Chapter 71

Since the birth of "vulgar novels" in 1994, independent films have really become an important force in the film industry.

At a time when the routine of large-scale Studios is becoming more and more serious and the spirit of innovation and enterprising is lacking, the enterprising and bold solid of independent films has gradually become the driving force behind the continuous progress of films. From "American Beauty" to "Brokeback Mountain" and then to "no country for old people", the attention of independent films continues to heat up, Almost every year, a batch of high-quality independent works can be found, which arouse the praise of the academy and critics, such as last year's "bomb disposal unit".

"Buried alive" is such a typical independent film.

The story of the film is very simple. It tells the story of 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 from the world?

The most daring part of the film is that the whole work is shot in a coffin, and there is no other picture involved. It starts with the coffin and ends with the coffin. The world outside the coffin and the relationship between the characters depend entirely on the lines, and all the weight is on the actors.

This not only puts forward almost strict and ultra-high requirements for the script lines - how to fill the simplified space with information, how to show the synchronous events inside and outside the coffin, how to show the stories before and after entering the coffin, and how to restore the original background of the relationship between the characters in a critical situation are all difficult problems; It also puts forward an incredible test for the performance of the actors. In extreme difficulties, in panic, fear and despair, survival is the only instinct, but the actors must show the ups and downs of the whole mood, bring the audience's thoughts into the closed space, and avoid the boredom caused by a single scene for a long time, It also avoids boring repetition caused by limited shot scheduling.

As a matter of fact, there are quite a few works that tell stories in one-man plays, but few of them are really like "burying alive" where only the leading actor appears in the whole story. This is undoubtedly an arduous challenge, and the difficulty is unimaginable.

Similar theme "127 Hours" is also a one-man show, but the expression is somewhat opportunistic. This work directed by Daniel Boyle focuses on the dying Aron Ralston. In the process of hiking, Allen fell down in a remote valley. As a result, he was crushed by a huge rock and couldn't move. He was trapped in the same place for five days, totally 127 Hours. Finally, Allen cut off his arm and successfully escaped.

However, Denny adds the cause and effect in the film, which not only tells about Allen's preparation before departure and the pleasure of meeting his friends on foot, but also tells about the rescue and hope after the final realization of self salvation, and reviews Allen's life fetters in a flashback way.

It can be said that this is indeed a one-man show, but it is a one-man show with many people participating.

Comparatively speaking, the whole scene of "buried alive" takes place in a coffin, which is more experimental, more independent and more difficult. This is just the most valuable part of the film.

When shooting "127 Hours", Denny was a successful director. He not only made such a famous independent film as "guess the train", but also won the best director Oscar for "Slumdog Millionaire". Even so, Denny still didn't dare to try the way of only one scene, because everyone knows, This way is easy to be too boring, too monotonous, too boring, and will be scolded by the audience and film critics.

"Buried alive" did.

Rodrigo Cortes, the director and screenwriter of the film, was mainly active in the field of short films before that, and his ingenious ideas won a lot of praise. However, short films and long films are two different systems, just like sprinters are not necessarily able to play well in long-distance running. "Buried alive" is only his second long film.

Chris Sparling, the screenwriter, is an unknown newcomer, and "buried alive" is just his first official screenplay.

These two newcomers, who don't have much experience, have shot a wonderful work in the limited space! The film firmly catches the audience's attention, makes people feel the fate of the characters with the progress of the plot, and truly feels the confusion and ups and downs of human emotions: pain, panic, panic, calm, self denial, violence, fear, hope, sadness, pain, anger, fatigue, self mockery, and finally despair. All of these make the film viewing process a kind of suffering, and also a kind of enjoyment.

Comparatively speaking, "127 Hours" shows the three-dimensional character of a character in an all-round way, praising the spirit of human never giving up under the limit of life and death, which is not only inspirational, but also shows Allen's family fetters and motivation, which undoubtedly further excavates the core depth of the film“ "Buried alive" focuses on the struggle and pain on the edge of death, emphasizing the emotional details magnified to the extreme under the closed space, with horror and fear throughout. This is undoubtedly a big breakthrough for the experimental film, but it is slightly inferior in the depth of thought.

It can be understood that "127 Hours" is a work shot for the award season, while "buried alive" is a work shot by the director to explore a new field. Once upon a time, Daniel Bauer showed sharpness and sharpness in his "train Guessing", but it has gradually disappeared, from independence to mainstream; "Buried alive" really shows the sharpness and boldness of independent films.

It can be seen from the treatment received by the two films at the year-end awards ceremony that "buried alive" was almost ignored, and did not win any nominations, let alone awards“ "127 Hours" has been highly praised, but also in one fell swoop in the Oscar for best picture, best actor, best adapted screenplay and many other nominations.

Of course, a very important part of the reason also comes from "buried alive" actor Ryan Reynolds.

This Canadian actor is often known for his handsome appearance. "Fake marriage", "Green Lantern" and "dead waiter" make him occupy a place in Hollywood. Because his appearance is too eye-catching, people often neglect his efforts in performance, and even many people think that he is facial paralysis.

In fact, in the early stage of his career, Ryan won a lot of praise for his performance. His wonderful performances can be seen in his works such as "nine degrees of space" and "bloody lonely language". Some of them are cute, some of them are mischievous and some of them are sexy. But at the same time, there is no lack of madness and vulnerability hidden in his eyes, That kind of sensitivity wrapped under the coat can often move people's hearts. Maybe he is not a top actor, but he has two skills when he meets the right role.

"Buried alive" is such a work.

In the process of "burying alive", Ryan truly shows the disorder, struggle and pain of human beings in the desperate situation. The complex and fragile emotions firmly capture the mind of the audience and make people feel it personally. It must be admitted that Ryan has accomplished his task excellently and become the most important piece in the "buried alive" puzzle.

However, Ryan's work is far from amazing. If his performance is put into "127 Hours", it may be enough, because "127 Hours" is filled with a large number of flashbacks and fragments for assistance, and the plot data is used to fill the image of the characters, so that the audience will have a more direct experience of the three-dimensional sense of the characters; However, there are no such parts in the "buried alive", which leads to that Ryan's performance mood is enough in place, but there is no extended part.

It can be understood that Ryan shows the emotions needed for a thriller movie, but does not complete the story needed for a plot movie. For example, in the movie, when he calls his wife, what happens between them; When he calls his colleagues, the other party's attitude implies that he has problems with his usual behavior; When he asked the government for help, his attitude did not change much, and his psychological ups and downs were not clear enough; At the last critical moment, what is the content of his last words?

"127 Hours" completed these puzzles through memory“ "Buried alive" needs Ryan's performance to complete. When he fails to achieve this goal, it also affects the overall quality of the film.

In fact, in lanli's view, the movie "buried alive" is not only a thriller in a confined space, but also can be further explored. One is the family crisis of the American middle class, the contradiction between the hero and his wife, the opportunity for the hero to choose to work in Iraq, and the middle-aged crisis faced by the hero before the accident, These details are affecting his later appeal for help, especially the response reflected in the desperate environment.

The other is the condemnation of capitalist bureaucracy. On the one hand, it is the hypocrisy, treachery and prevarication of the company where the hero works. What they care more about is that they don't need to pay more compensation than human life; On the one hand, the relevant government departments are constantly shirking responsibility and doing nothing. The slogan of "never give up any citizen's life" is loud, but the actual action is chilling. The core idea of the supremacy of interests implies the real purpose of the United States to launch the Iraq war.

The connotation of this film is far more excavation and visibility than imagined. However, compared with "127 Hours", the director and screenwriter of "buried alive" are inexperienced and can only put all the burden on the actors. Once Ryan's performance does not have enough height and depth, the overall quality of the work will only decline.

In fact, this is also one of the typical characteristics of independent films. When the nature of experiment is particularly strong, the success and failure of independent films will be different.

But this is undoubtedly a perfect fit for Lan Li. This is his dream performance opportunity: a chance to really devote himself to performance, a chance to really challenge his own limit, a chance to really test his talent bottom line, and a chance to truly interpret his acting skills!