"Article 20": Zhang Yimou's new attempt at the Spring Festival.
Introduction: Zhang Yimou, one of the important representatives of Chinese cinema, has attracted attention for his unique narrative style and profound social care. In the Spring Festival of 2024, he challenged himself again and launched "Article 20", a work full of down-to-earthness, comedy and heaviness. This article will delve into the main features, evaluations and controversies caused by this film, aiming to analyze director Zhang Yimou's new attempts and his deep concern for the survival of the underclass.
1. The development process of Zhang Yimou's Spring Festival films.
1.1 "Sniper" and the first study of the Spring Festival file.
Zhang Yimou's Spring Festival film journey began in 2022, and "Sniper" entered the Spring Festival file for the first time, ending with 60.8 billion box office revenue was a success. This marks his in-depth exploration of the business giant of the Spring Festival stalls.
1.2 The box office counterattack of "Man Jianghong".
Following "Sniper", in 2023, Zhang Yimou will enter the Spring Festival file for the second time and launch "Man Jianghong". This time, he ended with 45The box office result of 4.4 billion won the box office championship of the schedule, proving his strong strength in the Spring Festival stalls.
1.3 New twists on Article 20.
In 2024, Zhang Yimou will make persistent efforts to continue to enter the Spring Festival stalls and launch "Article 20". However, this time he not only continued his success, but also played a new trick, combining comedy with realism, which attracted wide attention from the audience.
2. Characteristics and evaluation of the film "Article 20".
2.1 Down-to-earth film features.
The most striking feature of Article 20 is its down-to-earth style. The audience generally believes that this is the most down-to-earth work of director Zhang Yimou in recent years, and the Douban score is 80 (currently 7.)9) It also proves that most people have a positive evaluation of the movie.
2.2 Three Stories and Legal Science.
The film involves three seemingly unrelated stories, but in the end, it leads to legal popularization of "justifiable defense". Compared with legal programs, the film better conveys relevant legal knowledge through vivid plots and characters, and has won the recognition of the audience.
2.3. The image of the actor is integrated with the character.
Compared with last year's "Man Jianghong", "Article 20" is more successful in the integration of actors' images and roles. The roles played by the actors are basically close to their previous screen images, avoiding cameos for the sake of cameos, which left a deep impression on the audience.
2.4 Realist choice of subject matter.
Different from the previous grand narratives and feelings of family and country, "Article 20" focuses on the real plight of the people at the bottom. Zhang Yimou did not choose the previous propositional films, but reflected the living conditions of the people at the bottom through three stories, causing the audience to reflect deeply on social issues.
3. The theme of the movie.
3.1 Zhang Yimou's ideological turn.
Zhang Yimou shows a clear shift in thinking in Article 20. No longer praising the feelings of family and country, the movie presents the living conditions of most of the current low-level people through the real dilemma behind the three stories. The audience found that sometimes, Zhang Yimou is a director who can never be guessed.
3.2 A clever combination of comedy and heaviness.
In the past, audiences were accustomed to Zhang Yimou's grand narratives, but this time, he opted for a clever combination of comedy and heaviness. The three stories connected by Han Ming (played by Lei Jiayin) and Li Maojuan (played by Ma Li) dissipate the heaviness of the subject matter through dense and hilarious lines. The audience was gradually led to deeper thinking in the laughter.
3.3. Thinking about the future of the next generation.
One line in the movie that triggers the audience's thinking is: "What kind of future do we want to give to the next generation?" This issue has not appeared in domestic films for a long time, and Zhang Yimou once again presented this concern to the audience through "Article 20", which makes the film have an extra layer of social responsibility in addition to the attributes of Chinese New Year films.
IV. Controversy and Interpretation.
4.1 The controversy over Hao Xiuping's role.
However, like many successful works, the film is not without controversy. Hao Xiuping's role has aroused widespread attention from the audience. Some people thought the scene was insulting to women, and questioned whether director Zhang Yimou had been repeating his old tricks. However, this article argues that this scene is indispensable to the overall framework of the film.
4.2 Expression of social responsibility.
From the very beginning, the movie explained the plot of Wang Yongqiang's wife being **, and tried to arouse the audience's sympathy for the victim through the true description of **, and at the same time hated ** behavior. This is not the objectification of women, but the ** of social responsibility, and it is in this way that the film warns the audience of a deep reflection on violence.
4.3. Confront the dark social reality.
Although some have criticized the controversial part of the film, this article argues that *** does not curb bad behavior. Sometimes, we have to face the darkness head-on to be alert. It is at this level that Article 20 has a positive social impact by confronting social problems directly.
5. Expansion and Depth**.
5.1 The combination of comedy and social issues.
The film "Article 20" successfully combines comedy with social issues, drawing the audience's attention to social reality in a light-hearted way. At this point, Zhang Yimou shows the director's in-depth thinking and creative skills.
5.2 Changes in Zhang Yimou's directing style.
Observing the development process of director Zhang Yimou's films, we can see the changes in his directing style. From the feelings of family and country in the past to the deep concern for the living conditions of the underprivileged, Zhang Yimou's films continue to evolve, showing the director's new attempts in artistic expression and social responsibility.
5.3 The Social Responsibility of Chinese Films.
As a form of cultural expression, film carries social responsibility. Through Article 20, we see that Chinese films are not only successful at the commercial level, but also contribute to the transmission of social responsibility. This is of positive significance for the development of China's film industry.
Conclusion: Article 20 is a new attempt by director Zhang Yimou in the Spring Festival films, full of down-to-earth characteristics and realistic care. Through three stories, the film profoundly reflects the real plight of the underprivileged, and director Zhang Yimou shows a deep concern for social issues in his work. Despite the controversy, the film successfully aroused the audience's thinking about social reality through its control of the audience's emotions and the expression of social responsibility. Outside the framework of Chinese New Year films, "Article 20" is not only a commercial success, but also a useful attempt by the director for artistic expression and social responsibility, and puts forward new thoughts and expectations for the future development of the Chinese film industry.
List of high-quality authors