From Diao Yinan's "Fireworks in the Day" in 2014 to Cao Baoping's "The Chaser" in 2016, from Dong Yue's "The Blizzard is Coming" in 2017 to Ke Wenli's "Manslaughter" in 2019.
It seems that more and more new domestic directors are trying to use the framework of the crime suspense genre to explore the complexity of human nature?
According to Kong Xue's analysis, can the middle-aged man in front of him be called Little Li An?
In my thirties, I was juggling life and ideals at the same time. It was the most difficult period of embarrassment for creation. I had no job and could only immerse myself in creation at home, becoming a proper housewife.
My wife earns money outside the home to support the family, has developed good cooking skills, and even almost opened a restaurant when she couldn't support it anymore?
Su Ze still remembers the first time he watched Labyrinth of the Heart when he was a sophomore in high school. At that time, he liked watching movies with high scores on Douban and imitating the acting skills of powerful actors. He felt it was very cool and awesome.
A suspense film with a multi-linear narrative, it tells the story of a series of strange things caused by an inexplicable appearance of a corpse in a remote village.
Although there are many characters, the story is not complicated and covers all aspects. At the most minor level, there are family relationships, extramarital affairs, domestic violence, and local gangsters.
Looking deeper, there is class discrimination, the loss of rural labor force, and the emotional maintenance of left-behind families. Xin Yukun adopts a multi-angle narrative, and through three intertwined development stories, he deeply depicts the nature of human beings when the truth is concealed and their own desires are revealed.
Of course, these are the results of the second and third brushes. The reason why they impress me so much is because of the multi-line narrative. This kind of cool technique only appears on foreign big names. I never thought that domestically produced low-cost products can also be used?
"I talked to Ms. Kong Xue yesterday, and I plan to control the investment in new works within three million!"
, I heard that you are now offering three million?"
Su Ze laughed dumbly, how should I answer this?
"I can't talk, and I don't want to deceive people." Xin Yukun said seriously: "If Kanazawa Studio is willing to invest, the leading actor must be you, and I believe you have the ability to control it."
"But the heroine must be cautious. To put it bluntly, she is the key to this drama!"
"What do you think of Teacher Liu Lin?" When it came to business, Su Ze also said seriously: "Originally the first choice was Hui Yinghong, but she was not available."
"Liu Lin?" Xin Yukun's eyes lit up and he said excitedly: "I have also considered her!"
"You don't need to worry about these things. Kong Xue is responsible for following up." Su Ze asked: "Does the team have a plan?"
"The team is not a big problem. I have been around for so many years and have a few old guys who can help me." Xin Yukun said with rare confidence: "As long as the funds are in place, everything else is not a problem."
Su Ze nodded, and after a brief contact, he discovered that the other person was a down-to-earth person who worked hard, very similar to Wu Bai. He worked hard from the bottom up and cherished every opportunity. He was not an embroidered pillow with high ambitions and low hands.
The fact that 1.7 million yuan can be used to shoot Heart Maze is the best proof.
"If Liu Lin can join, then I will be more confident." Xin Yukun said sincerely: "Don't worry, I will try to control the investment to four million, or three and a half million."
"As long as the box office exceeds 10 million, we can basically make back our money. I dare not say anything about the military order, but you have also read the script."
"It shouldn't be a big problem!"
"Don't worry." Su Ze asked Shishi to change the tea and said relaxedly: "I am very confident in my vision!"
Looking at the big boy with a sunny smile, Xin Yukun was in a trance for a moment. Is this it?
Thinking back on the disappointments of a year of being hit in every corner... being ignored in all kinds of ways... and even being ridiculed in public...
Is this it?
"No problem, let's sign the contract today." Su Ze stood up, reached out his hand and said, "Please take care of me, director, in the future!"
Seeing Xin Yukun and Kong Xue leaving, Su Ze let out a sigh of relief and finally won. There was no other way, I liked this script so much!
I don’t know when I started to like suspense reasoning. Whether it’s novels or movies or TV series, I don’t become Conan and chase the truth, but I face the complex sense of fate of various human natures.
Even today, I still insist on one principle: the necessary prerequisite for any good script is to show the complexity and depth of human nature.
Only this kind of script can truly give actors a huge space to perform, and will not bury their powerful acting skills. The shaping process can produce an unparalleled sense of accomplishment!
It's a spoon, it's a psychological crime, it's a murderer in the night, it's an invisible guest!
Unlike "The Blind Shaft" and "The Blind Mountain", "The Labyrinth of the Heart" directly and nakedly reveals the sinful and ignorant side of people to the audience.
Through contact, I can feel that Xin Yukun is the kind of calm person who avoids the storm.
There is an undercurrent of chaos in a class, all the lies and cunning, and all the things that surprise the audience, all happen in this village.
So when you watch it, you don't have the same cynical feeling as in "Blind Well" and "Blind Mountain", but you feel like your heart is blocked by a big stone. You want to say something, but you are speechless; you want to be silent, but you feel that you can't be silent.
Compared with Five Hundred's overall view, Xin Yukun pays more attention to details, especially the stunning non-linear narrative. Whether it is a mental maze or an invisible guest, anyone who can pull off this kind of routine is a master.
Quentin?
Nolan?
Unlike many directors who emphasize themselves, Xin Yukun gave Su Ze the intuition to always guide the narrative of the script based on the audience's psychology.
Maybe in his conception, the story rushes forward at high speed in a very thin pipe, using a metaphorical system to piece together and add bricks and tiles to guide the audience's inner ups and downs?
Allowing the audience to immerse themselves in the protagonist's situation and increase their understanding of society and the world is the meaningful role that movies can bring to the audience?
I have to say that with Su Ze, I particularly like to experience the process of competing with the audience on the screen, allowing them to experience the entanglement of their brain circuits. This is the charm of the suspense genre, isn't it?
"Is this uncle okay?" Seeing that Su Ze didn't speak, Xiaotong couldn't help but said, "I feel like I'm not as reliable as Fifth Brother."
Su Ze almost burst out laughing, is that bald guy from Five Hundred reliable?
"If you had watched Labyrinth of the Heart, you wouldn't ask this question." He still explained: "Although all the actors in it are professional, they are all drama actors with no film and television experience at all, plus they are short of time and money."
Su Ze sighed: "I can't even imagine how to film Maze of the Heart!"
"So powerful?" Xiaotong thought of Xin Yukun's appearance as the uncle next door and muttered, "I can't tell."
"The meat in the buns is not in the folds." Su Ze laughed and scolded: "Don't listen to the bald man bragging in the future!"
"Liu Lin's side is very likely to have no plans to have a male partner and a female partner?" Kong Xue asked.
"Let's find Wu Guohua for the male supporting role." Su Ze already had a plan and said, "It's no problem if you're an experienced actor."
"As for the female supporting role?" Su Ze was a little hesitant. Zhang Zifeng was the best choice based on traffic alone. She should like this kind of brain-burning theme, but...
The character's identity is a mistress, and she has all kinds of negative energy. She has just successfully transformed...
Very difficult!
"If it doesn't work, just ask Liang Yuan, or let Hu Lei try." Su Ze said, "The role is not difficult, so the problem shouldn't be big."
Kong Xue smiled and nodded. It was pretty much what she thought. The money should not go to outsiders, and the cost should be calculated carefully.