About 100 million people in the world speak Hokkien. Many films and TV series in Hokkien have been filmed in Taiwan. Some of the more sensational movies include "Hitchhiking the Wrong Car" and "City of Tragedy". It wasn't until "Sweet Potato Pour Rice" was officially screened in theaters on January 10, 2020, that the mainland had the first film with a dialogue in Hokkien.
The title of "Sweet Potato Pour Rice" is the transliteration of Hokkien "Porridge". Sweet potato porridge is very common in southern Fujian. Most people cook sweet potato porridge for breakfast, a small group of people serve it for dinner, and three meals of others are sweet potato porridge. Director
Ye Qian called the title "Sweet Potato Pour Rice" with two meanings: one is the story of Xiumei and A'e in the film, which is as common as sweet potato porridge in this area of southern Fujian. Director Ye Qian said in an interview: "When you are simple enough and pure enough, the world will correspondingly become very simple and pure, just like a bowl of sweet potatoes with rice." is the title of the film. Another implication is that the life philosophy of southern Fujian women conveyed in the film is simple and pure.
In general, the look and feel of "Sweet Potatoes Pouring Rice" is very good, with slow beats, beautiful pictures, and appropriate soundtrack, frame after frame slowly reading the customs of southern Fujian. However, if you are beautiful for the sake of beauty, it will inevitably affect the expression and tension of the film.
As a Hokkien and an honest audience, I think that the film has three and a half stars (out of five stars) as its strength, and the four stars are a tribute to director Ye Qian's attempt to shoot Hokkien films.
because of flaws.
Although the photography is beautiful, the expression of the image language is not appropriate.
When I watched "Sweet Potato Pouring Rice" for the first time, the biggest surprise is that the southern Fujian under the lens is so beautiful that one frame after another can be directly used as a mobile phone. Paper out.
Look, sister Xiu is walking on the ridge of the salt field. The gray sky, the slightly curvy body of Xiumei, the black top and bottom clothes, rainbow gloves, big polka dot blue face towel, and pointed hat reflecting the calm water On top, beauty is beyond words.
Look at the picture of A Shui Master and Xiu-mei treading a waterwheel in the field: Xiu-mei wears a black and blue headscarf, A Shui Shi’s white shirt and a light green vest. They both look forward at the same time, with the sun shining behind. The shimmering water lake, in front of the right is the beautiful bougainvillea. This is like the shooting scene of a wedding photo, which is rich in pastoral and fresh air, but also allows people to see the tranquility and calmness of dusk love.
However, the meaning conveyed by some lenses is confusing, such as the following two.
First, Qing'e was beaten by her drunk husband. She went to find Xiumei for the night, and the two lay in bed chatting. The director used the overhead shot, and the audience could see their expressions clearly from aloft. The audience feels that it is not the intimacy of them sharing intimate words on the same bed, but the humble and inescapable fate like ants. Therefore, the use of the lens here is not appropriate.
Second, Xiumei’s daughter-in-law told her that Aunt Qing'e had passed away. The camera was taken from behind, and the audience saw Xiumei in the mirror. Whose perspective is this? The audience would definitely want to see Xiumei's facial expressions. Also, in ordinary movies, when the protagonist sees himself in the mirror, it usually implies introspection, but here, Xiumei’s emotion is that she has lost the shock and distress of her close sisters, and it is too late to rise to a rational level of reflection.
The film expresses more Southern Fujian scenery than the storyline
The story of "Sweet Potato Pouring Rice" is a bit weak, there is no conflict, no ambush, no climax. To put it simply,
records the life of Xiumei some time before her death. Then, through the life of Xiumei, we saw the original and colorful world of southern Fujian women.
In Xiumei's life, the village stage was singing, so she and A Shuishi went to see the Gao Jia opera "Chen San Wu Niang". Sister
wanted her daughter-in-law to move her grandson back, but she didn't dare to ask for it, so she went to the temple to draw lots to ask the gods after hesitating. The village waist drum team did not allow Xiusi to join, and the solution proposed by Ah Shui was to draw lots to ask the gods.
show sister got a snake around her waist. If the medicine is not good, ask the Feng Shui master to draw a symbol to eliminate evil.
Qing'e is dead, The paper houses and daily necessities made by the family, the "crying filial piety" invited by the mourning hall, the performance team of "shaking people" at funerals, etc. These are all unique customs in southern Fujian.
Of course, the expression of the faith of the Hokkiens is indispensable. The filming location and story of "Sweet Potato Pouring Rice" are both in Quanzhou City, Fujian Province. Many religious sites combine Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, as well as folk beliefs. Therefore, Xiumei picked up the idols and threw them away and enshrined them in a small house. This is very common in southern Fujian and does not violate peace.
Yes, there are still many doubts that Qing'e is dead, how can Xiumei still talk to her soul? Actually, it is not surprising. Minnan people believe that the soul is immortal, and the soul of the dead will go home on the seventh day after death. These are not invented by the director, but just copy a part of the life of Minnan people.
South Fujian is located on the southeast coast. The reason why many traditional cultures and customs can be retained is because there are many old ladies who live by the customs like Xiumei. However, the director expressed a hidden worry in the film: With the invasion of industrialization, many customs in southern Fujian are slowly disappearing, so I can't wait to shoot this film.
The main theme of this film is that women find themselves? Slightly far-fetched
Director Ye Qian said in an interview: "The film tells about a problem that Chinese people don't want to face, that is, birth, old age, sickness and death. When a person reaches the end of his life, will he have the courage to break the fixed presupposition of himself? It is a challenge for everyone." Director
Ye Qian believes that the self-presupposition of South Fujian women is to pay for the family blindly, and they dare not live out themselves. However, is not important to Xiumei whether she lives her own life, but more importantly, emotional sustenance.
Xiumei is a widow, and there is no one by her pillow to speak to relieve boredom. The relationship between her and her family is not caring and a little alienated.
The son is busy with work, the elder son rarely comes back for a meal, and he will leave after eating. Xiumei said: "makes money is more important." Xiumei ignores her emotional needs and considers the lives of her sons. She really wanted to see her son, so she had to pretend to be sick. Although the two daughters-in-law of
live in the building next door, they only call her for help when they need her. If you get sick, just take care of her diet.
's two grandchildren are even more estranged. One said that the toys she bought were naive, and the other pushed her arms away. Xiumei
is not ignorant of what Ah Shui is, but she doesn't want to be pointed and pointed behind her back, which will ruin her children's reputation.
Therefore, the safest and most caring emotional sustenance in Xiumei's life is Qing'e. The two help each other, comfort, and work together.
When Qing'e died, Xiumei slipped into the dark abyss. Her turban changed from bright red to melancholic blue. On the night of Tuomeng, Qing E said: "Only I will look for you, who else will look for you." From that night on , Xiu Mei made two decisions: Join the waist drum team and be a helper E plays the drum; accepts the feelings of Master A Shui, this is what Qing E encouraged her to do.
Women like Xiumei in southern Fujian have devoted their lives to their families and living for their children. If she finds emotional sustenance in the family, she is happy. If not, it's pretty okay to be accompanied by an old sister. The most unfortunate thing is that there is no emotional sustenance, so you can only be alone.
Seeking self at the end of life is just a beautiful rhetoric. Judging from the background of the era set up in "Sweet Potato Pouring Rice", it can only be said that the director put modern women's independent thinking 30 years earlier and implanted them into older women like Xiumei.
"Sweet Potatoes and Rice" is the first Hokkien film in mainland China. Although there are some flaws, through this film, more people can see the Hokkien style, let more people hear Hokkien accent, and let Hokkien women In the eyes of global audiences, this is an amazing attempt.
This is Linglin Jiujiu's 28th original film review. The picture comes from the Internet and is invaded and deleted.
Before this, I also wrote a review of the film "The Cape Has a Five Store City", which was mainly shot in Jinjiang Wudian City. Welcome to read: Southern Fujianese came over, why Douban netizens gave "The Cape Has a Five "Dianshi" only scored 4.5 points?
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