According to Director Dong Yue's self-deprecation, he is not a "smart" person. "To interact with people requires intelligence and wit, which I lack." However, Dong Yue is also good at other things. He has extraordinary insight into people's hearts. sensitivity. In the new film "T

According to director Dong Yue's self-deprecation, he is not a "smart" person. "To interact with people requires intelligence and wit, which I lack." However, Dong Yue is also good at seeing people's hearts. Extraordinary sensitivity. In his new work "Man with a Wig", released on November 16, Dong Yue cleverly uses light and shadow to conduct psychological confessions and explores the complexity of human nature and the blurred boundaries of morality.

As for many in-depth analyses, Dong Yue took a pen and "operated" on his own heart to dig out. In an exclusive interview with a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily, he said: "I will refer to my own emotions to figure out the character's uneasiness, and even Searching for the anxiety, unbearableness, and darkness in one’s own human nature makes the character’s reaction more realistic. This creative method of often ‘putting’ oneself in is considered a kind of sincerity in my creation.”

The inspiration for the story comes from painful experiences in life. The creative process was tortuous and difficult

The movie "Man with a Wig" was written and directed by Dong Yue, starring Huang Xiaoming and Wang Yinglu , and starring Li Congxi and Huang Lu. The story tells the story of Meng Zhong, a well-known public interest lawyer, who was exposed by a mysterious person during the investigation of a secret that he had hidden for twenty years. It turned out that Meng Zhong was filled with despair after failing the law exam three times. The long-standing depression and anger were vented on a mysterious drunkard. As the hidden evil was exposed, Meng Zhong fell into darkness again, and a nightmarish whisper came from his ears: I know your secret...

Dong Yue became a blockbuster with his 2017 debut feature film "The Blizzard is Coming", which won him the No. It won the Best Artistic Contribution Award at the 30th Tokyo International Film Festival, the Best New Director Award at the 12th Asian Film Awards, and other honors. "The Blizzard is Coming" also won the starring actor Duan Yihong the Best Actor at the Tokyo Film Festival. In directing "Man with a Wig" this time, Dong Yue continued his unique narrative style and visual language, delving deeply into the human heart under the cloak of crime suspense.

Dong Yue revealed that the film is adapted from a true story, and the story is rooted in the real life of a friend. "Many of the identity settings in the film are inspired by his story." "His story touched me," Dong Yue told reporters. "After he failed the college entrance examination, he tried to repeat the college entrance examination again and again, but was repeatedly frustrated. At that time, I was studying in Beijing and was also facing huge pressure and trying to adapt to the challenges of society. . Years later, his story is like a mirror, reflecting my own state of mind at that time."

Therefore, when Dong Yue When I hear my friends’ stories, those memories of failure are dusted away Being reawakened, "We have similar frustrations and mental journeys. The emotions of indulgence, grief, despair, and inner darkness are all vivid in my mind. It is these resonances that became the motivation for me to create stories."

The story of friend is Dong This time filming "Wearing a Wig" However, it did not stop there. When shaping the role of Meng Zhong’s father in the film, Dong Yue drew inspiration from the father of another public interest lawyer, “The prototype of this character is not my friend. 's father, but a spark of inspiration in another story."

When asked about the challenges faced by "Man in a Wig" compared with "The Blizzard Is Coming", Dong Yue's memories were a bit bitter: "From the end of 2020 to the first half of 2021, we encountered many challenges. Little problem, it really made me feel lonely and miserable. "

Meng Zhong is like a tight bow Huang Xiaoming contributed his best acting skills

In "The Wig", Meng Zhong's character is like a tight bow. He struggled in the shadow of his father when he was young, and as an adult he is burdened with a deep secret. Years of psychological burden have made his life full of depression. Such a double-sided life of good and evil is full of challenges for the actor. Dong Yue recognized Huang Xiaoming's interpretation of this role. He believed that the film was good. It is regarded as the pinnacle of Huang Xiaoming's acting career, vividly explaining the complexity and multi-faceted nature of human nature.

Talking about Huang Xiaoming's joining, Dong Yue revealed: "Our acquaintance began at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018, when we attended Li Cangdong together. The director's " burning " premiered. During the chat in the car, Huang Xiaoming expressed his love for "The Blizzard is Coming" and hoped to cooperate with me. "

When Dong Yue completed the script of "Man with a Wig", Huang Xiaoming learned the news and hoped to read the script, "The actor is so passionate about the role, I know the cooperation will be very smooth." "In the end, Huang Xiaoming was chosen to play Meng Zhong, and Dong Yue was also very confident, "I have the confidence because the character itself is very charming. "

In "The Wig", Huang Xiaoming completely subverted his previous screen image. His style made a bold breakthrough - hair loss, beard, old-fashioned glasses, and his figure became thinner. While his face was expressionless, There is a hint of imperceptible gloom in his eyes, which makes people wonder about his inner life. The world is full of curiosity.

Huang Xiaoming not only boldly "acted ugly", but also lost nearly 30 pounds in order to get closer to the image of the character Meng Zhong. Dong Yue still remembers the scene when Huang Xiaoming first joined the group, "He weighed nearly 160 pounds at that time. , with a very muscular body and full chest muscles, just like Schwarzenegger in his youth. As soon as I looked at his weight, I said no. His whole appearance was glamorous and inconsistent with Meng Zhong. His image needed to be drastically changed, and Huang Xiaoming had indeed put in a lot of effort. "

In order to allow Huang Xiaoming to immerse himself more deeply into the character, Dong Yue asked Huang Xiaoming to live in a simple Tongzilou. "I think that if you want to film Meng Zhong, you have to truly experience his life. Living in a cramped small house can better Capture the feel of the character. And Huang Xiaoming worked very hard and paid a lot for this role. "

In "The Man with a Wig", Meng Zhong's fate is completely changed by a mysterious passenger late at night. The passenger's character is full of mystery and adds infinite reverie to the film. Dong Yue's design of this character Originality: “I hope the audience can feel that this passenger is not just a character, he is more like a literary symbol with a strong symbolic meaning. He is like the messenger of fate, or Meng Zhong's alter ego, but presented in an abstract way. This passenger always faces Meng Zhong with a mocking attitude, which also allows the audience to have a deeper exploration of Meng Zhong's inner world. Because his existence is to constantly challenge and force Meng Zhong to face his past. ”

Identifying a person’s deepest desires That's the interesting thing

In "The Wig", the character Meng Zhong challenges the traditional black and white definition of characters. Dong Yue said that in real life, people cannot be easily judged. Labeling makes it difficult to describe a person as a good or bad person. “What is really interesting is exploring the desires and impulses hidden deep in people’s hearts. If I were to evaluate, I think Meng Zhong is a real person. "

Dong Yue said that he used this work to face and show this reality, "I amplified some of his characteristics to make his inner conflict more prominent, but his authenticity has not changed, hiding the misery of the past. A common choice for many, we all have those moments."

Dong Yue's two works "The Blizzard is Coming" and "The Man in the Wig" both use suspense as a framework, constructing a maze that makes the audience seem lost in the fog. As the plot progresses, layers are revealed. The complex veil of human nature. Dong Yue believes that suspense is not only a means of attracting audiences, but also an excellent way to express human anxiety. “Whether it is crime or suspense elements, they can convey that tension and uneasiness very well. . "

The male protagonist in "The Blizzard Is Coming" is paranoid about chasing his destiny, but in the end the era leaves him behind; in "The Man with a Wig", the male protagonist is depressed in the first half of his life, and struggles in the second half of his life, experiencing spiritual difficulties. Suffering. The vivid characters created by Dong Yue in his two films.

Dong Yue said that he seems to have some talent in shaping male characters, "I have a particularly sensitive touch on male disguise and anxiety. This sensitivity may be It is helpful in shaping male characters. " Dong Yue said with a smile that he himself is an anxious person, "During the days of filming the movie, I almost couldn't sleep at night. This kind of anxiety follows me like a shadow. Unless I achieve some kind of spiritual enlightenment, it will be difficult to get rid of it. "

Dong Yue's insight is also a "talent". He can always capture the subtleties of human nature inadvertently. "I don't deliberately observe, but whenever I encounter something, I will naturally think a lot. I particularly like studying people who appear to be successful and have a glamorous appearance. Whenever I think about the stories they may be hiding behind, I feel as if I have seen through their disguise. "

Dong Yue admitted that he is not good at interpersonal communication, but he is willing to dialogue with characters in his creations. "I always feel that I can't find the most appropriate words to express my true inner thoughts. Writing movie scripts gives me space to think deeply. In the script, I can slowly imagine, figure out, and arrange things, which is difficult to do when communicating directly with people. "

Dong Yue's introverted and rigorous personality seems to have shaped his film style invisibly, "Film narrative is a complex system that requires sophisticated thinking and methods. My first work may be a bit jerky, but although the second one has improved, it is still not perfect. This lack of roundness may be a reflection of my personality. My movies are like a part of myself, 'the writing is like the person'. As I make it, it becomes more and more like me. "

The presentation of conscience and humanity in the film is my creative characteristic and sincerity

Dong Yue regards filmmaking as a sincere self-expression: "I will analyze myself in my works. This is not only my creative characteristic, but also My sincerity to the audience, I hope to show the truest humanity and the purest conscience. "For this reason, Dong Yue always looks for stories that touch him, "Compared to purely commercial movies, I prefer themes with depth and soul. "

creation is the process of Dong Yue questioning himself, and also reflects his growth and changes over the years. "When I was in my twenties, I was just like Meng Zhong, always worried about gains and losses. At that time, I felt Every move I make shapes my future, and failure feels like the end of the world. As the years go by, my mentality has quietly changed. Now that I am over forty, my attitude towards fate is completely different. I have begun to realize that we are not completely in control of our own destiny. This has taught me to relax and accept more possibilities. "

For this reason, the riverside fight scene in "The Wig" made Dong Yue quite emotional. In the shot, the weird red light on the rainy night reflected Meng Zhong's inner restlessness, while the surrounding gloomy and cold night seemed endless. Meng Zhong was swallowed up by his sins. Dong Yue "watched" all this at the shooting scene, but felt the absurdity of "the passage of time", "I think of everything that happened to the prototype character, and the despair, pain, and anger of my friend 20 years ago. , is now being reproduced by a group of people busy on the riverside. I have a feeling of time and space intertwined, as if I am peeping through time and space."

When talking about the connection between the two works "The Blizzard is Coming" and "The Man in the Wig", Dong Yue said: "Even if a director has made many movies, the characters in his works will always be somewhat similar. at. These characters are like his interpretation of human nature, a reflection of his self-projection. Every time I shoot a new piece, I try to bring something new, but the core things, the things that really define me, always come together."

text/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Xiao Yang

editor/Cui Wei