This year's Spring Festival stalls are fiercely competitive. Some hot searches do not stop, and some fail to turn the tables against the wind and are temporarily withdrawn. There are also those who do not rely on hot searches or capital to grab positions, but they have won the box office reversal. 
"Reverse decline" refers to the situation that in the case of **(overall) box office**, the box office of individual films is against the trend** and the movie can "win", in a word, just because the stamina is too great. Article 20
article 202024.2.10.Chinese mainland
Three cases
Zhang Yimou's new work "Article 20" will be launched in mid-2023, and with the luxury team of "Hurricane", "Space Exploration Editorial Department" and "The Long Season", the filming and post-production will be completed in a hurry in just a few dozen days.
Looking at it now, Lao Mouzi has returned to the realism comfort zone, how to shoot and how to have. In the past, works such as "Qiu Ju's Lawsuit" and "If You Have Something to Say" and other works used the small to see the big, focusing on the individual, and the plot twists and turns; 
Today, "Article 20" and "One Second" use human feelings as a mirror, collect group portraits, reflect the complexity of modern society, and dig deep into human nature. After watching the movie, I was actually like most people, and I pondered for a long time. Because this film is not just laughter and tears, it is more thought-provoking:"In reality, where is the inspiration? Where to reflect? What is the demonstration? ”
Perhaps, it's like the movie "Silence is better than sound".The power of the law stems from the simple expectations of the people. The people are not only looking for right and wrong, but also justice. Han Ming (played by Lei Jiayin), a prosecutor who transferred from the countryside to the city in order for his son to be able to hold his head high in school. 
As soon as he was transferred to the procuratorate, he had to deal with three "justifiable defense" cases that caused trouble. The first is the Zhang Guisheng case. Zhang Guisheng (played by Yang Haoyu), a bus driver.
Because he stood up to stop the two dead hooligans from harassing the girl, he was beaten half to death, and finally couldn't bear to fight back, causing the hooligan A to open the scoop on the spot; followed by Han Ming's son, Han Yuchen (played by Liu Yaowen). I can't get used to the bullies in the school bullying people, so I started to do it when I was excited, but I discounted the bridge of my nose and was sued by the school bully's father.
Finally, there is the case of Wang Yongqiang (played by Pan Binlong), which is also the main line of the movie. An honest man was bullied by the village bully to the door of his house because he borrowed a loan shark from the village bully to treat his daughter's illness, and in a fit of anger, he picked up a knife and stabbed the person.
These three cases are like three sides of a mirror, reflecting the whole process of a case from conception to conclusion. At the same time, a social phenomenon is depicted :
Evildoers are victimized by their own faults, but they are given "legal protection". This kind of contrarian attitude challenges the inherent emotional and moral judgments of the people. This constitutes the core contradiction of the film-The dispute between human feelings and legal principles.
The straw that broke the camel's back
In the movie, there are three cases, without exception:There will eventually be something that makes the "weak" bend their backs. Wang Yongqiang, who raised medical expenses for women, was in debt to the wicked, and since then the family has sunk into the sea of bullying. Then his wife was **, not only hurt but also sad. His wife Hao Xiuping (played by Zhao Liying) is desperate, and I believe that no one will tremble when she sees Hao Xiuping walking out of the door.
If there is a severity of evil, this situation must be extremely evil. Its shape is extremely embarrassed, and the silent despair is especially better than the wail. Seeing this situation, Wang Yongqiang recovered bloodily, held scissors, and struggled, causing Liu Wenjing (played by Aruna) to hang by a thread, and he himself was also in prison, pending a sentence.
As the old saying goes, "Murder pays for life". However, Wang Yongqiang argued that Liu had a prepared blade and was in defense, so he would strike first. But the surveillance camera only captured the scene of the fight between the two, and did not capture whether there was really a knife in the car. Under the judgment of the law, the truth is obscure, and the crowd is inclined to convict. Only the prosecutor Lu Lingling (played by Gao Ye) disagreed, but she was lonely and lonely, and it was difficult for Wang Yongqiang to overturn the case.
At the decisive stage of the case, the bully's family exerted extreme pressure on Hao Xiuping, who kidnapped her daughter and forced her to sign a statement admitting that the relationship with the bully was voluntary in order to repay the debt.
Faced with such a cruel choice, Hao Xiuping knew that signing that statement meant that her husband would not be able to turn over, and if she didn't sign, her daughter's life was in jeopardy.
In such a desperate situation, she believes that the only way out is to sacrifice her own life. In terms of suffering, Hao Xiuping's experience can be called the extreme. Standing at the top of the building, Hao Xiuping tried to grab the hands, but after a few seconds, she refused the help of the prosecutor who tried to save her, and firmly chose to jump. Her slender figure landed heavily on the car below, leaving a deep mark. In the silence, there is a whistling piercing the ears. It is bottomless despair, not the hardships of life, that have become the last straw that crushes the weakWhen there is no way out, no one to help; When there is no way to call for help, the strength is not enough; When you are in the yoke of injustice, death becomes the only way out.
Let's talk about Han Ming's family. At first, he was a young man with a sense of justice. But the reality of society gradually smoothed his edge, making him transform from an "idealist" to a "realist". When he first entered the society, Han Ming's work was more of a front-line opportunity to assist behind the scenes and win through unremitting efforts.
In the case he handled, a bus driver was imprisoned for his righteous and courageous actions (Wang Guisheng case), and Han Ming tried to find a solution in his own way while trying to balance the contradiction between justice and reality, and this balance was finally recognized by his superiors and opened a new career path for him. As he became a member of society, Han Ming learned how to navigate complex networks. His attitude towards his family has become submissive, and his attitude towards work has become alertHis life seems to revolve around the principle of "don't cause trouble".
His ideal is no longer to change the world, but to compromise with reality, to seek perfection, only to seek family safety and career stability. He felt powerless and frightened in the face of unknown malice and the devastation that life could bring. Especially when this malice touches his most cherished family. His son, Han Yuchen, bravely stood up against injustice at school, only to find himself in a predicament that could affect his whole life.
Despite the best efforts of him and his wife, all kinds of low-brow obedience, they could not change the situation. When the child is injured again by the revenge of the bullies, he shows his father his choice - this time he does not resist, hoping to lighten his father's burden. But Han Ming, as a prosecutor who is well versed in the law, feels helpless in the face of the child's injuries and the complexity of the caseThe child's injuries are not serious enough for legal intervention, and the anonymity of the perpetrators makes justice seem impossible.
And when confronted with his son's question about whether to continue to do the right thing, he is caught in a contradiction - as a defender of the law, he is supposed to encourage justice; But as a father, concerns about his children's safety made him choose to remain silent.
This silence is not only a hesitation about the child's future behavior, but also a deep reflection on his own professional cognition. It can be said that through Han Ming's psychological deepening, the film avoids simply portraying him as an idealized "righteous hero". On the contrary, the film deepens his empathy for Wang Yongqiang's family through the understatement of the fourth case, that is, Han Ming's injustice suffered by defending justice when he was young and the troubles his son is currently experiencing, prompting Han Ming to re-examine the legal provisions, dare to challenge the old verdict, and strive for true justice for Wang Yongqiang. Regarding the fourth case, in fact, there are not many descriptions in the movie, mainly through Lu Lingling's mouth, why she liked Han Ming back then, it was because Han Ming had a twisted sense of justice, and this also added an important stroke to Han Ming's personality depth.
It was this experience that enriched Han Ming's character background and provided a logical basis for his later decision-making in favor of social justice rather than personal interests when faced with moral and legal choices. In addition, what is also interesting is Han Ming's mobile phone ringtone, which is the sound of "rooster crowing". This also heralds——"The light has been sleepless for a long time, and the bell is to wake up. Awaken those who sleep in the dark night, awaken the deepest part of our hearts, the forgotten good deeds and tenderness. It is also to awaken those dusty laws, so that justice no longer sleeps in words. “This kind of character setting not only echoes Han Ming's persistence when he was young, but also makes the social issues and the fate of the characters in the movie closely linked, building a logical chain leading to profound social care. Finally, there is the case of Zhang Guisheng, compared to Zhang Guisheng, I actually want to talk more about his daughter Yaya (played by Xu Jingya).
Not only did she lose her mother, but she also had to face her father's unjust imprisonment while enduring the malice and ridicule around her. Despite all the blows, she still has a desire for justice in her heart, and she tirelessly campaigns for her father's innocence. But her despair reaches its peak when her little hope is dashed by her father's unexpected death. Facing Han Ming, she asked a moving question:"Is my father a bad man? What would you have done if it had been you? ”
This question made Han Ming fall silent, because he knew that in front of this little girl, any explanation of law and logic would pale in comparison. This also made Han Ming and all the audience fall into reflection together:"The law should make it more expensive for bad people to commit crimes, not more expensive for good people to do it. ”
Ask for your life"If there is a price to be paid for the pursuit of justice, who will bear the price? ”This line from the movie touched me deeply. Although the misfortune of Wang Yongqiang's family has aroused the pity of everyone, in the face of the strict logic of the law, this mercy seems to be powerless to change anything. When the boundaries of the law are blurred, when people are unable to make completely rational judgments under extreme pressure, who defines what is overreaction and what is necessary self-defense ?
The challenges faced by the legal profession are not only direct pressure from overbearing family members (such as the Liu family in the movie), but also the precedent framework set by similar cases in history.
As a result, when the line between justice and overreaction is blurred, the question of how to make judgments becomes a complex one. Wang's case calls for a re-examination of the definition of "intentional harm", which may shake the foundations of the justice system and bring about unforeseen complications. Well, the question we face is:"If there is a price to be paid for the pursuit of justice, should we give up? ”"If fighting for justice must bear the price, whose shoulders should this burden fall? ”"If the legal profession does not actively seek change, if everyone chooses to protect themselves, then the burden will undoubtedly be borne by the most ordinary people. These people are ordinary families like Wang Yongqiang and Hao Xiuping, individuals like Zhang Guisheng who are innocently victimized but have nowhere to appeal, and everyone who struggles in adversity but feels helpless. ”
The movie "Article 20" is inspired by the "principle of legitimate defense" in the Criminal Code. It aims to explain the legal principle that when an individual or others face unlawful infringement, taking appropriate actions to protect the safety of persons and property does not need to bear legal responsibility. Although the legal provisions relating to justifiable defence have been codified since the implementation of the "new Penal Code" in 1997, for a long time this provision has hardly been effectively applied. It has even been described as a "sleeping" regulation by people in the legal profession. From the 2016 "mother humiliation case" in Shandong to the 2018 Kunshan anti-killing incident in Jiangsu, these cases sparked widespread discussion of justifiable defense clauses across the country. (*Network).
At first, Yu Huan caused significant harm by protecting his mother, and society tended to support his actions. The case ranged from life imprisonment at first instance to a reduced sentence on appeal, demonstrating the complexity and challenges of justifiable defense. The Kunshan anti-homicide case has become a benchmark case for judging legitimate defense because of the clear evidence and the public attention to the image of the victim** In the end, it was determined that the perpetrator's actions were justified and that he did not need to bear criminal responsibility. (*Network).
The occurrence of these cases has not only aroused attention to the "sleeping clause" of justifiable defense in the criminal law, but also caused a re-examination of the application of this legal provision in judicial practice. In 2020, the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, and the Ministry of Public Security jointly issued the Guiding Opinions on the Lawful Application of the Justified Defense System, marking a turning point in the practical application of justifiable defense provisions, aiming to reduce the difficulty and pressure of handling cases, and ensure the effective implementation of legal provisions. Speaking of which, many people will think that the reversal of the verdict in the Wang Yongqiang case in the movie is because of the hearing initiated by Han Ming or because of Han Ming's awakening of self-consciousness to help the suffering people, but in fact, the root cause is not so. "The hearing does not have the power to make a legal decision, but it is mainly used as a platform for communication and coordination, and is used by the procuratorate to explain its views and solicit support from other relevant departments or participants. In fact, the power to make the final decision is still in the hands of the leadership of the Supreme People's Procuratorate. ”It was changed to the time when the Supreme People's Procuratorate decided to intervene in the case. What may seem like a sudden intervention is in fact a question of the current judgment model and a harbinger of possible change.
This high-level involvement is usually done for two main reasons:Either it is an affirmation of the status quo, or it is for a radical review and change. Obviously, in the Wang Yongqiang case, the Supreme People's Procuratorate's participation was not for commendation, but for in-depth examination. When the ** guidance group came, the change in the attitude of the leadership of the procuratorate and the transfer of power and responsibility in case handling undoubtedly reflected the thinking and strategic adjustment of the handling method within the organization. At a macro level, the primary duty of the law is ".Maintain social order and stabilityIn the past, legal decisions tended to maintain social stability and discourage individuals from transgressing legal boundaries in order to prevent private remedies from becoming the norm. This also explains why Han Ming took out a copy of the past related cases when Lu Lingling was transferred, and angrily told her that "it was all sentenced like this before".
However, with the development of society and the increase of information transparency, the people's demand for legal fairness and efficiency is increasing, and the limitations of the previous legal provisions that serve stability have begun to be exposed. In other words, for some cases, it should be "as the case depends". Just like Lu Lingling said when she collapsed,What kind of despair drives a speechless mother, leaving behind her disabled children and her imprisoned husband, to choose to face death alone? ”It's a desperation of the law.
The film highlights a core point:The development and advancement of the law is essentially a direct reflection of the public's desire for fairness and justice. It is the public's expectation of higher legal standards that has driven the evolution of the law. The change of the Supreme Procuratorate reflects the response to public opinion, and is intended to lead the development of legal practice in a more fair and reasonable direction through case reform. Therefore, the intervention of the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the ** Guidance Group, as well as the support of the leadership of the procuratorate, marks a retrial of the old judgment model, aiming to establish a new precedent in response to the people's basic demand for legal justice.
Article 20 was also produced by the Film and Television Center of the Supreme People's Procuratorate. From this, it can be seen that its essence goes beyond artistic creation and commercial interests, and more undertakes the mission of legal education. It gives law enforcers an understanding of why and how to enforce the law. It also lets the people know how to abide by the law, and let the people know how to use the law to protect themselves. "The law should not bow to lawlessness." The law is to make it more expensive for bad people to commit crimes, not to make good people do it more expensive.