Film Name: 我本是高山 / Beyond the Clouds
When I first saw the poster and promotional materials for Beyond the Clouds a few months ago, my initial impression wasn’t good, because my first thought was ‘Here comes the consumption of Principal Zhang Guimei again’.
Although I had already expected that the film would bring a lot of criticism and saliva, I did not expect it to come so fiercely and comprehensively …… I did not go to the screening last weekend, and have perfectly missed the hotspots for more than a week, so I did not want to go to see it, but then I thought, ‘There’s no right to say anything if you haven’t watched it! I didn’t want to go, but then I thought, ‘You can’t say anything without seeing it,’ so I went last night to make up a ticket.
Maybe it’s because everyone has already criticised it on all fronts, and my own expectations have been set very, very low, so I don’t think it’s too bad, or at least it’s not that bad, and it’s on the level of ‘normal Chinese melodrama’ – but I’m happy to see it! But I’m glad to see Beyond the Clouds getting bad reviews and losing at the box office, it’s a good thing that some of the creators are getting lazy these days, and it’s a good thing that they’re learning a lesson.
Let’s talk briefly about the film.
Some time before the release of Beyond the Clouds, there were already a lot of beats about the film, and the parties involved were not small, including feminists and anti-feminists against the image of women, party members against the image of the original source, serious people against the reality of the situation, etc., and other borrowed the theme and the yin and yang of the countless! ……
As far as my viewing experience is concerned, of course, all of the above problems, but not necessarily to the extent that they have to be driven to extinction, for example, wearing the party badge and swearing to the party scene, the shooting is really not good, but at least there is, the leadership of the Board of Education can not be said to be the villain, like girls skipping school to play games, alcoholic mothers, and other controversial points in the film’s narrative is also barely established.
Even the most criticised point, ‘Principal Zhang’s motivation is based on the memory of his late husband, Mr Dong’, I don’t think it’s the same thing: Zhang’s motivation is of course his attachment to the girls and his belief in the Party, while his late husband’s frequent appearances at critical moments are more like Zhang’s self-questioning and pulling in times of difficulty, and this kind of counterbalancing is acceptable filming. acceptable filming style.
But it’s time for the ‘but’.
Beyond the Clouds’ puts the headmaster Zhang Guimei so much, so good real examples and feelings do not go to shoot, preferring to seek far and wide with the “popular” approach to show her spirit, is not willing to shoot, or not capable of shooting?
Take the repeated filming of her late husband’s play, knowing that there will be remembering love, ah to dispel loneliness, and other controversies, but still hard-headed to do it, is it because the path of dependence on the habit, and do not dare to go to unfold the more well-known, more difficult to film and more likely to produce a good show of the ‘field of faith’ it?
Essentially, this is a screwed-up stitching film, on the one hand, it has to guard the high ground of ‘main theme’, on the other hand, it always wants to use commercial methods to refresh, coupled with the ability of the creators is not enough, in the end, it is the position did not hold, and the taste is not good.
In fact, when I watched Beyond the Clouds, I almost cried many times, but I quickly put it away – with my emotionally charged crybaby nature, as long as it is a watery lyricism, I should have cried a lot. In the end, it’s because the film’s ‘tear-jerkers’ are simple sensationalism, driven almost entirely by the excellent subject matter. If you take away Principal Zhang and Huaping Girls’ High School, I’m afraid there’s not much left in the film.
Beyond the Clouds’ the word of mouth box office double loss more or less “unlucky”, after all, really count up, in recent years, there are a bunch of level about the same or worse level of melodramatic film should get this “courtesy”, who let the film Who let the film touch the subject matter of the headmaster Zhang detonated a big mine it …… This is the lesson I am happy to see.
I hope that all those who want to take advantage of the creation of melodramatic themes to get a share of the pie, make a fortune, make a wave of fast money can think more: is the work really to set up a project? Do they have enough respect? What do the audience really want to see?
Take ‘Beyond the Clouds’ for example, Principal Zhang Guimei is still in Hualping Girls’ High School, and there are a lot of wonderful experiences with even better storytelling, so if you can’t come up with something new and unique, why should you go to the movies instead of watching more documentary reports (of course, movies have their own cinematic language and logic, and this paragraph is mainly for the audience who are attracted by the subject matter)? ?
The new era of melodrama is not good to shoot, creation is a boat against the current, not to advance is to retreat, but I hope that the situation of ‘Beyond the Clouds’ can let the creators more reverence and prudence, some of the subject matter if you can’t gnaw on it, don’t gnaw on it, and don’t let go of both sides of the fence for the benefit of all of us.
Please specify：Yescase Store » eyond the Clouds 2023 Film Review: Losing is not a bad thing