I have never seen Ning Hao and Andy Lau like this

Mondo Social Updated on 2024-02-14

In the high-profile "Gala Presentations" section of last year's Toronto International Film Festival, the appearance of a still brought great encouragement to Chinese film lovers around the world.

Andy Lau was wearing a suit, his brows were slightly furrowed, his eyes were looking forward, his hands were holding his cheeks and making a contemplative movement, his three-and-seven-point shape and sharp eyes seemed to solemnly tell us that this legendary artist who is only 62 years old, his style is still undiminished.

At the Toronto Film Festival last year, stills from "Mr. Red Carpet" were made public.

I couldn't help but laugh out loud when I finally finished "Mr. Red Carpet" and recalled that still that I was immediately drawn to. The story behind this still is that Lau Weichi (played by Andy Lau) in the movie is in the predicament of divorce and lost to Chen Long again in the competition for the best actor at the Academy Awards, which made him deeply affected by the "culture shock" caused by his short ** - he was asked to pose in various poses and say "Lao Tie double-clicked 666" in front of the camera.

Faced with the confusion, aphasia and overwhelm brought about by the new ** era, Liu Weichi began his sudden out-of-control journey in the "Mr. Red Carpet" program.

Different from Ning Hao's previous commercial comedy style, "Mr. Red Carpet" shows simple modernist characteristics in both text and film expression, which is undoubtedly a bold and innovative attempt by Ning Hao. In this film, Ning Hao focuses the camera on a successful businessman named Zhang Xiaofan, whose life seems perfect, but is shattered by a sudden and absurd event. This movie no longer features "little people" as the protagonists, but Ning Hao is destined to have an absurd plot in the process of finding "same-like" audiences.

A still from "Mr. Red Carpet".

I found a similarity with Ning Hao, that is, we wanted to be closer to a 'me' movie. "I am comforted by his words, which is what I have always been after, that a film should be a true reflection of human nature, emotions and life. Andy Lau said so.

In recent years, audiences have witnessed the rapid rise of "meta-cinema" in the Chinese film industry. Probably because of the shift in the market environment, both directors and screenwriters have begun to pay more attention to the creative process of films, and the target audience of "movies about movies" is not just filmmakers or fans. The plot of the movie "Mr. Red Carpet" is becoming more and more confusing, as if a mirror reflects the intertwining of reality and fiction. The movie "Mr. Red Carpet" blurs the line between fiction and reality from the beginning, not only are many of the characters' names related to the actors' real names, but "Lin Hao", played by Ning Hao, is also the director of the film.

In the stills of "Mr. Red Carpet", Ning Hao played the role of director "Lin Hao".

In the comment section of almost every work of director Ning Hao, there are viewers who are surprised by the choice of subject matter.

Although "Mr. Red Carpet" differs from the "Crazy" series in terms of comedy style, similar to Ning Hao's previous works, concerns that may offend others do not seem to have been taken into account by Ning Hao. In the movie, this trust and tacit understanding is perfectly displayed. The work further reinforces the rhetorical device of irony, which may make you wonder about the relationship between the director, the actor and the investor outside the film, especially from the perspective of the live post-screening Q&A, where both Ning Hao and Andy Lau show a deep trust in each other.

In the middle of the film, Liu Weichi and Lin Hao chose to endure silently in order to meet the expectations of investors. From Liu Weichi's participation in the golf tournament and lavish party of the "gold master", to the sacrifice of the quality of the film in order to arrange roles for the relatives and friends of the investor on the set, this series of narrative threads undoubtedly reflects Ning Hao's more than 20 years of experience. This strong attraction necessitates an absurd fight on set that takes place on the set in order to temporarily end the film.

A still from "Mr. Red Carpet".

Ning Hao's sound design is one of his strengths in "Mr. Red Carpet", and his performance is very outstanding. In the film, this "bolero" seems to be a mischievous narrator, easily and wittily guiding the audience into different scenes. In the film, the vocal version of the "boléro m."81) made three appearances, as a transitional melody between screens, successfully shaping the humorous style unique to the film. In "Mr. Red Carpet", the sonata of bolero leads the audience on a unique journey of humor. Bolero has inspired many film and television creators, including works such as "The Road to Heaven", "One Future Out" and "Doctor Who". The piece, with its concise melodies, tapering repetitions, and orchestral style that culminates in a climactic finish, succeeds in blending melancholy with humor;

In the movie "Mr. Red Carpet", his voice hints that Lau's daily life may spiral out of control.

In one haunting scene, when Lau enters the tunnel with a shattered window, he is surrounded by several trucks carrying transplanted trees, whose branches and leaves turn into a dance in the bumps of the truck, as if to mock Lau's hasty escape. At the climax of the film, when the crew's pigs escape from the room and the PR team is thrown into chaos, culminating in the tragedy of "jumping off the building", the dance music begins again and disappears. Liu Weichi walked to the underground parking lot, only to find flashing red lights and dashcams everywhere, and the sudden sound of burglar sirens filled this passage like "Black Mirror" with an atmosphere of urban horror.

A still from "Mr. Red Carpet".

In addition to Liu Weichi, another "Mr. Red Carpet" that must be mentioned is the pig that the crew leased to the farmers.

Ning Hao's masterful use of imagery and metaphor has already been demonstrated in literary works such as Crazy Stone, and his competition for jadeite reflects the existential anxieties of representing subjects of different social classes. In the crew, the presence of the pig becomes an ingenious metaphor for the neglected and marginalized groups in society. In the TV series "Mr. Red Carpet", the pig was able to be selected into the crew, mainly thanks to the farmers engaged in pig breeding that Liu Weichi met during the "experience of rural life". However, when these farmers discarded their gifts like garbage and were eventually picked up by the farmers, the pigs' fortunes changed with it.

After the pig entered the urban living space, the crew booked a room for it and assigned a full-time staff to raise it. However, when the crew and the staff argued "why can you bring a dog but not a pig" as the background sound, we realized that the appearance of a pig in the hotel itself carries a natural sense of absurdity. The existence of the pig seems to be a silent observer, and through its eyes, we see Liu Weichi's inner struggle and the absurdity of urban life. In my opinion, the pig is a witness to the contradictions in Liu Weichi's character. He tried to experience real rural life with dedication, but could not adapt to the "degraded" living conditions and non-elite patterns of interpersonal relationships. The film satirizes the neoliberal beliefs of stars and the broader urban middle class;

From another point of view, the fate of the pig falling from the building due to shock is consistent with the fate of Liu Weichi who is in trouble due to the "scandal", and the more explanations are explained, the more disappointing it becomes. Mr. Liu felt particularly embarrassed in the theater, despite the laughter. There is no doubt that the laughter in the theater is mainly due to the presence of pigs. In particular, Pig and Liu Weichi had two separate encounters with the hotel's service robot: the pig was addressed by the robot as a customer and asked about their needs, and Liu Weichi became angry because the needs were not met, and the robot automatically answered "interesting questions" and responded hastily.

A still from "Mr. Red Carpet".

With the tragic death of the pig, Liu Weichi finally entered the "Tár" stage of his life after the disbandment of the public relations team and the negative impact of the "apology" behavior.

In the movie "Tár", Tár, played by Cate Blanchett, has changed from a world-renowned composer to a misbehaving ** "foreign teacher" who moved to Thailand due to his bullying behavior towards students and his refusal to apologize. Life in Thailand is like a rebirth for Thar. "Mr. Red Carpet", a work with a self-deprecating theme, is now in stark contrast to reality: whether it is Cate Blanchett or Andy Lau, they have not really become Tár in real life, but in this information-dense and thin-ice era, the threat of "Tár" has become the focus of attention.

A still from the movie "Tár" shows.

Screenshot of "Mr. Red Carpet".

This time, Ning Hao adopted the penmanship of the filmmaker, incorporating many absurd elements in the process of self-satire. Unfortunately, this seems to make the structure of the later part of the film a little looser, and the narrative of the first half is not fully revealed, but it provides more opportunities for the film to be interpreted.

Just as Andy Lau on the poster is learning how to drive an electric balance car, the movie "Mr. Red Carpet" is also looking for its inner dialectical thinking in this complex and changeable Internet era.

If you're a fan of absurdist movies, then you might as well experience this kind of elegance like no other!

the conclusion

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