In the Spring Festival file in 2024, Mr. Zhang Yimou's "Article 20" can be said to stand out, telling several seemingly ordinary cases of legitimate defense in a vivid and humorous way, which has aroused the people's deep thinking about law and justice.
The plot setting of Article 20 is deceptively simple, but it is extremely relatable. The clues of the three cases seem to be separated, but they are actually closely linked. Director Zhang Yimou skillfully uses the trivial matters of ordinary people's lives to illustrate the universal values behind the problems of social justice.
Zhang Guisheng was judged to have been overly defended because of legitimate defense, and he made a desperate bet just to seek justice; Hao Xiuping, a deaf and dumb mother, endured humiliation and lived in dire straits, and was kidnapped by wicked people; In order to bring justice to the weak in society, Han Ming did not hesitate to tear his face and the theory of his old classmates.
These three clues seem to be separated, but they are actually resonant. They all show the plight of ordinary people brought about by the eternal theme of justifiable defense in different aspects, and also reflect the injustices that still exist in today's society.
The delicate portrayal makes these cases full of sincere human touch. Zhang Guisheng, as a simple and kind driver, just wanted to say justice to the weak, but he was crushed by prison; Hao Xiuping's mute image is poignant and moving, and the greatness of her maternal love makes everyone's liver and intestines broken; Han Ming struggles to balance family and work, but is torn between a dilemma. These characters have distinct personalities, yet they are so close to real life.
It is this kind of ordinary people's ordinary stories that can make ordinary people have a strong sense of substitution and resonance. The director did not deliberately exaggerate the pathos, but he could easily touch people's hearts. The audience sweated and shed a tear for it. Zhang Yimou uses delicate brushstrokes to outline not only a few vivid little characters, but also the sincere family affection hidden in ordinary people.
It should have been a difficult task to educate the audience about Article 20 of the Criminal Law in two hours. But Zhang Yimou cleverly incorporated a lot of humorous and comedy elements, allowing the audience to understand the meaning of the law in laughter. This innovative attempt to "preach with laughter" is remarkable.
Taking Han Ming's family as an example, the director set up a lot of laughs in life. Han Ming used playing cards as a metaphor for his status at home. The injury on his son's face after being bullied was too light, and Han Ming commented professionally, "How many people beat so lightly? ”。
Another example is Han Ming and his wife on the road shouting to dissuade Zhang Guisheng, who wanted to sue, while chasing and shouting, "Impulse is the devil, you will regret it if you go", with exaggerated expressions like two living treasures. Such vivid and interesting episodes appear one after another, telling the content of the serious law.
Even the sentences and tone are very down-to-earth, and the professional laws become very easy to understand here. "The authority of the law comes from? The most simple emotional expectations from the common people! "This criminal law, a total of 452 articles, 56,681 words, from beginning to end is written in four words: fairness and justice! Such a shocking statement is simply the voice of the people.
Integrate comedy into serious discussions, so that the audience can feel the temperature of this work in laughter. This kind of approachable method of popularizing the law is commendable, and it is of great help to change the people's sense of distance from the law.
Article 20 can be said to bring together the strongest cast of the moment. These excellent actors have successfully created small characters with distinct personalities, which has made the film a wonderful presentation.
The first is Lei Jiayin, who does a good job of explaining a typical middle-aged male crisis. is respectful and respectful in the face of the leader, but honest in the face of his wife; lowered his eyebrows and pleasing his eyes at the unit, and when he got home, he was so angry that he couldn't raise his head.
Lei Jiayin portrays the thousands of turns of this vivid character through subtle expression transformation and free-flowing acting skills, allowing the audience to see his own shadow.
Zhao Liying boldly accepted the unconventional role of a mute girl, and the whole play eliminated words from beginning to end, showing a mother's noble and selfless maternal love just by body language.
Especially the scene where she desperately protects her daughter and jumps off the building in despair to commit suicide, which is loud and heartbreaking. This is an upgrade test for Zhao Liying's successful transformation from the role of Hua Dan, she lived up to expectations and proved that she had transformed and matured with her strength.
There are also a group of comedians invited by Lao Mouzi, everyone you and me, showing witty dialogues and dramatic conflicts in life. These actors use the comedic language they are good at to deliver the message of justice and tolerance to every audience.
It can be said that "Article 20" brings together the most outstanding actors today, who live up to Zhang Yimou's hard work and use their acting skills to support this masterpiece. It is their best knowledge that brings to life what may otherwise be a somewhat blunt legal story.
Article 20 may not be a box office winner, but it draws up the most delicate distance between the law and the people. Zhang Yimou did not stand tall, but aimed the camera at the fate of those ordinary people. He used peaceful and warm brushstrokes to outline the complexity and brightness of human nature, and issued a cry of justice for the common people.
"The authority of the law comes from? The most simple emotional expectations from the common people! This is the concept that Zhang Yimou wants to convey through Article 20. He did not stand on the commanding heights, but integrated into it, eating and living together, and depicting the inner struggles and expectations of ordinary people.
Under the packaging of comedy, this movie conveys positive energy values such as "righteousness and courage", "heavenly principles and national law" and "legitimate defense". It demonstrates the fairness and authority of the law, and also calls for the brightness and tolerance of human nature. "There is no need for the law to give way to the lawless" is the voice of the people, and it is also the direction of governing the country.
There may still be controversial voices questioning the film's over-idealization. But for the common people, ideals are power. With expectations, reality can only be better. "Article 20" brought positive energy to the audience, which is exactly the masterpiece needed by the Spring Festival file. No matter where you are, after reading Article 20, your heart will be surging. This is the charm of Zhang Yimou's masterpiece.
Although "Article 20" is relatively bold in terms of theme selection and plot design, there is still a certain idealistic tendency in the film at the level of legal discussion.
In the film, Han Ming represents the righteous side, while several village ruffians are portrayed as villains. Such a dichotomy may not be true in reality. What really makes it difficult for legitimate defense to be recognized is not the resistance of a few ruffians, but more from other indescribable places.
Although the film touches on this topic, it does not discuss it in depth and fails to dissect the root cause of this dilemma. Han Ming speaks out on behalf of justice in court, reflecting the idealized color of the film. In reality, the determination of justifiable defense is far from smooth sailing.
Of course, this idealization has its necessity. After all, as a popular film, "Article 20" emphasizes the dissemination of correct values rather than a profound critique of the social system. This limitation is to be expected. But if the plight of ordinary people can be reflected more at the level of legal discussion, the persuasiveness and depth of the film may be even higher.
Have you read Article 20? How did it touch you? Feel free to leave a message in the comment section to discuss your views.