When "Big Fish and Begonia" was first released, there was a lot of hype, and various opinions were competing. Advocates regarded it as the hope for the revival of the Chinese-style animation industry, while opponents complained that its three views were incorrect and its reputation was so great. It’s actually hard to bear. The hotly debated scene dispelled the urge to watch the movie. If a work carries too much meaning and value, especially a cartoon work by a group of young people full of creativity, will this responsibility be too heavy? Now that the dust has finally settled, let’s see if there will be a different feeling when it is launched for free.
The core concepts and many elements in "Big Fish and Begonia" are derived from the thoughts of Taoism and Zhuangzi, and are directly derived from "Xiaoyaoyou". The story is very simple, about repayment, love, family affection, but also conflicts, transactions and conspiracies, involving mysterious and unknowable life, reincarnation and alien space. The whole movie is full of exploration and inquiry about the outlook on life and death, values, and is also trying to Answer it in your own way.
1. View of life and death.
"Big Fish and Begonia" is in the same vein as Zhuangzi's view of life and death. External matter and appearance are just illusions, and the human spirit comes first. It believes that life and death are just processes, and death is just a link in human life. . Zhuang Zhou turns into a butterfly, butterfly or life, who can tell clearly which is real and which is illusory? There is no need to be too persistent. The protagonist of Big Fish and Begonia is a human and fish in one. People are fish and fish are people. In the play, the young man Both Chun and Qiu have a very indifferent view of life. In their minds, there are more important things worth sacrificing.
Attitudes towards life and death also vary from person to person. Lingpo said: "Young people regard life and death as stones on the roadside, but old men always want to live." Qiu said, "Unhappy words , what’s the use of living longer.”
But they all only took their own lives lightly. They did not hesitate to sacrifice everything to protect Kun and their relatives, just to give them a chance to live. Big Fish and Begonia is interpreting this. The process of a concept is too rigid, and too much emphasis is placed on the life and death of one person and one thing. In the name of freedom, the obsession is too deep.
2. Values.
What are the most important things, which ones are worth sacrificing, which ones are moral? Is it life? Or love? Family affection? The whole play is full of sacrifice and dedication. Different people have different answers, and thus have different choices and behaviors.
I think that Chun’s feelings for Kun are not so much love as they are a kind of responsibility and morality. Her starting point is to repay her kindness, and in the end she will not hesitate even if she pays a huge price. The inertia developed in this kind of behavior supports her to go on and even sacrifice her own life. This is what Chun believes is the most important thing in morality. For Qiu, the most important thing is his love for Chun. For Chun, he will give everything, even his life, just so that she can live the life she wants. Compared with Chun's ignorance, Qiu's The purpose is more direct and clear. During Chun's coming-of-age ceremony, her mother kept talking about her safety and that it would be good to come back safely. However, later on, there was a conflict with the safety of the whole village and her parents had to give up their daughter; for grandpa and grandma, family love and granddaughter Their wish is the one they are most willing to fulfill, even if they give up their own lives; for the whole village, the safety of their hometown, their loved ones and the observance of the rules are paramount.
3. Hidden meaning and details.
1. Earth buildings and rules. Chun and Qiu's homes are all in earth buildings, and the beauty of earth buildings is brought to the extreme in the film. Round and square buildings, as well as strings of red lanterns, and extremely beautiful columns perfectly interpret the beauty of rules. This is She has followed the rules of survival in the underwater world for many years, but this beauty has become a bondage in the heart of young Chun. When the earth building reappeared later, it no longer had the grandeur and grandeur of the beginning, but showed a kind of dilapidation and decay. Is this a metaphor for the crumbling of the old rule world under the impact of the values ????of young people represented by Chun?
2. Name and five elements. Taoist elements can be seen everywhere in the film, the chun represents wood and rebirth of life, the chun represents water, which nourishes all things, the earth building is earth, thick and stable, the yin and yang fish on the door, the life and breath on the lantern, and the ending "There was a big chun in ancient times". "Eight thousand years is spring, and eight thousand years is autumn." It directly tells the truth of the world, which is cause and effect, and the cycle goes back and forth, endlessly.
3. The human world and thoughts about the world. There are two completely opposite attitudes towards the world and human beings in the film. Mama Feng says that humans are terrible and advises Chun to stay away from humans, while Shu Po’s ultimate goal of trying her best to plot others is to return to the world. For Chun, who is going through her coming-of-age ceremony, she has always been obsessed with repaying her kindness and does not have a strong impression of human beings and the world. Why is there such a big difference? In fact, in ancient Chinese mythology, the commandments of the Heavenly Palace strictly prohibit people from descending to the earth privately, but there are many legends about gods and immortals thinking about the mortal world. This should be the source of this contradictory attitude.
Kun in "Big Fish and Begonia" comes directly from "Xiaoyaoyou", "The roc rises with the wind in one day and soars ninety thousand miles." I really like this free and romantic artistic conception, but it's just that the movie " "Big Fish and Begonia" is beautiful, but it is too heavy when interpreting life. I always feel that it is less carefree and free and easy, and more fateful and tragic.
From the film, everyone can see the shadow of themselves in the rebellious period of youth. They will sacrifice everything for what they think is worthwhile, and they can give up everything for the most precious things in their hearts.
In the final ending, Chun and Kun come together after returning to the human world. It can be understood that the relationship between the two people has finally come true after suffering. But I think such a grand narrative work should not only stop at small love, I prefer to understand it as a metaphor, getting rid of the rules of the old world, eating and drinking, men and women multiply, and start a new life. It depends on how you understand it.