bianshui's past opens the pandora's box of "mythical truth"
2024-08-31
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◎chen jianxin
"how else can i ask for more than five stars?" "the director's aesthetic is very much to my liking, and the whole atmosphere is very immersive"... i'm afraid not many people would have thought in advance that "waterside" is still on the air, and its douban score has jumped to 8.2 points.
in addition to many positive reviews, there are also voices like "is everyone so short of dramas to watch...how can a drama like this be hailed as a masterpiece?" and "the pace is good, but the logic is confusing; the supporting roles are good, but the leading roles are bad."
obviously, we cannot apply the traditional "standards of a good drama" to "border water memories", but at least it is different.
from "physical reality" to "mythical reality"
those who praise "past events by the border water" will mention "reality", while those who criticize "past events by the border water" will mention "unreality".
the original work of "bianshui past" is a non-fiction writing. the author shen xingxing recounted his experience in a southeast asian country in 2009, and later wrote an article of "about 10,000 words" to participate in the "genius catcher program". in 2017, with the help of a professional editor, shen xingxing rewrote it. it is worth noting that:
first of all, the time span from personal experience to finalization is long, and its accuracy is questionable.
secondly, professional editing tends to be entertainment-oriented and can easily cause distortion.
the publication "bianshui past" has a lot of dialogue, and it is hard to believe that it is "non-fiction". the original work is more like a youth growth work, with less gang-related content than the tv series, and it is not as popular. the protagonist uncle cai is more like a life mentor. he beat and scolded the other protagonist shen xingxing (the tv series changed to shen xing, played by guo qilin).
the tv series "past events by the edge of water" has become an "adventure film", especially at the beginning, the director added an uncle to shen xing. his bankruptcy story suddenly increased the suspense and provided a stage for all parties to fully display their human nature.
obviously, the tv series "border water past" is not "real", but it fits the "reality" expected by the audience, including: there is still a paradise for adventurers in the world, where there is an extraordinary life; people can be happy with their enemies and no longer have to endure; in a dangerous environment, righteousness and loyalty will be respected; you don't have to follow the routine, you can live a rich life by taking risks...
the more something does not exist in real life, the more it is desired and the more likely it is to be considered "real". "waterside past" grasps this point very well, so it deliberately exaggerates the exotic customs in the play: different living habits, different languages, different scenery, different behavioral rules... facts have proved that as long as the details are dense enough, it seems to become "real".
this kind of "reality" is valuable. it helps the audience escape from the trivialities of daily life through fantasy. as long as everyone believes that it "really exists", daydreams, ideals, psychological massage, etc. can continue. obviously, the reality presented in "border water memories" is not physical reality, but "mythical reality". tv dramas are the "myths" of modern people - only by understanding what the audience is longing for can it be presented.
the jianghu still belongs to "wei xiaobao"
in addition to whether it is "real" or not, the lead actor guo qilin is also a focus of debate. some netizens think that "except for the male lead who is not very suitable, everything else is ok", while others say that "he acted quite well".
in fact, shen xing is a part of the myth of "the past by the water". his task is not to impress the audience, but to show that "the world still belongs to wei xiaobao."
the male protagonist shen xing has no skills, is timid, not very smart, and lacks understanding of society. he repeatedly survives crises by relying on the love of the boss and bizarre good luck. in the original novel, shen xingxing mentioned uncle cai and said: "uncle cai has experienced war, experienced suffering, and has seen too many people who think they are smooth. he appreciates such people, but he will not protect them." in the tv series, uncle cai's treatment of guo qilin goes far beyond the level of "protection" and even loses its rationality.
why did the wily and calculating uncle cai suddenly become a clear spring when he met shen xing? because the audience liked him.
for the younger generation of viewers, they have been exposed to fierce competition since birth, and years of intense experience have shaped their perception of themselves: they are not geniuses, but have occasionally achieved good results by luck; their abilities are average, but their kindness is above average - in the small society of the school, the only labels left for "me" are honesty and luck.
when entering the society, too many people will be confused by the rules and feel lost because they cannot grasp the rules. the older generation of netizens would say: "the best person to be is qiao feng, and the best person to be a gangster is wei xiaobao." however, many young people believe that there is no conflict between qiao feng and wei xiaobao.
there is also a part of qiao feng in shen xing. he is willing to go through fire and water for his friends. he is simple and loyal. this conflicts with the scene where he runs away in fear, but for the audience who want to see the "real myth", it would be "unreal" not to do so.
in fact, most of the characters in "past events by the edge water" have a "mythical reality" color: uncle cai is the wise and warm senior that everyone longs to meet, but tuo is the brother that everyone wants to become sworn brothers with, liu jincui is an independent woman that everyone wants to approach, and wang anquan is the henchman that everyone wants to control... it fits the audience's imagination of themselves when they start a business.
the more you see, the more wisdom you will have.
the popularity of "border water memories" has also aroused the concerns of some netizens: will this kind of "all villains" drama teach the audience bad things? how to balance entertainment and thought?
these concerns stem from a lack of understanding of the relationship between "mythical truth" and "reality."
as long as it is a creation, what is presented is not just physical reality, but also imaginary reality. whether it is real or not is determined by the "real contract" between the creator and the audience.
neil postman, a famous communication scholar, wrote in amusing ourselves to death that modern advertising is expressed through myths, that is, a housewife is helpless in the face of a sink full of oil; a certain brand descends from the sky and solves the problem immediately with a wave of the hand; the housewife puts on bright clothes and runs on the grass. neil postman summarized this as the "revelation model", that is, "falling into a desperate situation - believing is the solution - eternal happiness".
the "revelation model" is not brought about by entertainment, but is inherent in human cognition. as long as we are human, we will have such paranoia. no matter how much education, information, or training, human nature cannot be completely changed. the fact is that the "revelation model" also has its positive side. it not only creates beauty, but also maximizes the efficiency of information transmission. what a math problem cannot explain clearly, an advertisement can sometimes explain clearly.
when facing "mythical truth", there is no need to be condescending and angrily denounce it as "too much entertainment" or to be fussy about "what's the use". "mythical truth" activates the "revelation mode", which makes people happy and improves cognition. zhuangzi said: "small knowledge is not as good as great knowledge, and small years are not as good as big years." only when you see more can you have more wisdom. seeing "mythical truth" is also one of the many meanings of life.
what is really worth worrying about is how to make the "revelation mode" rich and diverse. after exhausting the initial strangeness and surprise, can "the waterside story" continue to come up with new tricks, or will it return to the old routine of being new for the sake of being new and copying old tricks? for now, we can only wait and see.
(source: beijing youth daily)
