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The movie "Silent Killing" released on July 3rd swept the summer season with the topic tags of "school bullying", "silence is a crime", and "Wang Chuanjun avenges his daughter". The combination of "daughter's revenge on father" under the crime theme and social issues has once again aroused heated discussions among the public. From the previous "Manslaughter" and "Wading the Sea of ​​​​Angry", "The Wandering Blade" released in May this year, to the upcoming "In the Name of the Father" and other movies, what social issues are behind the narrative of "daughter's revenge on father"? What controversies exist in the creation of the movie?

Adaptation or remake

Creating a film narrative of "a daughter avenging her father"

Looking at the "in the name of father and daughter" crime revenge movies released in China in recent years, most of them are adapted from literary works or remakes of works of the same name. The original works or prototypes are not always tied to the relationship between "revenge" and "father and daughter", but in these movies, the creators deliberately created the image of the murdered daughter and the roaring father to create a film narrative of "daughter avenging father".

For example, "Silent Murder" is a remake of the work of the same name by director Ke Wenli. The original inspiration for the story came from a real news story, and the core characters are mother and daughter. In the movie, the director not only retains the mother-daughter narrative, but also puts the father-daughter relationship of "daughter avenges father" in a more prominent position, focusing on the story of a disabled girl Huijun being killed and her father Lin Zaifu taking revenge for his daughter with a heavy hammer.

Another well-received film by the director of The Silent Murderer, The Accidental Murderer, also has the narrative of "daughter avenging father". The Accidental Murderer is adapted from the Indian film The Accidental Murderer. The director changed the daughter's being secretly photographed in the original version to being insulted, and added a narrative chain of the father-daughter relationship from alienation to the restoration of trust between father and daughter due to the "accidental murder" incident.

Another example is the film "Crossing the Angry Sea", which is adapted from Lao Huang's novel of the same name. However, during the film and television adaptation process, the director changed the conflict between the two fathers, Lao Jin and Li Lie, in the original work to a story where after his daughter Nana was murdered, the father Lao Jin "crossed the sea" to avenge his daughter, exploring more the relationship conflicts between father and daughter.

"The Wandering Blade" directed by Chen Zhuo is adapted from Keigo Higashino's novel of the same name. Before the Chinese version was released, the Japanese film version, the Korean film version and the Japanese drama version had been broadcasted, showing the audience the story of a single father, Li Changfeng, who embarked on a road of revenge after learning that his daughter was tortured to death by several minors. The story of "daughter avenging father" and "combining law and emotion" seems to have set off a creative boom in East Asia. It can be seen that the social inevitability is reflected behind this narrative choice.

First of all, young female audiences are the main consumer group of the film. The story of "daughter's revenge on father" and the presentation of the father-daughter relationship can make them feel stronger, stimulate resonance and discussion.

Secondly, in crime themes, the father's rationality and toughness and the daughter's hurt and softness, as well as the significant differences in gender and strength between the two can also create a strong narrative tension, which is undoubtedly a creative object with both emotional and commercial value for the film.

From the shell of "Daughter's Revenge on Father"

To reveal the core of social issues

Topic movies are a type of film that combines social issues and emotional translation, and have become a popular mass cultural landscape in recent years. The image of "Daughter's Revenge for Father" falls under the category of topic movies. In addition to constructing a suspenseful and exciting world, it also bears the responsibility of dissecting social problems and spreading positive values.

The daughter being bullied was the main motivation for the father to embark on a revenge mission. The bullying problem among young people has become a social issue that the movie "Daughter's Revenge on Father" focuses on.

The presentation of school bullying behaviors such as applying glue and wearing thorn wreaths in "Silent Killing" has once again triggered heated discussions on the issue of bullying on social media, and major media have also issued initiatives to "firmly resist bullying." The film not only presents cruel bullying methods, but also expresses that the "badness" of bullies is not innate, but is caused by factors such as parents' influence, teachers' indifference, and education's neglect.

"The Wandering Blade" presents another situation outside the school space, where the daughter Qianqian suffers bullying and even assault. The film also explores the question of "how a bad guy is made", and also expands the perspective to the legal interests between underage victims and perpetrators; "Wading the Angry Sea" sets the violence and bullying suffered by the daughter Nana in the middle of a relationship. Nana lacks love and has no ability to judge what love is, so she mistakes the other party's violence as a manifestation of love.

At present, the public's attention to the problem of bullying is only increasing, which shows the urgency of solving this problem. The secrecy of the corners where bullying occurs, the aphasia of the victims, the particularity of the youth group and other factors are the main reasons why it is difficult to eliminate it. How to provide mental health education to the immature youth group and help them cultivate correct interpersonal communication skills has become a difficult problem for schools and parents. The movie "Daughter's Revenge on Father" analyzes campus bullying in the name of father and daughter, and uses the unique communication power of film and television to promote the public's thinking and discussion on this issue.

It is worth noting that the discussion of the traditional issue of father-daughter relationship is also highlighted in the film "daughter avenges father". "Across the Sea of ​​​​Angry" reflects the impact of the original family on the growth of children. At the end of revenge, Lao Jin found that the real murderer who killed his daughter was his own "misplaced" love. This setting portrays the confusion and helplessness of East Asian fathers very deeply, and has triggered heated discussions among netizens on the topic of "Does Lao Jin love his daughter?" In "The Accidental Detective", the father Li Weijie faces a crisis of trust with his daughter Pingping. How to rebuild trust with his daughter when his daughter gradually alienates him is a problem that most fathers in reality will face.

On the whole, movies about "daughters avenging their fathers" undeniably point to a larger social issue, namely the struggle for the discourse of justice in life between the general public represented by the fathers and the evil forces.

The fathers in the film all come from ordinary families and face obstructions from evil forces in the process of finding the truth or avenging their daughters. For example, the wealthy and powerful Li family in "A Chinese Odyssey", the Xie family who indulged their son in crime in "Blade of the Wandering", the Inspector General's family who only spoiled their children but did not teach them in "The Accidental Murderer", etc., are all stumbling blocks on the father's path to justice.

The movie "Daughter's Revenge for Father" acts as a voice for the audience in this regard, presenting discussions about civilians and the powerful, justice and revenge, calling on more people to participate in the discussion of the issue, and delivering more positive energy "in the name of father and daughter."

Between Profundity and Addictiveness

The balance and controversy between social issues and commercial attributes

Crime suspense films are a mature commercial genre, but they are also a genre that is difficult to control in terms of content. Under the narrative theme of "daughter avenges father", this type of film has caused a lot of controversy due to the imbalance between the pursuit of sensory stimulation and the interpretation of social issues.

First, the film discusses multiple social issues, but the topics are only touched upon briefly or become gimmicks. For example, "The Silence" involves various crimes and social issues, such as domestic violence, education, sexual assault, and candid photography, but because the film's publicity focuses too much on the issue of school bullying, the presence of other issues makes the audience feel cluttered and redundant; while in "The Wandering Blade", the issues of crime, law, and violence against violence lack a strong target.

Secondly, the creation and staring of female victims has become a creative practice and the focus of controversy in such films. Under the narrative theme of "a woman avenges her father", women are naturally set as victims, but whether there is an inevitable connection between victimization and women, why the camera is mostly focused on the victims rather than the ugly faces of the perpetrators, and whether the discussion of the topic really touches on the needs and pain points of women are also concerns of the audience.

For example, in "The Wandering Blade", the scene of a girl being sexually assaulted appeared repeatedly, causing the audience to denounce the "exploitation" of the victim. In "The Silent Killer", the bullies were all girls without exception, which made many viewers question the authenticity and discrimination.

Another aspect worth noting is that because of the crime setting, the "daughter's revenge for her father" movies are inevitably full of violent and bloody scenes, so minors are given special care in watching the movies. Movies like "The Sea of ​​​​Wading" and "The Silence" are marked with the reminder "Minors watch with caution". But are these scenes necessary for the plot? Or are they the creators' wanton venting? In the absence of a film rating system in China, the possible negative impact on some minors is also a question that needs to be reflected.