ALL NOVEL Chapter 71
Chapter 71 Independent film
Since the emergence of “Pulp Fiction” in 1994, independent films have truly ascended to the Taiga Hall and become an important force that cannot be ignored in the film industry.
At a time when large-scale studios are becoming more and more routine and lacking innovative and enterprising spirit, independent film’s aggressiveness and boldness have gradually become the force behind the continuous advancement of movies, from “American Beauty” to “Brokeback Mountain”. To “the old have no place to rely on”, the attention of independent films continues to heat up. Almost every year, a batch of independent works of outstanding quality can be found, which arouses the admiration of the academy and critics, such as last year’s “The Hurt Locker”.
“Buried Alive” is such a typical independent film.
The story of the movie is very simple. It tells a construction contractor from the United States who was attacked while working in Iraq. After waking up, he found himself in a coffin and was buried alive. How should he escape?
The most daring part of the film is that the entire work was shot in a coffin, without involving any other scenes. Starting from the coffin and ending with the coffin, the world outside the coffin and the relationship between the characters are completely outlined by lines. All the weight is on the actor.
This not only puts forward very strict requirements for the script lines-fill in the streamlined space with information, how to show what happens simultaneously inside and outside the coffin, how to express the stories before and after entering the coffin, and how to restore the characters in critical situations The original background of the relationship is difficult; it also puts an incredible test on the performance of the actor. In extreme dilemma, in panic, fear and despair, survival is the only instinct/instinct, but the actor must Show the ups and downs of the whole mood, bring the audience’s thoughts into a closed confined space, avoid the dullness caused by a single scene for a long time, and avoid the boring repetition caused by limited shot scheduling.
In fact, there are not a lot of works that tell stories in one-man shows, but it is really rare that only the male protagonist appears in the whole story like “Buried Alive”. This is undoubtedly a daunting challenge, the difficulty is simply unimaginable.
The similar theme “127 Hours” is also a one-man show, but the performance is somewhat opportunistic. This work directed by Danny-Boyle focuses its attention on the dying Allen Roston ( Aron-Ralston). During the trekking process, Allen fell into a remote valley because of a fall. As a result, he was crushed by a boulder and unable to move. He was trapped alone for five days in the same place for a full 127 hours. In the end, Allen cut off his arm and successfully escaped.
However, Danny added antecedents and consequences to the film, not only about Allen’s preparations before departure and the enjoyment of his friends during the hike, but also about the rescue and hope after the final realization of self-salvation, and flashback The way recalls Allen’s life fetters.
It can be said that this is indeed a one-man show, but it is a one-man show with many people participating.
In comparison, all the scenes like “Buried alive” take place in a coffin, which is more experimental, more independent, and more difficult. This is precisely the most valuable part of the movie.
During the filming of “127 Hours”, Danny was an accomplished director. Not only did he shoot an independent movie like “Guessing the Train”, but he also won the Oscar for Best Director for “Slumdog Millionaire”. Even so, Danny still dare not easily try the method of only one scene throughout the article, because anyone knows that this method is easy to be too boring, too monotonous, and too boring. If you are not careful, you will be criticized by the audience and film. The scolding was bloody.
“Buried alive” but did it.
The director and screenwriter of the film are both pink and tender newcomers. The director Rodrigue-Cortes (Rodrigo-Cortes) was mainly active in the field of short films before that. His clever ideas have won a lot of praise, but short films and feature films are Two completely different systems, just like sprinters may not be able to perform well in long-distance running, “buried alive” is only his second feature film.
screenwriter Chris-Sparling (Chris-Sparling) is an unknown newcomer, “Buried alive” is his official screenplay debut.
These two newcomers without much experience, but in a limited space, shot a stunning work! The movie firmly captures the audience’s attention, allowing people to follow the progress of the plot, empathize with the fate of the characters, and truly feel the confusion and ups and downs of human emotions: pain, panic, panic, calm, self-denial, violence, Fear, hope, sadness, pain, anger, fatigue, self-deprecation… and finally despair. All this makes the viewing process a torment and a kind of enjoyment.
In comparison, “127 Hours” fully displays the three-dimensionality of a character, praising the human spirit of never giving up under the limit of life and death. This is not only inspirational, but also shows Alan’s family fetters and Motivation, this undoubtedly further digs into the core depth of the movie; “Buried alive” focuses on the struggle and pain on the edge of death, emphasizing the emotional details that are magnified to the extreme under the enclosed space, and the horror and fear run through. The experimental film is undoubtedly a breakthrough, but it is slightly inferior in terms of depth of thought.
It can be understood that “127 hours” is a work shot for the award season, and “buried alive” is a work shot by the director to explore a new field. Once upon a time, Danny Bauer showed sharpness and audacity in “Guessing the Train”, but it has gradually disappeared and moved from independence to the mainstream; while “Buried Alive” truly shows the sharpness and boldness of independent films.
This can be seen from the treatment received by the two films at the awards ceremony at the end of the year. “Buried alive” was almost ignored and did not win any nominations, let alone winning; “127 Hours” was highly praised, moreover. In one fell swoop, he won many nominations for best picture, best actor, and best adapted screenplay at the Oscars.
Of course, a very important part of the reason also comes from the “buried alive” male protagonist Ryan-Reynolds (Ryan-Reynolds).
This handsome Canadian actor is more often known for his handsome appearance. “Fake Marriage”, “Green Lantern”, “Deadpool” and other works have made him a place in Hollywood, because his appearance is too eye-catching , So that people always habitually ignore his efforts in performance, and even many people think that he is facial paralysis.
In fact, in the early stage of his actor career, Ryan won a lot of public praise through his performances. You can see his wonderful performances in works such as “Nine Degrees of Space” and “Blood Solitary Words”, some are cute, some are spoofs, Some sex/feeling, but at the same time, there is no lack of madness and fragility hidden in the eyes. The sensitivity wrapped in the coat can often move people’s hearts. Maybe he is not a top actor, but when he meets the right role, he does have two brushes.
“Buried Alive” is such a work.
Ruian is “buried alive”, truly showing the confusion, struggle and pain that human beings breed under desperate situation. The complex and fragile emotions firmly grasp the audience’s mind and make people feel the same. It must be admitted that Ryan completed his task brilliantly and became the most important piece of the “buried alive” puzzle.
But Ryan’s work is far from amazing. If you put his performance in “127 hours”, then maybe it will be enough, because “127 hours” is packed with a large number of flashbacks and clips to assist. The plot data is used to fill the image of the character, and the audience will have a more direct experience of the three-dimensional sense of the character; but these parts are not in the “buried alive”, which leads to Ryan’s performance mood enough, but lacks the extended part.
It can be understood that Ryan showed the emotions required for a thriller movie, but did not complete the story required for a drama movie. For example, in the movie, when he called his wife, what happened between the two people; when he called a colleague, the attitude of the other person implied that he had a problem with his usual behavior; when he asked the government/government official for help, There is not much change in the attitude before and after, and the psychological ups and downs are not clear enough; at the last critical moment, what is the content of his last words?
“127 Hours” used memories to complete these puzzles; “Buried alive” requires Ryan’s performance to complete When he failed to achieve this goal, it also affected the sublimation of the overall quality of the film.
In fact, in Lan Li’s view, the film “Buried Alive” is not only a confined space thriller, but also a further digging. One is the family crisis of the American middle class, the contradiction between the male protagonist and his wife, and the male The protagonist chose the opportunity to go to work in Iraq. The actor himself faced a mid-life crisis before the accident. These details affected his later cry for help, especially the reaction reflected in the desperate environment.
The other is the condemnation of capitalist bureaucracy. On the one hand, the protagonist’s hypocrisy and evasiveness and evasiveness of the company’s responsibilities. Compared with human life, they care more about not having to pay more compensation; on the other hand, it is political. The slogan “Never give up any citizen’s life” is screaming loudly through the constant prevarication and inaction of relevant departments of the government, but the actual actions are chilling. The core idea of the supremacy of interests alludes to the United States’ launch of the war in Iraq. The real purpose.
The connotation of this movie is far more digging and watchable than imagined. However, compared with “127 hours”, the director and screenwriter of “Buried Alive” lack experience and can only put all the burden on the actors. Once Ryan’s performance is not sufficiently high and deep, the overall quality of the work will be limited. It can only fall along with it.
In fact, this is also one of the typical characteristics of independent films. When the experimental nature is particularly strong, the success is also the failure, the failure is also the failure.
But this is undoubtedly a perfect fit for Lan Li. This is the performance opportunity he dreams of: a chance to truly dedicate himself to acting, a chance to truly challenge the limits of oneself, a chance to truly test the bottom line of his talent, a truly A chance to interpret acting heartily!