◎Liang Kun
If you take stock of which movies have been "underrated" in the past year, "Bastards" will definitely be on the list.
The Danish local film "Bastarden" premiered at the 80th Venice Film Festival in September 2023 and was nominated for the Golden Lion Award. It was released in Denmark in October of the same year. The main creators of the film are all from Denmark. Director Nicolai Arce has directed films such as "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and "A Royal Affair"; the heroine Amanda Colin used her mysterious androgynous beauty in "Alien". It is unforgettable; the leading actor is Danish national treasure actor Mads Mikkelsen, who also won the 36th European Film Award for Best Actor for this film.
This film, classified as biography, history, and drama, uses literary images and restrained expressions to tell the story of a pioneer who dreams of realizing a class jump. The imdb score is 7.7, the Rotten Tomatoes freshness score is 97%, and the Douban score is 8.3. An excellent score is a recognition of the quality of the film, but it does not match its popularity, thus adding a bit of "treasure" to the film.
"Hybrid": Not to conquer the wasteland, but to recreate yourself. The first shot of the opening chapter of
uses the desolate and barren wasteland to explain the background of the story: in the mid-18th century, King Frederic V of Denmark decided to increase taxes. Colonize the vast wasteland of Jutland. However, the natural environment there is dangerous, it is judged that "no food can survive", and lawless people are rampant. For decades, many conquerors have returned without success.
The second scene establishes the background of the male protagonist of the film: a pair of big hands engraved with years of hardship quickly polish a medal until it shines. Retired Captain Ludwig Cullen left the Veterans Workhouse with his most cherished Medal of Honor, confidently preparing to start a counterattack in the second half of his life. He persuaded government officials to spend his own money to conquer the wilderness with a meager retirement pension. The expected reward was only a noble title, his own manor and servants.
Mads Mikkelsen, who plays Cullen, is known as "Uncle B" among Chinese movie fans because of his evil, crazy and elegant image of an ogre in the American TV series "Hannibal". Nick name. "Uncle Ba", known as "Denmark's sexiest man", used an ascetic face throughout the whole process to interpret a man full of inner conflicts and entanglements, trying his best to climb up from the bottom of inferiority complex and then climb up again. The process of moving closer to the aristocratic class.
Yes, Karen, who has dreamed of standing up all his life, has been "crawling" in order to realize his grand ambition - because of his humble background: his mother was a servant in a noble manor, and he was just a gardener before joining the army; and because of his humble origins: He could not have such a humble origin. He was the illegitimate son of the manor owner, and he also had noble blood flowing through his body.
In Karen's opinion, he might just want to get back what originally belonged to him. But at that time, it was difficult for him to predict. This dream title and the shining medal at the beginning had already determined the price he would pay in this game.
After 25 years of hard service in Prussia, Karen left behind not only good military skills and extraordinary tenacity and determination, but also fluent German and a species that is very unfamiliar to Denmark - potatoes. Only by allowing the wilderness to have harvests can we attract immigrants and complete the task of opening up a colony for the king. Not only did Karen have to conquer the land, she also had to face resistance from the local powerful. Although the local snake Shenke is a local judge, he does all kinds of evil. The wasteland that Karen wanted to open up was originally in Shenke's pocket, and Karen refused to work for Shenke. A fight is about to break out.
The title of "The Bastard" has also been translated as "The Villain", "The Promised Land" (thepromisedland), etc. At first glance, the "Promised Land" seemed to be the most appealing thing to Karen. Karen named the simple house he built in the wilderness "King's House". The majestic name formed a strong contrast with the desolate wilderness. The greater the contrast, the greater Karen's ambition to make a comeback. In order to conquer this wasteland, Karen must keep making deals.
He gave the captain's medal, which symbolized the greatest honor in the first half of his life, to the Gypsies because he needed enough manpower to cultivate the land.When Karen was most miserable and helpless, Schenke brought the leftovers from the Christmas dinner and enough funds for Karen to enjoy her old age. Karen also tried to trade her self-respect for a chance to survive. Anmai, a gypsy girl who had the same father-and-daughter relationship with Karen, was seriously ill. When food was severely scarce, Karen slaughtered the last sheep for the winter, not because of generosity, but because he would never allow him to carry all the hope of pioneering. The potatoes were a little missing. Unknowingly, the stakes in this game gradually escalated: after the potato harvest, the first batch of immigrants from Germany arrived, but they regarded Anmai as an ominous thing; Karen then personally sent away Anmai, who was treated as a daughter. .
’s persistent desire determines that Karen continues to make different deals with the devil, and the devil is not elsewhere, but in his heart. In his twilight years, Karen is an unprecedented winner in Jutland. He finally received the title of nobility awarded by the king, although this title was not considered noble among the nobility. Are the transactions over the years a good deal? "Uncle Ba" gave the answer with his divine acting skills with two tears in his eyes. Karen's deal with his inner demons was completely terminated. He gave up his title, hijacked the prison car and rescued Barbara, and the two flew away.
went from nothing to nothing, overcame obstacles and returned to nothing. In eight years, a "bastard" did not achieve a class jump, but he completed a reinvention of himself. He slowly picked up the precious things he had given up along the way, such as honor, family affection, love... When he was no longer a puppet under the control of his inner demons, he finally picked up his self-esteem.
Women: The power of women who are loyal to themselves and grow wildly.
The scenes of "Hybrid" are not complicated. They are mainly concentrated in Karen's "King's House" in the wilderness and the manor of local powerful Shenke. The conflicts mainly revolve around these two people. , but the vision of the issues explored in the film is not narrow. The problems of human society that
touches have profound reflections in history and the present. Karen's struggle tells the story of an individual's situation in the social power structure. The life of the Gypsies reflects the discrimination and rejection encountered by groups considered "alien". The awakening and growth of women in a patriarchal society is also an important part of the film. convey important underlying information. There are three important female characters in the
film: Barbara, the slave's wife, Amma, a gypsy girl, and Helena, a noble girl. They all gave Karen selfless love, and each completed the redemption of Karen in their own unique way.
Barbara and her husband Johannes were Karen's first workers. Because they had no legal status, Karen only paid for their meals but refused to provide wages. Johannes was the first victim of the struggle between Karen and Schenke, and was executed in public by Schenke. Barbara went from collapse to regaining her sanity, and chose to return to the "King's House" in order to survive, and began to bargain with Karen for a salary that matched her abilities. At this time, Barbara was no longer a timid wife of a serf, but a laborer who relied on her strength and ability to earn a place in a world dominated by men. After
, Barbara and Karen are warm to each other and have a long-lasting love, which will definitely not fall outside the audience's expectations. This is also a process of progression from the basic needs of survival to higher-level needs of love and belonging as Barbara's inner growth grows. Karen's ideals seemed to slowly assimilate to Barbara, and pioneering became a cause they both fought for. However, in this process, Karen repeatedly ignored the needs and emotions of those around her for the sake of her "ideal." It wasn't until he sent away Anmai, who was also regarded as his own by Barbara, that Barbara decided to leave - because at this time she already had higher-level needs, to be respected and to realize herself. Karen's words and deeds made her feel despair.
But when Karen was caught by Shenke and was about to repeat the fate of Johannes, it was Barbara who came to the rescue: she evolved into a heroine who had the courage to rewrite her destiny, killing her husband and her enemy with her own hands, and saving her now. His lover, even if he becomes a prisoner.
The Gypsy girl Anmai is an orphan who has been displaced and uncared for since she was a child. She was Karen's enemy at first. As Karen recruited gypsies to help him reclaim the land, Amai gradually gained food, clothing and security from Karen.Living together day and night, in Anmai's heart, Karen and Barbara are like her parents. After she was sent away by Karen, she had to complete her own growth - a growth that was accompanied by the collapse of trust. But when Karen woke up and apologized sincerely to Anmai, Anmai decided to listen to the call of family affection in his heart. The two lived in the wilderness like father and daughter, spending their days without Barbara. Until another Gypsy group passed by, Anmai decided to follow his sweetheart and leave the wilderness. The little girl who once relied on others has grown into an independent-thinking woman, embracing the life she wants.
Compared with the first two female characters, Helena, who was born in a Norwegian nobleman, is more tragic. She was the target of Shenke's pursuit, but she fell in love with Karen because of a casual relationship. As Shenke's cousin, her family needs her to rely on Shenke's wealth and status. She was originally a canary in a golden cage, but she awakened because of love. Regardless of her own safety, she gave Karen guidance and help, but her long military career made Karen confused about her feelings, and distance caused Helena to lose to Barbara. Even so, when Karen's life hung on a thread, Helena did not hesitate and helped Barbara assassinate Schenko. Karen was rescued, but Helena lost her support and returned home sadly. Such an aristocratic female character, from being helplessly controlled by her family, to growing wildly because of love, has the power to love and hate, and has an independent and independent attitude. Her growth is full of explosive beauty. Although her role is not as important as Barbara's, Helena is an important female character who promotes the development of the plot and guides the story and emotions deep into the audience's hearts.
These three female characters all make Karen, but they are not victims or devotees, but independent existences that are not dependent on men. They show the power of women from different angles - they awaken above the desolation, stay true to themselves, and live out their own vitality.
, a Danish film, not only bears the mark of the Danish creator, but is also full of the coldness and alienation of the Nordic wilderness. The overall tone of the film is cold, and under the gaze-like lens, it presents an oil painting-like picture, desolate yet hidden with vitality. The use of dialogue and music is very restrained, and the sound effects and synchronization are relatively richer, allowing the audience to be immersed in the scene and feel enough room for imagination.
The collision of iron and blood stimulates, the surging and retreating of desire, the iron-blooded epic in the wasteland finally turns into a dark fairy tale in the style of the Brothers Grimm: he and she flew away and lived a happy life from then on. At this time, Karen will not be troubled by the environment he lives in or the bloodline he possesses. The story of his conquest of the wasteland will be recorded in the annals of history, or may eventually be submerged in the dust of history. These are no longer important. The most important thing is that he has transformed into a new, confident self.
(Beijing Youth Daily)
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