At the end of 2013, Ning Hao's " No Man's Land ", a film that had been stranded for 4 years, finally passed the review of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television after undergoing countless cuts and repairs. Got the last train for the Lunar New Year stalls. The Douban score of 8.1 not only changed the dilemma of Lunar New Year movies being well-received but also seemed to give Chinese filmmakers a kind reminder, as Uncle Long said: "Mix a vulgar story together, blend it a little bit." Celebrity effect, mixed with some vulgar comedy and low-level taste, this kind of stupid approach to flatter the public during the New Year can only ruin the taste of moviegoers in the end. We should respect the aesthetic taste of the audience, focus on the exploration of content and form, and give the industry This is the most basic sincerity of filmmakers to leave something for reference in development."
1. Exploration of genre films
As a Lunar New Year movie, "No Man's Land" undoubtedly has more advantages than "Private Customization" of the same period. The same box office weights are available: cast, genre film elements, black humor brand, etc. After the audience gradually diverted their attention from Uncle Ge's talk to the chatter of the middle class of society represented by Xu Zheng, the seven-year collaboration between director Ning Hao, actor Xu Zheng and Huang Bo has become The new "Iron Triangle" of Lunar New Year movies that can compete with Ge You, Feng Xiaogang and Wang Shuo ; the film's breakthrough in genre is also eye-catching. Before the film was released, director Ning Hao had always emphasized that the purpose of making the film is not It’s about the box office, but it’s about trying to make genre films, determined to make a type of film that doesn’t exist in China.
Looking at the movie, it is not difficult to find that from the location selection and arrangement of the story to the intervention of the discussion of human nature, the new genre film Ning Hao said is more like an exploration of genre mashups. In just over two hours, the audience continued to receive stimulation and impact from different movie types: the endless straight road that always extends into the distance and the subsequent dramatic conflict and sudden changes in the plot, the first reaction It is very similar to a road movie originated in the United States. In the desert wasteland, riding a horse and whipping a whip, the lawyer who works hard is transformed into a western cowboy who maintains justice. The tall image of Pan Xiao at the end completely fits the audience's romantic imagination of the past western cowboy heroes saving the beautiful. It is not difficult for attentive viewers to find that since the release of this film, there has been an entry for " road movie " on Baidu Encyclopedia. "No Man's Land" has added "Western China Road Movie" to the road movie entry with its exploration of genres. A gorgeous touch. At the same time, the police and criminal stories and ethical discussions greatly increase the tension of the film, creating a gluttonous feast for genre films.
2. The ubiquitous absurdity
Of course, as a New Year's film, what the audience pays most attention to is the laughter. Ning Hao also does not hesitate to carry out his consistent and comfortable humor style to the end, performing black humor one after another. , and this kind of black humor is full of absurdity: a row of dilapidated hotels with dead branches as roofs actually has "Royal Hotel" written in big red letters at the door, and it costs 300 yuan for a gas refill. After paying a performance fee of 1,200 yuan, the owner of the black shop euphemistically called it "bundled consumption" and hung a broken board at the door with three characters "Night in Paris" written on it. At this moment, the gorgeous imagination of "Royal Hotel" and "Paris at Night" that comes to people's minds happens to be juxtaposed with the dilapidated scene in front of them, and is severely distorted in front of the camera. However, it is this distortion that reveals the background of materialism. , modern people’s addiction to sensuality and their strong desire for material things have wonderfully made the absurdity in the movie the biggest mockery of reality.
Seeing this, the audience had to raise the corners of their mouths and smile knowingly. Black humor is exactly what director Ning Hao seeks to express in the face of social reality. The most fascinating thing is the words of the gangster's second brother played by Huang Bo after he wakes up.Pan Xiao accidentally "knocked" his second child to death, so he tried his best to destroy the body and eliminate all traces. He was trembling all the way, but the second child suddenly "resurrected" on the road, so Pan Xiao just breathed his last and fell into another, bigger... In the crisis, the second child's tone was both cruel and stupid. He asked: "A man's car broke down and he was waiting for someone to help him on the road. Was he wrong? No, why did you hit him? "We hit someone, why didn't you save him? Why did you pour gasoline on him if he wasn't dead?" When the audience saw this, the first reaction was not to worry about the protagonist's safety, but to burst into laughter. Xiao's dilemma and Xiao Lao Er's stupidity.
The director used an absurd expression to convey a brand-new experience: the absurdity of the movie and the absurdity of reality are synchronized. The absurdity and ridicule we are watching Pan Xiao and Huang Bo’s behavior are similar to what we see in reality. The absurdity and irony experienced formed a subtle intertext, which allowed the film text and reality to reach a resonance. In this relationship, the audience laughed at the absurd behavior of Pan Xiao and Huang Bo and the perverted environment. When he laughs, he is completely self-deprecating himself and the society in which he lives.
