"grandma's grandson": film should ultimately be an art of love
2024-09-05
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in the current environment, the film industry is facing new opportunities and challenges. how to use emerging technologies to inject vitality into film creation has become an important issue, and it also marks a new direction for the development of the film industry. in addition, influenced by the aesthetics of short videos, some film creations excessively pursue short-term appeal, trying to attract audiences through short and frequent sensory stimulation, resulting in two trends in recent years: pursuing complexity or "straight to the point".
against this background, the thai film "grandma's grandson" currently in theaters is like a stream of fresh air, drawing the audience's attention back to the charm of the film itself.
the film is based on the deep love story between unemployed youth ah an and his terminally ill grandmother, delicately depicting the evolution of their relationship. ah an originally moved into his grandmother's house to inherit the inheritance, but was moved by his grandmother's tenacious attitude towards life and deep love, and the gap between them gradually melted away. family affection accumulates in daily bits and pieces, and ah an's mentality changes from utilitarianism to true companionship, and he longs to spend the rest of his grandmother's life with her and share the joys and sorrows of life.
it is worth noting that multiple viewing relationships are constructed within the film. it is this series of complex and delicate multiple viewing networks that gradually promote empathy and understanding between the characters. the film makes people's personality, feelings and emotions visible, especially in the actors. the most typical is that through close-up shots, the actors' performances are magnified, and every subtle expression and eye change can be captured by the audience, which constitutes an important part of the actors' appeal. the actors' performances not only provide visual enjoyment, but also establish a special connection with the audience that touches the emotional and psychological levels. close-up shots play the greatest role in the viewing process of this film, becoming an important means for the audience to explore the inner world of the characters in depth.
the film frequently features close-ups of an's face. when his face is in the foreground, the camera closely captures every subtle expression when he communicates with his grandmother. the subtle muscle tremors and changes in his eyes directly reflect his emotions and inner activities. when his face is in the background, he becomes a bystander. when the camera focuses on his face again, it highlights his reflections and insights after his grandmother's conversation with others. these close-ups not only capture an's facial expressions, but also reveal the subtle dynamics of his heart. the close-ups magnify what is usually difficult to detect in daily life, thus leading the audience into the spiritual or mental realm of the character.
finally, at the end of the film, in the scene where an knocks on the coffin to lead the way for his grandmother, his facial close-up is again placed in the foreground, and his emotions are completely released. he calls out that his grandmother is the first in his heart, which shows the qualitative change of his emotions vividly, and the change process is natural and reasonable. the clever use of close-up shots touches the audience's vision, penetrates their hearts, reveals the inner world and hidden emotions of the characters, makes an's character more full, and enriches the emotional levels of the story, allowing the audience to resonate with the character and experience the subtle changes in their hearts. this is the artistic charm of the film and the key to its success.
the film's structure and detail are ingenious, layer by layer, interconnected and meticulous.
the film begins with a family visiting the grave. grandma expressed her wish to buy a beautiful cemetery worth 1 million after her death. this wish, together with her property, became an important narrative and emotional clue throughout the film. ah an and his two uncles initially wanted to obtain the grandmother's property, which was also ah an's original intention to take care of her grandmother. however, when the grandmother found out that ah an's initial motivation for taking care of her was to inherit the house, she did not directly point it out, but took ah an to her brother's house the next day to ask for 1 million to buy a cemetery. perhaps this trip was not really for the cemetery, but to get the money to pay off the debts of the youngest son, so as to preserve the property and leave it to ah an. after the grandmother passed away, ah an learned that the grandmother had saved 1 million for him, and then he also remembered that he said when he was a child that he would buy a new house for his grandmother. in the end, ah an took out all his savings and bought a beautiful large cemetery for his grandmother. perhaps the grandfather and grandson never realized that the other party had already ranked first in each other's hearts.
regarding the cemetery, the audience may think that the grandmother is selfish at first, but later it is discovered that she actually hopes that her descendants can enjoy wealth and prosperity, and also hopes that her children can be praised for being filial. if there is selfishness, it is only because she thinks that if the cemetery is more beautiful, the possibility of descendants visiting will be greater, which still stems from her deep concern for her descendants.
the film showcases the complexity of asian families by depicting the dynamic relationships between family members.
grandma's two sons, one is heavily in debt, the other is cold and greedy. like grandma herself, ah an's mother represents the marginalized daughter. her life experience reflects the fate of female roles in traditional asian families: silently contributing but often ignored, always placed behind other male members. the line "sons inherit the estate, daughters inherit cancer" reveals helplessness and bitterness. grandma made a similar choice to her parents at the end of her life, which made many female viewers feel sad and painful. as a douban netizen said, "as a woman, it's not easy. the daughter is obviously the most sincere and has given the most, but in the end she has nothing." the sacrifice and helplessness of women in the family are still repeated between generations.
despite this, i think that my grandmother’s final decision on inheritance was not entirely based on the idea of favoring sons over daughters and favoring the youngest son, nor was it based on who took better care of the child. she saw her daughter’s hard work and selfless dedication (i believe she also saw her own shadow in her daughter), and she had already arranged ah as the first in her heart, but when making the choice, she had to “weigh” because the youngest son urgently needed to pay off his gambling debts. therefore, my grandmother’s last wish may not be “biased”, but rather an effort to “reconcile” and “smooth”.
in addition, "grandma's grandson" incorporates social issues with broad universality and practical urgency, such as youth employment, inheritance, family structure, and elderly care, into the narrative, demonstrating its depth and breadth in exploring contemporary social issues.
in terms of visual art, "grandma's grandson" adopts a simple and warm style, and the camera accurately captures the life scenes of the old streets and alleys in the city, conveying a strong sense of life and distinct regional characteristics. in terms of narrative, the film is implicit and restrained, avoiding dramatic sensationalism, but deeply touching the audience with sincere emotions, triggering deep emotional resonance. the audience is easily immersed in the story, as if they are in the character and feel his life.
especially for chinese audiences who have a high cultural affinity, watching "grandma's grandson" is tantamount to watching "my own family" and "myself in the family". it is not only an "asian family atlas", but also touches on the problems faced by ordinary people around the world - fragility and death. the scene of grandma crying and calling for her parents, grandparents in the middle of the night makes the audience reflect on themselves and realize that their elderly relatives were once children, and the experience of approaching death is also the fate that everyone will eventually face. this narrative is real, and the emotions are real, enough to convince the audience, making the film more universal, and it is expected to gain recognition from more global audiences.
the atmosphere of the summer movie market this year is slightly depressed. the key problem is not the failure of type or traffic as some comments say, but the uneven quality of creation. against this background, the introduction of the thai movie "grandma's grandson" brings inspiration to the creation of domestic films: first, in terms of emotional expression, sincere emotions are the soul of the movie that touches the audience and triggers deep thinking. no matter how the type and style of the movie change, the real and delicate emotional depiction is always the cornerstone of the movie, and it is also an important link between the movie and the audience, which allows the audience to find emotional resonance and release in the process of watching the movie. secondly, in terms of creative skills, we should abandon the narrative routine that relies too much on superficial emotional incitement or suffering. practices such as "forced hardship" and "forced sensationalism" are not advisable, but should focus on the depth of the story itself and the sincere expression of emotions. at the same time, avoid "mystification" and "hypocrisy" to prevent the movie from confusing the audience due to deliberate and complicated treatment. the movie should focus on the performance of the actors, the conception of the artistic structure and the exploration of the ideological connotation, and enhance the level and depth of the movie through the organic integration of these elements. finally, from the perspective of audience experience, movies are like a special mirror, in which the audience can not only see others, but also look at themselves, which leads to reflection on their own experiences, emotions and desires. creators should make it clear that movies are not just a form of entertainment, but should also be regarded as an important medium to promote the audience's spiritual growth and deepen their self-awareness.
in 1911, italian poet giotto canudo solemnly promoted film to the sacred hall of art with a "manifesto of the seventh art" and foresaw its unlimited potential. he affectionately declared that film is a mirror of the soul that can reflect the depths of the soul. this declaration is undoubtedly the most romantic and dreamy starting point for film as an art. after a hundred years of changes, whenever we discuss "what is film", its core definition should remain the same. among them, the most core and moving element is undoubtedly love. i believe that the influence of "grandma's grandson" will overflow the screen, slowly flow into the hearts of every audience, and touch the deepest part of their emotions. another great significance of this movie is that it reminds us that film should be an art of love after all!
author: gao kai
text: gao kai (director of the department of radio and television, shanghai international studies university, postdoctoral fellow jointly trained by fudan university and shandong provincial radio and television bureau) editor: guo chaohao responsible editor: shao ling
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