China Entertainment: Director’s happiness is so simple

"Dad, why don't you go home first? You just finished your physical examination."

Naturally, the young couple did not dare to agree directly.

What if it comes?

And the biggest thing now still needs to be discussed carefully.

How can I think of taking him back to his old place?

Father Lin didn't care: "It doesn't take time. I already know the way after going to Tiananmen. Let's just walk around."

"Dad, don't worry. It's the evening rush hour and the capital is very congested. Either way, I'll go to a spot for you today to see if the theater is still there. I'll also make arrangements for you to visit the capital these days. As for the route, let’s take a rest and then walk it again.”

"Yes, Dad, it's almost night now. You can't see clearly even if we go there. Go home first. Mom is still waiting at home."

The young couple continued to persuade.

How could a young couple who had just experienced a mental shock overcome an old man with a bad temper?

Father Lin still insisted: "Wouldn't it be nice to let her come over too?"

Lin Xiaohui looked helpless.

He is a sick person.

It won't work if you say harsh words. If you don't say harsh words, you won't be able to persuade.

Even if he was not sick now, Lin Xiaohui would not be able to persuade this old man with strong chauvinism under normal circumstances.

Because of this, the relationship between father and daughter is actually not particularly close, and the mother is also very afraid of him.

Even this time I came to Beijing for a review, it took me a long time to persuade him to do it.

Now Lin's father's temper has gotten worse again.

In desperation, everyone had to compromise the plan.

Zhang Qiang took his father-in-law back to his old place, and Lin Xiaohui went back to pick up her mother, and then they went shopping together.

There's no way to show off my condition, so that's all I can do today.

Soon, a group of people met in front of the Red Star Cinema that Lin's father remembered.

But it is a pity that Red Star Cinema has long since disappeared and is now the No. 5 store of Planet Cinema.

However, the overall decoration of the theater is very interesting, retaining some old objects, and it looks high-end but also has a retro feel.

Father Lin was silent for a while, his eyes filled with memories. When he arrived at the inner hall, he saw the old photos used as decorations on the walls of the theater, and he happily shared them with his family.

"Did you see that the ticket window in this photo is where I started working? If this object still exists, you might still be able to find my words engraved on it."

"Dad, you are destroying public property."

Zhang Qiang made a joke at the right time to cover up Lin Xiaohui's sadness that seemed to be unable to be hidden.

Father Lin was so focused that he did not notice anything unusual about Lin Xiaohui and others. He continued to respond happily: "How can it be called destruction of property? It's just a boring hobby at best. Xiaohui's name is It was picked up at that time."

"Does this have anything to do with Xiaohui?"

"When I was thinking of a name, I spilled the ink and it happened to fall on the word Xiaohui."

"Dad, how many words have you carved?"

"Not many, maybe dozens, haha."

The old man smiled happily. Although the act of engraving was definitely bad, it was also a rare memory.

Lin Xiaohui felt warm after hearing this. She didn't expect her father to have such a gentle side, but when she thought of her father's illness, her sadness became even more intense.

At this time, Father Lin suddenly said: "We are all here, let's watch a movie. I haven't been to a movie theater for more than ten years. I heard that the projection technology is very advanced now. It's just right, let's see something!"

Everyone didn't have any objections. It was still early for dinner anyway, and the key was that he was the biggest today.

The family had just discussed it without Lin's father.

The results given by the doctor were not very good and it was suspected to have spread.

If it is not cured, it may take up to half a year.

The effect will not be very good if treated.

Gastric cancer is at an advanced stage and cannot be cured with current medical standards. The best it can do is prolong survival.

But it still needs treatment after all, and money is not needed.

It is that once treatment begins, my father will no longer be as free as he is now.

So I simply let him do whatever he wanted for a few days, and then went to the hospital to start treatment.

It's just that when it comes to film selection, everyone has huge differences.

Lin's father pointed to the poster of "Bucket List" and said: "In "Bucket List", Lin Xuejian's performance will definitely be good. Don't you know? Lin Xuejian and I even took a photo together before."

He likes Lin Xuejian very much and is considered a fan.

And he heard it too.

It is said that Lin Xuejian plays his true character in this movie.

Lin Xuejian got cancer a few years ago and finally survived.

Of course he wanted to see the work again after so many years.

But before she finished speaking, Lin Xiaohui stopped her directly: "No!"

"What's wrong?"

Father Lin asked.

Lin Xiaohui opened her mouth and realized that she was too excited, but she definitely couldn't say anything about "bad luck".

So I had to think of a random reason: "I don't really like Lu Ping'an's movies, so I'd better watch Golden Armor, mom, are you right?"

It's amazing. She used to sneer at this kind of superstition, but now it's different. She doesn't want her father to be involved in any possible bad things.

Mother Lin nodded after hearing this: "Yes, yes, just look at the golden armor."

She didn't know what the Golden Armor was, but it was better than something as unlucky as a bucket list.

After hearing this, Father Lin pointed directly at the big screen at the ticket window and said: "The latest "Bucket List" only takes 20 minutes, but the latest "Golden Armor" will take 45 minutes. Do you want me to wait so long in vain?"

The old man's professionalism was still there, and he could understand the information on the ticket screen at a glance.

"You might not be able to get a ticket if you're close. Director Lu's movies are very popular."

Zhang Qiang's mind turned quickly and he immediately thought of a solution.

“Can’t I just ask if I have a ticket?”

Father Lin didn't care and went straight to the ticketing area. He didn't queue up. Instead, he stepped forward and asked, "Comrade, let me ask if you have any tickets for the recent "Bucket List"."

The conductor had a good attitude and replied directly: "Yes, sir, if you want to buy it, please queue up."

Father Lin asked again: "I am a veteran, are there any discounts?"

Lin Xiaohui felt a little embarrassed after hearing this. Her father's temper was really hard to bear: "Dad, let's line up."

As a result, the conductor asked directly: "Did you bring your discharge certificate, sir?"

"certainly."

"Half-price discount for veterans. Sir, I will reserve a seat for you, but it can only be one. You still need to queue up to buy the rest."

"Okay, let's go get in line!"

Father Lin was not sloppy, and walked to the end of the line with his whole family. The eyes of the young people around him were bright, and he thought that this old soldier was different. He must have been a high official before he retired.

Lin Xiaohui and others continued to feel helpless. My father was like this, straightforward and straightforward. Unfortunately, in the eyes of the family, this kind of temper actually made them miserable after being together for a long time.

After queuing up, Lin Xiaohui prayed that there would be no tickets and her father would have to change to another movie. After all, it was impossible for his father to watch it alone.

It turned out that the conductor seemed determined to take care of the veterans, and he just happened to reserve 4 consecutive tickets, and they were still in the fifth row, which was a good location.

"Haha, let's go in!"

Father Lin was very happy. He thought that the capital was different. It paid more attention to veterans than in his hometown. Even the movie theaters were half-price!

The happy father Lin took the helpless Lin Xiaohui and others into the cinema.

Then Father Lin sighed again:

This seat, this decoration, this big screen.

The country is indeed strong!

OK OK!

Lin Xiaohui and her mother kept praying in their hearts that the bad luck would dissipate.

After a while, the theater was filled with people, and as the lights dimmed, the movie started.

Father Lin seemed to be reminiscing about the past, and it seemed that he had the professionalism of a former half-film worker. He calmed down and sat upright.

Lin Xiaohui always pays attention to Father Lin.

The doctor said that the patient doesn't know now and may behave just like ordinary people, but emergencies will happen all the time and you have to be careful, so she has no time to care about movies.

Just as the movie started, her attention was slowly nailed to the big screen.

After various titles, the film begins with a vast expanse of white Himalayan snow-capped mountains.

Accompanying the snow-capped mountains under the aerial lens is Lin Xuejian’s narration:

"Liu Hua passed away in May. It was a Sunday with clear skies."

Li Xuejian's voice is very special. After surgery, he is much weaker and hoarse than when he was "Song Jiang", but his line skills that contain emotions and accumulated knowledge immediately caught people's ears.

"It is difficult to understand the value of life. Some people say it is measured by the contribution he has made to the world. Some people think it is determined by his beliefs. Some people think it is true feelings, that is, love. Of course Some people think that the value of life is actually meaningless.”

"As for what I think?"

"I more believe in the words of my ancestors, that is, it is measured by whether you get a good death."

"This is my understanding, but I can tell you with certainty that no matter what standard is used, Liu Hua achieved more in the rest of his life than most people achieve in their lifetime."

"When he passed away, although his eyes were closed forever, he would always live in the hearts of his loved ones."

"Liu Hua deserves a good death."

The first paragraph at the beginning is full of philosophy.

Along with the continuous aerial shots of snow-capped mountains, the holy scenery inside changes.

Everyone in the theater felt calm.

Lin Xiaohui also gradually began to take this movie seriously.

Before this, she had almost no idea what kind of movie it was, and she didn't have the time or mood to understand it.

But now, when she was forced to sit down in her seat, she suddenly realized that this movie seemed not simple.

The climbers in the film are also about to reach the top.

The picture fades and the story officially begins.

The scene changed and it was a car repair shop.

On TV, the very "6+1" Wang Xiaoya made a friendly guest appearance and asked a difficult question.

Li Jian, played by Li Xuejian, has a cigarette in his mouth and a car repair tool in one hand. He has limited affection and confidently answers questions to himself on the TV.

The standard answer that came out of his mouth made the apprentice under the car marvel: "Master, you have a very good memory!"

Li Jian looked calm, this was normal operation.

The apprentice was not convinced and asked again: "Who invented the radio?"

Li Jian was in trouble, but it wasn't that he couldn't remember it, but he gave several versions.

There are generally accepted ones, and there are also "unofficial records". In short, the answer is more comprehensive than the standard answer, and the young apprentice is completely convinced.

In the simple first scene, everyone knows that this is a car repairman who is knowledgeable, has a strong memory, and has a bit of humor.

This kind of car repairman is indeed very interesting. He has a sense of familiarity among ordinary people who is a master but also low-key.

It's just that this master's luck is not very good.

Then someone called Li Jian.

Li Jian, still dressed casually, answered the call.

After hearing the doctor's examination results relayed on the phone, Li Jian was stunned. The camera showed a close-up of the cigarette in his hand, and the cigarette fell. In the next shot, Li Jian walked lonely outside the factory.

In this scene, the movie does not say what was said on the phone, but what Li Xuejian said and the changes in his expression when he answered the phone.

And through the extremely high supernatural acting skills, the audience has already guessed that the protagonist's physical condition is not optimistic.

And Li Jian's lonely scene is also very meaningful.

In the distance of the factory is the bright sunshine at the gate, but Li Jian, who is bathing in the slightly dim factory building, is still far away from the gate. People subconsciously feel that Li Jian will go on a journey to find the light next. journey of.

Xiaohui's heart tightened in her seat, and she subconsciously looked at her father.

The plot in the movie is so similar to that of my father.

She was afraid that her father would be like Li Jian in the movie, until he was suddenly drained of energy after the news.

However, Father Lin didn't notice it at all. He noticed his daughter looking at him and commented: "Lu Ping'an's directorial skills are indeed good."

Then continue watching.

Then, after the male protagonist Li Jian appeared, another male protagonist Liu Hua followed.

In the picture, Liu Hua is elegantly sipping a cup of coffee.

"Louak coffee, the most expensive coffee in the world. Do you want to try it?"

Liu Hua, who looks like an elite, elegantly wants to share good things with the people around him.

He seems like a good guy.

But as a result, the place he was in now turned out to be a place like a court.

How dare you do this in court?

Sure enough, soon the judge, who was also a wigged official like a hearing officer, couldn't stand it anymore: "Mr. Liu, the committee wants to hear your opinion."

Liu Hua didn't like the rest of the group, so he raised his hand: "Wait, let's finish the drink first."

Then he handed coffee to the people around him.

Too arrogant!

And there is a reason for the arrogance.

It turned out that this was a hospital acquisition meeting.

Liu Hua aggressively acquired a poorly managed hospital in Xiangjiang.

And strongly requested to increase the number of beds and improve the operating situation.

Obviously, this is a capitalist with a completely different identity and personality from Li Jian.

However, such a wealthy and strong-willed capitalist is not very lucky.

After Liu Hua fought back forcefully and passed the proposal "When I was doing business, you didn't know where to hang out, so it was decided that one ward must have two beds and cannot be changed." After a cough, Liu Hua coughed up blood.

At this point, two patients with very different personalities gathered in the hospital.

One is Li Jian, a car mechanic who doesn't talk much, is erudite, and has always dreamed of becoming a history professor.

One is billionaire Liu Hua, who has a very high social status, is chatty and has a bad temper.

Because of cancer, I was admitted to the same ward.

Next, is the first meeting between the two.

It's just that the first meeting between the two was not friendly. Liu Hua asked his assistant Awen, who the hell is that?

Li Jian also asked directly, who the hell are you?

A billionaire had to come here because this hospital was very good at treating cancer, and the room and two beds he had booked earlier became the fruit he reaped and had to swallow.

The movie also explained the reason why Li Jianneng came to Xiangjiang to seek medical treatment. Because he had a happy family and his children were very promising, he was taken to Xiangjiang from the mainland.

After the unpleasant meeting, the two did not communicate much.

It's just that time does change some things.

After all, we have sympathy for each other.

Witnessing each other’s moments of excruciating illness, the moments of trembling with pain after the morphine wore off in the middle of the night, the moments of vomiting again and again after chemotherapy.

Slowly, both of them got used to the old guy lying next to them.

In this scene, Lin Xiaohui and her mother in the audience were already crying.

The film goes to great lengths to describe in detail the pain of chemotherapy.

They will naturally take on the role of father.

Next, my father will suffer the same fate as the protagonist in the movie!

However, in order to prevent her father from noticing, Lin Xiaohui still tried to restrain herself and continued watching the movie.

The story continues.

After a period of sympathy for each other, the two protagonists began to chat with each other.

Chat about each other’s families, thoughts, views on chemotherapy, and even views on suicide.

Regarding death, they say that there are five stages that everyone goes through after hearing the news that they are going to die: denial, anger, compromise, depression, and acceptance.

And they are currently in the first stage.

After Li Jian's wife left, Liu Hua told him with his eyes closed, "As a public health expert (he runs the hospital where he works), I think more people die from being annoyed by visitors than from illness."

For example, Liu Huachao loves food and eats and drinks a lot. He said that food can cheer up the spirit.

After eating, I had to vomit because of my condition.

Li Jian laughed at him and poured the food into the toilet.

In this way, they started to exclude each other, but later cherished each other and established a friendship.

This friendship is unlike any other.

Like other people, they face life, work, and various affairs together, but the two of them face death together.

Of course, the contrast between the two is also obvious.

Although Li Jian is poor, his family is rich and he is always visited by relatives. His wife, son and children are very promising, and the family is harmonious.

In contrast, Liu Hua seemed lonely and wealthy, but no one else came to visit him except his assistant named Awen.

Until one day the doctor came to pronounce Liu Hua's verdict, and the results came out. There were still six months left, and if he was lucky, one year at most.

Immediately, Li Jian's sentencing letter also arrived: at most one year.

"Basically we have no choice."

Both men were expressionless, silent, silent, and they looked at each other.

At that moment, they experienced a lot in their hearts.

Just like Li Jian heard the doctor's inner monologue in the movie: "Someone conducted a survey among 1,000 people and asked if you would like to know the exact time of your death in advance. 96% of the answers chose not to. And I tend to be the 4%. I always feel that knowing the length of life that I can control will lead to a more carefree life. But it turns out that I am not that free and easy."

Before that, Li Jian felt that he had looked away from death, and he also began to think about his "bucket list" before death.

As a result, after hearing the verdict, Li Jian was, as he said, "not so free and easy."

He tore up the "bucket list", crumpled it into a ball, threw it on the ground, turned sideways, and looked at Liu Hua, who was also sentenced: Do you want to play cards?

Not only them, but also the audience, especially those like Lin Xiaohui, were also experiencing violent fluctuations in their hearts.

Finally, Liu Hua responded with a smile: I'm afraid you won't ask.

At this moment, they have entered a stage of compromise on accepting death.

At the same time, the friendship between the two has officially entered the next stage.

At this point, a third of the movie has passed.

The movie spends so much time describing the illness of these two old men, showing in detail how the two patients vomited, groaned, and shivered one after another at night in the ward after chemotherapy.

In these seemingly unimportant story introductions, the contrast between the two people's personalities is naturally unfolded: their different attitudes and ways of talking to the doctor, their different reactions to the death sentence, and their "bucket list" How to argue later and so on.

It is precisely because of these detailed and indispensable details that the story becomes more interesting, reasonable and properly laid out when these two different guys are brought together.

The next step is to officially implement the “bucket list”.

The list was proposed by Li Jian. This was once an assignment assigned by his university philosophy teacher. Before he died, he would make a list of his life's wishes.

His list: Help a stranger out of kindness; witness a miracle; drive a Porsche; laugh until you cry

The person who firmly supports and implements it is Liu Hua, which also reflects the completely different lifestyles of the two. One is plain and thoughtful but a little timid, and the other is vigorous and resolute.

He picked up the crumpled list, greatly agreed with it, and convinced the hesitant Li Jian: waiting for death is so miserable, money is not a problem, the only thing I have now is money!

Not only that, he also added his own wishes: skydiving, getting a tattoo, kissing the most beautiful girl...

So, a grand journey began.

From here on in the film, the overall style of the film gets rid of the "gloom" of the first half and begins to get more playful.

The rich old man took the poor old man around and played wildly.

In the process of the two executing the "Bucket List", the sense of orderly rhythm is very obvious. It is neither a cookie-cutter strong soundtrack + fast-cut scenes, nor does it needlessly stay on a certain detail for too long.

For example, skydiving, riding a motorcycle on the Great Wall, watching the sea at the Cape of Good Hope, etc., passed by in a flash without any delay.

But the sensory experience it brings is wonderful.

The audience was very happy to see it, and they all thought that one day they would achieve such an achievement.

In the movie, there are several main scenes that are carefully portrayed, such as the dialogue at the Taj Mahal, the dialogue on the Egyptian pyramids, the dialogue on Mount Everest, the affair, etc., there are important plots that need to be explained, which are to push the story forward. A must.

It explained that while the two were having fun together, it also showed the process of mutual redemption.

The rich old man used his financial resources to satisfy various rich projects that the poor old man could not complete.

The poor old man also used his gentleness to lead the rich old man to face his incomplete past - family.

This is actually something on the list too.

In front of the pyramid, Li Jian asked Liu Hua two questions: Is there happiness in your life? Have you brought happiness to others in your life?

Liu Hua told a story about him and his daughter. His overbearing behavior has made her daughter still unable to understand him.

He said: Not everything I have done makes me feel guilty, but if I had to do it again, I would definitely do it again.

So, if my daughter’s hatred makes me die with my eyes open, then fine, that’s the way it is, I’ll admit it.

To die in peace is also what the Chinese people least want to see.

So the poor old man Li Jian decided to help him.

It's just that the rich old man was very concerned about the poor old man's intervention in his life, so after returning to Xiangjiang, he was very angry at the poor old man's own arrangements, and the two had a big quarrel.

Eventually the two separated.

The poor old man returned to his family.

It's fun.

But in contrast, there is the emptiness and loneliness of the rich old man.

Countless viewers already have an idea at this moment.

Look at what the rich old man looks like. Although he lives in a very luxurious house and has the leisure to find beautiful young models, he is almost exhausted and has no one close to him. He will die alone in the future. Is life really worth envying?

So if they were asked to choose, most people would envy the poor old man at this time.

A big family, warm lights, sumptuous dinner, the house is not very big, but relatives and loved ones are all there.

But the warm time is always short.

Li Jian's condition worsened, and Liu Hua came to visit.

The two also came up with a joke that lasted an entire movie: cat poop coffee.

The two laughed until they shed tears and crossed this item off their list.

But there are still a few things left unfinished.

Li Jian realized that he must be in trouble, and finally he persuaded Liu Hua to reconcile with his daughter. Liu Hua met his daughter and unexpectedly met his granddaughter. He kissed his granddaughter, the most beautiful girl in the world.

Liu Hua presided over Li Jian's funeral. He choked and said that life is really wonderful. We were strangers three months ago. We spent the last days of Li Jian's life together. That was my best time.

As he spoke, he crossed out "Helping strangers out of kindness" with tears in his eyes.

Soon after, Liu Hua passed away.

His assistant Awen buried their ashes in the Himalayas and crossed out the item "witnessed the miracle".

The film’s voiceover says, What is the meaning of life? I still can't come to a conclusion.

But I can at least say this: I know that Liu Hua closed his eyes when he passed away, but opened his heart. His loved ones remembered him, and like me, we all deserved a good death.