"Roadside Picnic": Silence becomes poetry, ghostly romance
When a place you have been familiar with or visited appears in a movie, what you see and feel at that moment is unique. Because movies vary from person to person, they have attributes other than works, and are filled with the atmosphere of memories. In fact, "Roadside Picnic" is more suitable to be called its original name - "The Record of Panic". The characters in it seem to have been content with the situation, but reality and dreams are filled with an uneasy atmosphere, intertwining to create a past that is always somewhat gloomy.
If you hadn’t lived in Guizhou for many years, and if you hadn’t been hurt by the past in your heart, “Roadside Picnic” would be nothing more than a niche movie that would leave viewers confused and confused after watching it. It may even feel like you are watching a documentary filmed on DV. Speaking of movies set in Guizhou, the last one that left a deep impression on me was "Green Red" ten years ago. It was like watching the hasty youth of my parents' generation. This is the charm of the movie, which can make people find forgotten emotions.
1. Kaili: I can’t get it right now
“Kaili borders Leishan County of Taijiang to the east, Danzhai County of Majiang to the south, Fuquan County to the west, and Huangping County to the north. The county is geographically located at 107.40.58-108.12.9 east longitude, with the longest east-west span of 51.76 kilometers and the longest north-south length of 44.3 kilometers..." In the guide words that Yangyang memorized when crossing the river later, Kaili appeared again in the form of written text. People who often read city introductions are not people who have lived here for many years, but curious visitors.
The story begins in Kaili Clinic where there is a power outage, but Chen Sheng in a white coat is the patient. On the empty terrace, the old doctor looked at Kaili at night and gave some instructions on taking medicine. The dog that disliked drunkards came running over again. The sky has never been sunny for three days, it is gloomy and humid, and the film is covered with old filters, like moldy old walls, dripping and leaking interiors, and cloudy skies that never clear up. Kaili, which occupies more than half of the page, represents the present of Chen Sheng’s life, including his work, relatives and friends, as well as his difficulties and helplessness.
Walking out of the air-raid shelter, Chen Sheng looked lonely, but in fact he was also very lonely. When he reached middle age, he was alone. His wife died of illness and his mother also passed away. His younger brother was not close to him, so only his nephew Weiwei was left as comfort. Such a man is as ordinary as a random passerby, nothing special at first glance, but he loves to write abstract poems. He wrote poems and published a collection, so he probably had some stories to tell. After all, a poet is a rare person who has nothing to say but the Enter key.
Carrying the city on your back
The river bank of the subtropical monsoon
The bridge that is not drunk even when it is submerged
The building that is not drunk
Use silence to hangover
There are no plains in Guizhou, and even larger cities have steep slopes connected to mountains. The mountains here are no more like other places, more like high-altitude wilderness, with thorns and shrubs growing disorderly, and corn, sorghum and other crops planted among the strange rocks. Looking up close and looking far away, it looks like a messy wild land. It is difficult for a layman to tell which ones are artificially planted and which ones grow on their own. The top of the mountain looks like short hair that has been shaved off, with one patch growing in the east and one bald in the west. I regard it as a wild growth, and the word "wild" is quite personal.
In fact, places are just like people, they have their own temperament and character. Guizhou has many high and steep mountains, rapid rivers and waterfalls, and many caves and air-raid shelters. The wild style can be seen everywhere, giving rise to a slightly unique "ghost spirit". What I call ghostly energy has nothing to do with ghosts, gods and monsters, but describes the mystery of Guizhou, which seems to have spiritual power to attract people to explore. The story that happened here, even if it looks inconspicuous, must have some twists and turns inside, just like Chen Sheng's multiple identities.
When a poet, he is delicate. As a doctor, he is patient. As a husband, he is affectionate. As a friend, he is loyal. When he was an elder brother, he was tolerant, and when he was an uncle, he was kind. Only when he was a son did he escape. Everything he did later was rooted in his lonely childhood, and he even had a similar feeling of being abandoned. Therefore, he will especially cherish emotions, because they were missing when they were needed most.
Without music, the ears will deteriorate
Without discipline, the candles will be extinguished
It’s like going back to the era of misunderstanding of photography
You take in my soul
Without the razor, the language is blocked
Without the heart, but lived for nine years
Speaking of which, Chen Sheng’s characters are all tending toward perfection. The present is all a manifestation of the present, and the dark history of the past will still appear. It turns out that when he was young, Chen Sheng and his eldest brother lived in society, and were later sentenced for cutting off someone's finger on behalf of his eldest brother. Heartless, like a walking corpse, Chen Sheng lost his mother and wife after nine years in prison, and was never able to see them for the last time.
In the days that followed, Chen Sheng lived well, but had no hope. Until he learned that his nephew had been sold, Chen Sheng became angry with his younger brother, Lao Wai, and exchanged the house left by his mother for Xiao Weiwei's future stability, and thus embarked on a journey of search. From this moment on, Xiao Weiwei became Chen Sheng's expectation. If people want to live a down-to-earth life, they have to find something to think about, or go on without hesitation.
Here now, everyone is unhappy, and everyone is powerless and can only follow the habitual track. The whole city seems to be shrouded in the sultry heat before the rain. People feel a little depressed and have been indifferent for a long time. Once they start to sort it out, they fall apart as soon as they are taken out and put away. After a long time, the firecrackers won't light up. Everywhere seems to be filled with helpless misses and unhelpful regrets.
2. Dangmai: The future is hard to come by
Dreaming about the embroidered shoes worn by his mother, the patterns on the batik cloth, and the reed music played by the Miao people, Chen Sheng combined these The lingering dreams are all attributed to the feng shui of the old house that is about to be demolished. The content of dreams is mentioned several times in the film. The old doctor dreamed of his son who died in a car accident, the flower monk dreamed that his son wanted a watch, and Chen Sheng dreamed of Dangmai on the train. A dream is like a ghost, floating out from the black hole in the heart while the consciousness is asleep.
Freud once explained that "during sleep, the mind either ignores external stimuli, uses dreams to deny its existence, or "weaves vivid lies", even though It is possible to continue sleeping. Therefore, we can regard the "desire for sleep" as one of the motives of dreams, and every dream is the fulfillment of this desire. "Dreams therefore carry the past and loss that everyone cannot let go of. It is impossible to obtain it, but only the original intention can become a dream.
Someone must come back after leaving
The empty bamboo basket is filled with love
There must be something broken like soil
Someone The valley floor spreads out like a hand
Speaking of the Dangmai scene, some people are obsessed with the more than 40-minute long shot, some are debating whether it is a dream or reality, and some are struggling with the overlap of time and space. Just like the saying about the savages, there are different opinions and it is difficult to draw a conclusion. My first impression was that Dangmai was an imaginary farewell, and it was also Chen Sheng's way of explaining himself.
Chen Sheng, who has never sung before, took the initiative to sing "Little Jasmine" in front of the audience. The young man who drives a motorcycle loves to eat pink and paint clocks and is also called Weiwei. The young woman who runs a barber shop looks very similar to his deceased wife. Wanting to see the sea, a crazy drunkard turned out to be a driver but still loves to drink. There seems to be something wrong with these familiar faces in Kaili. This kind of wrongness is perfect, and there is no place for regrets in the dream. Chen Sheng seems to have met his late wife Zhang Xi again, singing for her and describing the sea and dolphins. Wei Wei has grown up and has a girl he likes, and even knows how to The drunkard making a scene in the junk car is now normal.
If the coincidence is incredible, it may be a scam. When Chen Sheng sent the tape, he said it was "Farewell" by Li Taixiang. I suddenly realized that everything that happened in Dangmai was Chen Sheng saying goodbye through dreams. Saying goodbye to the past, saying goodbye to the past self, saying goodbye to the past wife, and saying goodbye to the past mother, Chen Sheng directed and acted to reconcile with the past. Only by truly letting go of the past can Chen Sheng continue his future life.
White Vinegar Chun Meng Ye Yuzu
Put the memories into the veins of the palms
The light of the flashlight shines through the back of the palm
As if seeing the fall Dolphins in the Clouds
The only new face is Yangyang. She is a character that has nothing to do with the past. She is about to leave Dangmai. She seems to belong to the future. In the whole film, only Yangyang's dress is a bright color. Although Zhang Xi in the memory is wearing a red dress, it is a dull crimson, far less bright than Yangyang's lemon yellow, which embellishes all the darkness. and depression. This kind of yellow represents hope, light and happiness.
I really like the scene where Yangyang went to take a boat ride. He went in a seemingly meaningless circle, but you were still waiting by my side. We walked along the stone steps next to the house to the river, got on the boat and started to memorize the guide words in the book. When we got stuck, we heard David shouting a reminder on the shore. Yangyang got off the ship and bought a windmill, but the windmill was snatched away by the waiting David. Yangyang heard the sound of a train passing by, and David broke the windmill. The two walked across the suspension bridge over the river together. David offered to accompany her to Kaili, but Yangyang was silent but did not refuse. Back to the original path, Yangyang actually did nothing by crossing the river, and there was no need to even take a boat across. However, after returning, Yangyang had already made up his mind about his relationship with David, and later tied a red rope to the motorcycle to accept it.
Although David was a little cunning, he was still a man of his word. While he took Chen Sheng to the boat, he gave instructions on how to deal with the savages. Sure enough, David tied a wooden stick to Chen Sheng's arm. The look was really funny and ridiculous. While waiting for the boat, Chen Sheng removed the wooden stick because he was no longer afraid of the so-called savages and finally loosened the bonds in his heart. Savage is a knot in my memory. Because I didn’t dare to face it, I never had the courage to untie it.
3. Zhenyuan: The past is hard to come by
I finally came to Zhenyuan, a place with a long history, and finally met the Miao people who played the Lusheng. It turned out that the lady Lin who the old doctor had always missed was the Lusheng. master. Chen Sheng found some Miao people along the way and played the Lusheng to pay homage to Lin's wife. Maybe it was right that the old doctor didn't come. For an old lover who had been separated for half his life, I would be anxious to see him seriously ill, anxious to have failed to fulfill his promise, and even more sad to know about his death. The silent concern was eventually lost to time, and no matter how much I miss you, I can't bring you back together again.
In the film, Zhenyuan has constant entanglements with the character's past. Chen Sheng spent his lonely childhood here, and his mother felt deeply guilty about it. The old doctor knew that his former lover had been living here. Monk Hua chose to open a watch shop here to comfort the pain of losing his son, and to bury the former lover. The past of society being the big brother. Zhenyuan is like the tree hole at Angkor Wat at the end of "In the Mood for Love", containing many people's old times and secrets, quietly watching people come, go and stop.
All the turning points are hidden in the dense flock of birds
Neither the sky nor the ocean can detect it
But you can see it with sweet dreams
A moment of fumbling and confusion
The scene about Zhenyuan only lasts about ten minutes. For most people, the present is long, the future is vague, and the past is fragmented. All current and future contexts come from those incoherent pasts, just like surging rivers originating from inconspicuous trickles. The long-term desire and lack of love all started from Chen Sheng's days in Zhenyuan. However, his childhood and the knot with his mother were always told through the mouths of others. He himself seemed not to want to talk too much about it. mentioned.
Many years later, Chen Sheng returned to Zhenyuan to find his nephew, which felt like reliving memories and repeating his fate. Chen Sheng has been taking good care of little Weiwei and has asked his nephew to live with him several times, not only because of the biological relationship and his mother's last wish, but also because his predicament is very similar to his childhood self. Being far away from relatives and living alone is just a more respectable abandonment.
Time and loss are the most powerful corrosives. The former eldest brother in the world is like a tiger with its teeth and claws removed. Monk Hua refused to let Chen Sheng take the little Weiwei away because of the old man's nagging. He fragilely regarded the child as his own. A substitute for family affection.
Old electric fans and various clocks appear with some reference. The cycle is always not smooth. They are repaired and repaired again and again. The past is not available, and the years cannot be traced. As we get older, we are more likely to fall into the vicious cycle of memory. . If Chen Sheng sees Xiao Weiwei as being like himself, why doesn't Monk Hua see Chen Sheng as being like himself? Only those who have tasted regret know how to cherish the present.
Winter is November and December
January, February, March and April
When my light is exposed on you
Reunion is like a dark room
After all, he could not make up his mind. Chen Sheng left a few buttons and the Monday deadline, hid in the dark with a telescope, and glanced at Little Weiwei from a distance. Gone. Was Xiao Weiwei later taken back by Chen Sheng? Thinking about the unspoken future, it feels like reading Shen Congwen's "Border Town" and wondering whether the departed Cuicui will come back.
When little Weiwei grows up, he will become David Wei, Chen Sheng, Lao Wai or Hua Monk. It actually depends on his situation and his attitude towards it. Brothers Chen Sheng and Lao Wai have revolving lanterns hanging in their homes, and dance hall elements appear here, with a somewhat surreal contrast. One is hanging on the noisy and bright balcony, and the other is hanging in the dark and humid room, just like one chooses to live hard, while the other chooses to live in confusion. Different lives, you can't blame fate, but you can blame yourself.
The tunnel entrance behind the train became smaller and smaller, but the light in front became wider and wider. Chen Sheng took a nap again when he went back. When he closed his eyes, he looked at the clock on the train that was running backwards. . Xiao Weiwei saw it but didn't take it away immediately. Chen Sheng was at least relieved. Lin's wife was found, but there was only a funeral song, so Chen Sheng could be regarded as a loyal person. And during his trip to Dangmai, whether it was a dream or an illusion, Chen Sheng finally gained something. The reunion itself was also a kind of self-healing.
The muffled sound of filling a hot water bottle, the small pot of asparagus on the wooden desk, the green train with openable windows, the blue batik and the Miao people in black, the corn in the wild hills everywhere, and the noise The waterfalls and dark caves... are all fragments of distant thoughts. The place where I spent my first childhood. Even if I haven't returned after being away for many years, the good and the hurt have long been lingering.
It is said in the "Diamond Sutra", "The heart of the past cannot be obtained, the heart of the present cannot be obtained, and the heart of the future cannot be obtained." This movie is to me what Dangmai is to Chen Sheng. I had a dream in an unknown time and space. When I woke up, I forgot what I should forget and let go, and then gradually became a more honest version of myself. Now that you know it is impossible, you may have fewer regrets.
The English translation of the film title is Kaili Blues, a blues that matches the poem and has its own melancholy mood. The pond dyed blue by mercury mines looks like the sea but there are no dolphins in it because it is polluted with excessive heavy metals. Chen Sheng also said that when he got married to Zhang Xi, they lived in a small house next to a waterfall. The two of them only danced at home and didn't talk because they couldn't be heard. Scenes that only appeared in the lines, looked back in the silent time, seemed romantic when imagined, and were tainted with the ghostly atmosphere in the damp air, and were written into bizarre poems.