frightened by such things.
And there is a problem with the time track of the previous day in his statement to the police.
He said that when the fireworks were going off, he went to the bathroom at home, but a girl from his class who had always liked him came to look for him at home, and he was not at home.
Where is he?
Then it’s Nanya’s side, and she explains what happened that night.
She has been married to Xu Yi for many years and has a sick daughter. Xu Yi suffered from domestic violence all year round, was often suspicious, and would beat her at every turn.
Nanya wants a divorce, but Xu Yi disagrees.
Finally, she got relevant information about a bridge project that Xu Yi was working on.
This bridge collapsed before. Nanya got evidence of cutting corners on the project to blackmail Xu Yi into divorce.
That night, Xu Yi returned home and almost killed Nanya in anger because he was dissatisfied and threatened.
In panic, Nanya got a fruit knife and stabbed Xu Yi in the back.
When Xu Yi rushed towards her for the second time, Xu Yi stepped on a tomato scattered on the ground. He slipped and fell on the fruit knife Nanya was holding, piercing his heart.
Judging from the traces at the scene, it is basically consistent with the incident described by Nanya.
However, after forensic identification, the knife on Xu Yi’s chest was quite technical.
Just as the old detective said, how could a woman who was being chased with an ax be killed with such precision?
Is Xu Yi’s death really an accident?
Is Nanya really acting in self-defense?
Is Zhou Luo really just a witness?
The second doubt: Why was Zhou Luo expelled from school?
As the stories of the characters related to the case are revealed bit by bit, the story of Zhou Luo becomes more and more curious.
He was once a top student and the top scorer in the college entrance examination in his town. When he was admitted to college, he had a living room for two days at home.
I just went to college not long ago. Why did I get expelled from school and return to a small town to repeat my studies?
The official explanation for Zhou Luo's withdrawal from school was "suspended due to illness", but everyone in the town knew very well that he was not sick.
Judging from his subsequent conversations with his former class teacher, he was expelled for hitting a teacher in college.
Then another new question comes, why did he hit the teacher? And you still have no regrets about it?
The third doubt: Why is Lin Fanglu unwilling to return to the small town?
Actually, Lin Fanglu, the deputy captain of the parachute criminal police team, also has a story.
At the beginning of the series, his powerful father-in-law arranged for him to go to the town for "gilding", but in his heart he did not want to return to the town.
Obviously he is also from this town, and he is also a small town young man who passed the exam here. Did something happen in the town that made him not want to come back?
As the investigation deepened, it was discovered that he and Nanya were actually classmates, but when the two met again, it seemed as if they didn't know each other at all. It was just business. Was there anything between the two?
Why did Lin Fanglu choose to rent at Zhou Luo's house instead of returning to his own home when he returned to town?
Who is the girl who keeps appearing in his memories?
The fourth doubt: What’s the secret behind the Bridge case?
And this fourth doubt point is also derived from the Xu Yi case-the Bridge case.
This bridge construction contracting project collapsed before it was completed, killing several people.
But Xu Yi, the person in charge of the bridge project, was not reviled by everyone, but received praise.
The reason is that they put all the responsibility for the bridge accident on a purchaser because of his corruption and cutting corners.
And the buyer who took the blame is the father of the classmate who is currently studying with Zhou Luo.
In the first episode, surrounding these repeat students, there is another very important thing that has not been exposed. What is
? Is it related to the bridge case? Or is it related to the Nanya case?
Although it has only been aired for 3 days, the plot has many effective plots and is quite brain-burning.
The doubtful points in the drama are thrown out bit by bit as the investigation progresses, and each point makes people unable to help but think about the inner connection. It is rare for a domestic suspense drama to be able to achieve such a wonderful and complete sense of suspense.
With such a sense of suspense, "Dark Fire" has already captured the audience of suspense dramas.
02,
is very interesting. The keyword
can be seen in the trailer released before the show is broadcast.
But when it was actually in the play, Qingshi realized that the scale of this play was far more than the desire in the trailer.
First of all, the broken standards of the show are reflected in the character design. Both the male and female protagonists are "imperfect".
Nanya, she is a woman who is out of tune with this town.
She is beautiful, elegant, has a good figure, and has a top-notch temperament.
She often goes to the library in town to read books. She likes to read poetry. The clothes made by
are very stylish, and people from other counties and cities will come here to buy clothes.
She is married. Her husband is a well-known entrepreneur in the town. She lives in a large place and her daughter is well-behaved and cute.
But her husband was violent at home every day, and she always suspected that Nanya was using her beauty to have an affair with the men in the town.
Gradually, rumors began to spread about Nanya in the town, saying that she was misbehaving and that she was beaten by her husband because she was not honest with others.
Some people even commented on her and didn't even go behind her back, just being so weird in front of her.
And Nanya is not a submissive little wife who swallows any grievances.
was walking in the alley and heard the talkative women on the street talking loudly without shying away. She had no expression on her face and did not argue with them.
pretended that the fruit had fallen, and when he squatted down to pick it up, he hung the skirt of the woman sitting on the stool.
When the woman stood up, her skirt was naturally pulled down to see who was shameless.
She was also very creative when the relationship with Zhou Luo was strained.
Zhou Luo heard too many rumors, and when he couldn't control it, he accidentally touched Nanya.
Although it was an accident, in order to cover up his unbearable situation, he spoke unscrupulously and said unpleasant words to Nanya.
's words also caused the friendly relationship between the two to break down.
Later, he saved Nanya when she was being beaten, and was violently beaten because of it. He was injured and hospitalized.
But Nanya did not forgive him for this. Instead, she explained to him that "forgiveness" and "gratitude" are two different things.
Such a transparent, kind-hearted but immaculate woman, who will fight back even when bullied by others, is a three-dimensional and real person.
I have to say that the character of Nanya was created very successfully.
Similarly, there are many "unexpected" settings in the character creation of the male protagonist Zhou Luo.
seems to have strong abilities, good grades, and poor sociability. These are the basic settings of the male protagonist.
And he still has the desire of a young boy, which is something that many dramas dare not set so boldly.
There are many scenes from his perspective in the play, including his gaze on Nanya, and some of his fantasies after reading the poetry collection.
His feelings about Nanya are a bit like a grown-up version of "The Beautiful Legend of Sicily" in terms of setting.
There is also the scene of "roiling lust" in the play. For the first time, what is called is clearly shown in , "the heartbeat is hidden under the messy reality, and the emotions are quietly sprouting".
Especially in Zhou Luo's various fantasies about Nanya and the interludes between him and his female classmates, the director captured the hazy atmosphere very well.
This kind of picture that is not easy to present is more frivolous and less tasteless.
As expected of Yao Xiaofeng, who has just received numerous praises for his high-quality graphics. It seems that he not only has a skill in romantic spy dramas of the Republic of China, but also in emotional suspense dramas.
03,
Dare to film, this drama has produced a rare "secret" in Chinese dramas
The core of the story of "Dark Fire" has been revealed very early, and can be summarized in one sentence:
Rumors , sometimes enough to destroy a person.
Whether it is Nanya who originally lived in a small town and suffered from the criticism of small town people, or Zhou Luo who just dropped out of school and came back last year and has already felt the arrangement of others, what they have experienced are these four words:
Gossip.
In simpler terms, it is a rumor.
Qian Zhongshu once described rumors like this:
Rumors spread faster than the flu, contain more energy than meteors, are more malicious than gangsters, and are more debilitating than miscarriage.
In the play, Nanya obviously did nothing. In the eyes of the people in the town, she is indeed a shameless woman who has done all kinds of bad things.
Even high school students who are still in school can talk about her.
And what they say is the truth? It's not important, what's important is to satisfy their interpretation of a beautiful woman.
is like Nanya's daughter's attending physician, who has repeatedly used the excuse of treating Nanya's daughter to try to belittle Nanya.
Do the people in the town not know about Xu Yi who has been domestically abusing Nanya? Of course
knew it, but he just allowed Xu Yi to do it.
On the one hand, Xu Yi's family is rich and powerful, and on the other hand, it is their prejudice against Nanya for many years.
The same rumors also apply to Zhou Luo. No one knows why he dropped out of school, but there are rumors that he dropped out of school due to the confusion between men and women in college.
In the following episodes, more truths about the "horror cannibalism" in the town will be revealed.
What is the so-called truth?
"There are some things in this world that will never have a so-called true answer."
"Because the truth only exists in the hearts of the people involved."
Although it is only a suspense drama, this drama reveals "Chinese horror" everywhere.
I didn’t expect that there would be such a bold domestic drama in 2024, directly filming the things that have been mentioned in domestic film and television works.
And this is of course a good thing, because if we dare to take pictures, we can see more and think more.
We need this kind of national drama. It’s no wonder that CCTV is interested in this drama and is betting on prime time.
This time, CCTV won again.
Qingshi Film Editorial Department | Lao Meng
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