author | Xie Minghong
editor | Li Chunhui
If there is no non-disclosure agreement, Mr. Hard Candy would like to vomit quickly on "Imperfect Victim" last week.
In the past two years, Korean dramas and Taiwanese dramas have produced several good dramas about campus or workplace bullying and exposing social structural problems, which attracted our domestic entertainment audience to hate iron and steel, and kept asking "when will Chinese dramas be filmed". Isn't it here?
At least according to Mr. Hard Candy, the determination and courage to dissect the complexity of human nature in "Imperfect Victim" is better than "Dark Glory". Why do you want to do evil? Is it because you are born with bad seeds? Why don't you resist? Is it cowardly? What kind of logic do the powerful and disadvantaged groups think and live according to, and what kind of different world do they see in their eyes? And the strong in one scene may be the weak in another context. When the strength changes, how do people get torn apart and how do they choose?
not to mention the highly discussed characters and plots that make Mr. Hard Candy gossip. Facing her cheating husband, Chen Shu made a public statement of "doing and cherishing"; Dong Jie looked at Liu Yijun and almost thought she was his wife, but it turned out that she was a company executive who was eating vinegar and a confidante; The voice of his heart is probably not without complacency, for fear that love will tire the beauty. The opening method of the
series is also very special. A sexual assault case involves many parties, and finally presents a broad social mirror image, not only the subtle description of human nature but also the analysis and observation of social structure. There are hot spots but not pure gimmicks, there is depth but layer by layer advancement will not create psychological distance.
You think you want to lash the ugly face of the rich. As a result, the success (Liu Yijun) is a citizen -abiding citizen except for the heart; you think Zhao Xun (Lin Yun) is a high -row black lotus, but in fact she bear more than we imagine. (Zhou Xun) is a legal machine that wipes the buttocks for strong groups, but people not only have professional ethics, but also inner order. In short, the countless "I thought" we guessed were broken one by one by "Imperfect Victim".
It is not difficult to have hot elements, but the difficulty is how to stop at hot spots. It is not difficult to have a reversal, but the difficulty is how to link it with human nature, so that the audience feels that it is both unexpected and reasonable. Such an anti-routine drama, please give me another dozen! A doggerel is a proof:
The happy place of beautiful women, rich businessmen, and gentleness overnight without thinking about it.
Thunder and rain called the police, and the suspects were arrested and brought to justice.
Luo Fu burst into tears, turning clouds and fog to find the truth.
Whoever says that God has no mercy, it is vicissitudes of life to return to the right way.
is both subversive, innovative and breakthrough. After watching the first few episodes, Mr. Hard Candy thinks that "Imperfect Victim" has the following three points worth discussing:
1. Reflections on social structural issues
The play has many breakthroughs and innovations. The first is the portrayal of "Chinese-style upper class society" in national dramas.
It was a successful day for the substitution. As the boss of a listed company, he had just appeased the shareholders and confidante, and at night he had to face his wife's scolding. The part where Chenggong quarrels with Xin Lu (played by Chen Shu) is "The Top Floor", which is more suitable for the physique of Chinese babies.
"As a co-founder who worked hard with you to start a business and promoted the company to go public, after success, she retired behind the scenes and went home to take care of her husband and raise her children. A full-time wife who endured her husband's infidelity for many years, a wife of a social marriage, and swallowed her anger for more than 2,600 days in seven years. Do you think I have no right to claim 8% of the shares under your name?"
Success is no longer a scumbag and a wealthy villain in the traditional sense, but a successful person who is full of personal charm but has flaws in individual morality.Faced with the troubles caused by Zhao Xun’s confession, instead of blaming her, he expressed understanding from the perspective of her inexperience and nervousness, “It might be the same with me.” When Zhao Xun’s father went to the company, he explained kindly and gave a responsible solution. Not to mention Zhao Xun, even a little less than Xin Lu's level may be PUAed by him. The successful image of
not only confuses Zhao Xun, confuses the audience, and even confuses himself. From his point of view, it seems that no woman has ever said no to him. The subtext of "Do I have to do this" is that as long as he hooks his fingers, there are women willing to throw himself into his arms.
's performance on this level of "arrogance" is a big breakthrough and the finishing touch of the series. After occupying the resources at the top of the society for a long time, the powerful group has developed a self-cognition that is superior to others. They may not even intend to do evil, but the days in the clouds filled them with the numbness and self-confidence of the strong.
At the same time, the series also shows in-depth thinking on social structural issues. One case implicates vulnerable groups, powerful groups, and the public security system that runs through it. The justice of disadvantaged groups is not declared. In addition to individual evils of human nature, there are also some structural pain points. Driven by the interests of multi-party games, justice will be challenged. Everyone is angry with Zhao Xun, but each of us may become Zhao Xun.
Vulnerable groups often do not even reach the judicial stage, because they are defeated by the powerful groups during the pre-litigation mediation. Look at the conditions for successfully arranging for Zhao Xun's family "refuge" in Thailand: a villa with a driver and a nanny, and living expenses of 5,000 US dollars per month. Mr. Hard Candy, who is full of coins in his head, finds it difficult to control himself.
There are also media and social resources, people will delete the video "gag" all over the Internet at every turn, and then make a few righteous statements and rush to the trending searches. Vulnerable groups have nowhere to speak out, and even if they do, there will be no traffic. Although it is no longer the old society where "the gate of the yamen opens to the south", the road for ordinary people to defend their rights is still difficult. Lawyer fees, legal fees and lost working hours are all economic accounts that must be considered by the disadvantaged groups who "stop talking".
Second, the portrayal and shaping of the "non-facial makeup" of characters
The creation of the image of victims in "Imperfect Victims" is essentially the deepest humanistic concern for vulnerable groups. Zhao Xun once flinched and was weak in the face of the oppression and sugar-coated shells of powerful groups such as Chenggong. She repeatedly changed her confession and released different truths in front of different people, deeply showing the fear and hesitation of vulnerable groups under the oppression of powerful groups.
This complex psychological activity is close to reality, and it can make the general public empathize. As she herself said: "Everyone is me, I have succumbed, I have resisted, I have been greedy, I have been arrogant, I have been weak, I have been brave, I have flinched, I have been meaningless, they are all me!" In all fairness, although Zhao Xun was wary of the successful overtures of elegant and rich people, there were also gray areas. After successfully taking her to buy clothing and accessories, the ambiguity at that moment lies in: Are you fascinated by material desires, or are you confused by his thoughtfulness?
If you go down a little bit, you will be said that you are not reserved enough. Go up a little bit, and some people say that you have no emotional intelligence and vision. The boss also dresses you up for work and entertainment. If you want to be independent, you must have the clothes and abilities that an assistant should have. For a rookie in the workplace like Zhao Xun, the speed is very difficult to grasp.
This is the reality. The dilemmas people face are not as easy to do as the multiple-choice questions in "Ideology and Morality". In books, we are faced with the question "Should we help the old lady cross the road". In the play, what Zhao Xun needs to respond quickly is "The boss helps me when I am drunk, should I accept being supported or push me away?" The colorful world is charming, and it is also demanding to require the disadvantaged to be as decisive as the powerful. The creation of
group portraits is also the highlight of the series. We see the kaleidoscope of human nature and the complexity of beings in "Imperfect Victim".Observing a character's behavior motivation, in addition to his personal value orientation, is also strongly related to the group he belongs to and the economic structure.
Lin Kan has a very capable and sassy image from the very beginning. Professionally, she maintains absolute rationality. When faced with doubts about sexual assault cases, she also has female-specific acuity and insight; If you hurt your feelings seriously, don't even think about doing work. But willing to swallow all this, it is difficult for anyone to achieve emotional stability.
Chen Mo is more like Zhao Xun's guardian, not only because of affection, but also because he has principles in his heart. You can say that he is an impulsive young man, but people are not impulsive young people. If everyone is doing things in a gentle manner, the powerful group may also think that the weak group is too easy to control, and there will always be catfish to stir everything up.
Policewoman Yan Ming (played by Zhong Chuxi) has insight into the truth, and at the same time has natural empathy and compassion for the disadvantaged. As a woman, she really wanted to help Zhao Xun. As a police officer, she can't do anything beyond the procedure.
3. Bold scale breakthrough
scale breakthrough is the boldest attempt of "Imperfect Victim". In recent years, national dramas have involved workplace relationships, power strife, and commercial confrontation, and they have often been touched. After all, the full-time job of "professional drama" is to fall in love. But "Imperfect Victim" dares to break through, and presents hot topics with flesh and blood details, which can greatly trigger the audience's thinking and emotional resonance about the real society.
In the behind-the-scenes documentary of "Imperfect Victim", director Yang Yang mentioned that on the surface, the episode is a story that reveals the truth about sexual assault, but in fact it is a profound revelation of human nature, power and desire. Through this kind of thinking, we can feel that "The Imperfect Victim" is a warm drama. "The most important thing is not to uncover the scars, but how to heal people's souls and hearts."
After doing a lot of reading and research on related social events, screenwriters Gao Xuan and Ren Baoru first established their cognition, and at the same time implanted this kind of prediction into the plot. "You don't drink, do you look down on me?", "I raised you, and you still don't drink a few drinks with me"... No wonder Mr. Hard Candy's fist hardened when he saw the plot of the meal, it was so realistic.
Liu Yijun also has a good understanding of the role of "success". His explanation in the documentary coincides with our previous analysis. "Everyone has a positive side and a negative side. The environment is very important. The environment gives you such a soil and a chance to release. Human nature cannot stand the test." The sentence "I love them" said in front of Dong Jie and Zhou Xun is a word added by Teacher Liu Yijun himself, which just rightly shows the arrogance of the strong.
"Imperfect Victim" also has a description of the middle group. The lawyer Lin Kan played by Zhou Xun is between the powerful group and the disadvantaged group. From the very beginning, she showed her demeanor of not bowing down to the rich and powerful. "I'm selling legal services, not this person. I have no obligation to obey you, let alone drink alcohol."
But when she was involved in the sexual assault case, she was suspected by Zhao Xun, who doubted her position and arrogance. "Your job is as calm and cold-eyed as you are now. Let's see when I will be subdued by cash transfers from luxury houses and cars. You will happily sign your name and judge whether I am short-sighted or unfulfilling. At the same time, you condescend me and laugh at me. Are you like this?"
Compared with the disadvantaged groups, the middle layer has stronger power and resources. Compared with the powerful groups, they have more understanding of the disadvantaged groups, and even they have been oppressed by the powerful groups, and they are truly allies who can stand on the side of the disadvantaged groups both morally and on the road.
In the documentary, you can see Lin Kan's encouragement to Zhao Xun. "Now I really want to go back to that time, tell myself not to be afraid, and say no to him." In the interpretation of this plot, Zhou Xun showed the fragility of a strong man. Even ten years later, it is still difficult for her to face herself at that time. The complex emotional transformation is simply a dimensionality reduction blow for the actress.
The victim is not perfect, the perpetrator is not thorough, where is the disease and how to heal it? The concept and presentation of "Imperfect Victim" are actually perfect.
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