"Article 20" returns to Zhang Yimou's line of realism - as soon as I opened the film review writing document and wrote this sentence, I immediately realized that I seemed to have said something inaccurate.
In general, realism does not seem to be his main label. His most famous trait, "color", seems to be more visual and sensory.
However, if you ignore the realism in Zhang Yimou's works, then it is easy to ignore the important artistic power of his works, as well as his close connection with the times and society.
Not to mention a series of realistic films he shot in the last century, such as "My Father and Mother", "No One is Missing", "Qiu Ju Fights a Lawsuit" and so on, even after the opening of the blockbuster era, he has also filmed realistic masterpieces such as "A Thousand Miles to Ride Alone" and "One Second".
Article 20, like Zhang Yimou's previous works, is still closely related to the issues of the times.
Article 20 contains three cases, one is the case of Wang Yongqiang and Hao Xiuping's anti-murder of village tyrants, one is the campus bullying case of the protagonist Han Ming's son and the son of the teaching director, and the other is the relatively brief case of Zhang Guijun's excessive defense.
These three cases all contain the factor of "legitimate defense or righteous courage", and they are also closely related to topics such as grassroots underworld forces, campus bullying, righteous and courageous acts or legitimate defense standards that the public is concerned about in current social issues.
What's more, all three cases speak of inheritance. Wang Yongqiang and Hao Xiuping owed the usury of the village tyrant in order to see a doctor for their daughter, which led to the later **, Han Ming repeatedly dealt with the teaching director played by Zhang Yi for his son, and one of the spiritual motivations for Zhang Guijun's persistent petition was also his daughter.
Similarly, this ** also follows the character design of "Qiu Ju" in "Qiu Ju's Lawsuit", which sparked heated public discussions and even triggered related legal exploration. Among them, Han Ming's colleague Lu Lingling played by Gao Ye, Han Ming's wife Li Maojuan played by Ma Li, and Zhang Guijun's daughter all have more or less "one tendon" characters.
Back then, "Qiu Ju's Lawsuit" made everyone remember the line "I just want an explanation". However, the plot of that year was that Qiu Ju and the authoritative village chief at the grassroots level finally reached a reconciliation by reason, but the belated "explanation" of the law put her in a predicament.
Today, when Article 20 was released, the social environment is more complex, and people's expectations for fairness and justice and morality are more urgent.
During the movie, I have to admit that I have been in a state of worry and anticipation. First of all, the various comedy scenes and gags will undoubtedly dilute the realism of the film, and it is reminiscent of the combination of jokes and tragic undertones of last year's "Man Jianghong".
This is still what I summarized before, and the historical mission that Chinese films have carried in the blue threads of the road to this day to break through the previous film paradigms, especially the genre paradigms created by Hollywood. The road of "fusion genre films" of Chinese films is not only dominated by "post-80s directors" such as Guo Fan, Wen Muye, Rao Xiaozhi, and Han Yan, but also Zhang Yimou, an "old cow" who is already in his prime, is still "old and strong", which has to be admired.
The more this happens, the more I worry that the seriousness and realism of the film will end up drowning in a gag atmosphere and becoming a pastime.
However, fortunately, the film finally came back at the end, using a speech by the protagonist Han Ming at the hearing to integrate the three paths of emotion, reason, and law, and bring the three cases and its protagonists together, successfully empathizing with the audience and highlighting the theme, Zhang Yimou's basic skills are still there.
This technique is actually very common, and it is also a common technique in Hollywood genre films, most recently in Alan Sorkin's "The Chicago Seven Gentlemen".
However, there are some differences in Article 20, which stem from the different institutional backgrounds, laws, and social cultures of China and the United States.
Let's excerpt the words of a Douban film critic who commented on "Qiu Ju's Lawsuit":
accattone watched 2018-10-02 11:11:07
Zhang Yimou's most intriguing work, regardless of whether the main plot is reasonable or not, why Qiu Ju is so bitter in pursuing the "statement" (the author deliberately omits the cause of the incident and cuts into Qiu Ju's insistence through the mouth of others, it can be seen that the plot is just an entry point) In addition, through Qiu Ju's casual gaze, Zhang Sensitively captures the increasingly separated cities, counties and townships in the transition era, and can have such a masterpiece in the transition period to the documentary style, and I am impressed by the great significance of art and society Let's talk about Qiu Ju's journey back and forth, She and the village chief's stubbornness are probably puzzling to us. In fact, it is a manifestation of the mentality of the outcasts in the reform and opening up, who have long adhered to the simple and naïve but firmly formed values, and in this unconscious insistence, Qiu Ju wants to say (the dignity of the little people) and the common money (practical, utilitarian) opposite, and even defines the "new things" of law, institutions, and lawyers - the trading place of personal value (saying) and general value (money). In this way, the real and three-dimensional characters and their pursuits and principles, with laughter and tears, are both extremely beautiful and durable.
To a certain extent, "Qiu Ju's Lawsuit" is a microcosm of the times when China's urban and rural society is changing and agricultural civilization is entering the transition period of industrial civilization.
In Article 20, the law is indisputably at the core. This can also be seen from the title.
Although Han Ming's speech played the role of "Jedi counterattack" and "turning the tide" in the story of the film, we as the audience know in our hearts that similar entanglements have long lingered in our minds, and the gradual sharpening of social contradictions and the complexity of life problems make us more and more need inner support, and the cold laws obviously need to be interpreted and implemented more humane and contemporary in order to conform to the development trend of society and the expectations of the people.
So, "What is the law, isn't it fairness and justice?" What is fairness and justice, isn't it the inner expectation of the people? Although it is suspected of sensationalism, it is indeed a call from the hearts of the people. All these direct expressions and arms are shouting out the inner voice of the people, so the realism of this film is strong and the social value is far-reaching.
What's more, the film mentions the issue of inheritance in many places. In the film, Han Ming used a series of "playing card terms" to show his son the importance of going to a key high school and being admitted to a good university, and the necessity of "bowing" to Director Zhang.
However, is this model of "getting into a good university is more important than everything", to be precise, the test score is greater than everything, and all social resources and even legal disputes are solved with this as the core to solve the problem, is it really healthy and sustainable?
Zhang Yimou undoubtedly raised questions for the audience, especially when confronted with a delicate egoist like Director Zhang, which aggravated the audience's doubts. However, Zhang Yimou also questioned this for the audience, not only did the plot finally reverse, but also set up the role of Jiang Qiming's nephew, which also shows that Zhang Yimou pinned more hopes on the next generation, and also reminded us of the importance of "all-round development of morality, intellect and physique", which is a positive impact on the current "only test score theory".
Therefore, "Article 20" is undoubtedly a blockbuster work of the Spring Festival file, Qiu Ju staggered into the city with a big belly thirty years ago to complain, and became Han Ming's usual submissiveness, standing up at a critical moment and raising his arms, this is the spirit of the times and the victory of the civilian spirit. In addition, although Gao Ye thought her lines were a bit "childish" before, this not-so-smooth note highlights the character traits of the characters she plays, and it is also another village. The core expectations and values of society are constructed and inherited by such countless ordinary people.