荒謬的劇本

曉龍

天使與魔鬼的課題在中外電影內屢見不鮮，《殺人犯》的導演周顯揚在人性的光明和陰暗面上兜兜轉轉，運用步步進迫的手法揭露男主角凌光英雄形象背後的陰暗面，嘗試從正負面兩個完全相異的角度看待搖擺不定的人性，從而探索他背後鮮為人知的真我。郭富城飾演凌光，懂得掌握該角色不同層次的心理狀態，表面上的總督察職位，使他維持光明磊落、正直不阿的英雄形象，為了配合自身職位的需要，他行事為人皆十分謹慎，為了換取下屬的支持和上司的尊重，他把真我內光輝的一面表露無遺；可是，天意難違，上天好像故意捉弄他，由他被委屈的那一刻開始，真我邪惡的一面慢慢延伸，最後走向極端，造成不可掉頭的自我摧毀。莫非惡劣的環境真的能把人類的「魔性」一步一步地「誘導」出來？

到了此刻，情節的發展理當合情合理。不過，如果觀眾細心分析，仔細研究，就會發現劇本的漏洞甚多，其荒謬程度不難令我們啼笑皆非。首先，凌光短暫性失憶，不清楚自己是否殺人犯，但他找到的證據卻多次告訴他，自己才是真真正正的殺人犯，他在夢境中看見乞丐殺人後，竟毫不理性地把夢境帶進現實，在毫無證據的情況下，相信那位乞丐是真正的殺人犯，自己慘被冤枉；先前他聲稱自己已失憶，但夢境中的畫面卻又與現實差不多百分百相似，莫非他在現實世界中失去記憶，在夢想世界內卻能恢復記憶？其次，張兆輝查案時找到的證據處處針對著郭富城，使他相信郭富城是真正的殺人犯，但他竟膽敢相約郭富城到杳無人煙的偏遠山頭討論兇殺案，對郭富城毫無戒心，甚至不怕被謀殺，身為一位老差骨，卻擁有這種違反常理的「膽識」，其匪夷所思的程度，實在不難使觀眾對香港警察的「專業性」完全失去信心！再者，乞丐用電鑽殺了泰哥，泰哥曾經猛力掙扎，但泰哥死去後衣服上竟只剩下凌光的衣服纖維，完全沒有乞丐與泰哥接觸的絲毫痕跡，乞丐殺人手法的「高超」技藝，實在算得上「天衣無縫」！

邏輯性與可信度直接相關，編劇杜緻朗犯下嚴重的邏輯謬誤，使影片內容的可信度甚低。觀眾看這齣懸疑驚嚇片時不自覺地發出像觀賞喜劇時一模一樣的笑聲，此創作人意料之外的觀眾反應，已證明《殺》未能滿足觀眾體驗其觀看懸疑電影時「一步一驚心」的期望，在既有要求完全落空之際，觀眾只好找尋合適的路徑以自得其樂，因荒謬情節而大笑一頓的尷尬情景明顯由此而生！

In Search of Traces of the Deceased through a Dreamlike Amalgam of Reality, Memories and Imagination

Kenji Chan

Amalgamating reality with memories and imagination, Soundless Wind Chime is a dreamlike journey on which Ricky embarks in search of traces of his lover who has passed away.

When our lovers pass away, we tend to search for connections with them in a number of ways. We may call them and wonder if they will answer the call. We may visit their places and hug their belongings. We may believe a wind chime will ring when the souls come back as moths. Despite our awareness of their death, it is difficult for us to “let go” and we unconsciously want to get in touch with them. At the end of the film, the wind chime does not ring, which conveys a message that we have to accept the death of our beloved people, no matter how much we miss them.

The director’s attempt to blur the boundary between reality, memories and imagination is much appreciated. For example, when an old lady with Alzheimer’s disease suddenly and surrealistically sings and dances, it can be Ricky’s imagination or the lady’s memory. When Ricky’s mother who is very sick can sing and walk, one may wonder if it is a sudden spurt of activity prior to collapse (迴光反照) or just her imagination. In Switzerland, does Ricky really meet someone who looks like Pasgel or is it just his imagination that Pasgel is still with him?

Switzerland, Hong Kong and Beijing are beautifully shot and their unique features are successfully highlighted. For instance, the Hong Kong scenes show an old fashioned Hong Kong Style Café (茶餐廳), Tenement House (唐樓) and Hong Kong trams (Ding Ding). Besides, the snowy mountains in Switzerland are breathtaking and the taxis in Beijing are very different from the ones in Hong Kong. These images will surely linger in your mind when you leave the cinema. What’s more, I agree with the director that the Swiss scenes are more static than the Hong Kong scenes and the Beijing scenes are the most realistic. I also agree that the Swiss scenes shot in winter capture the emptiness of the silent landscape, while the Hong Kong scenes shot in summer show the hustle and bustle of city life. This contrast symbolizes that Ricky and Pascal are physically distant. Apart from these, using a hand-held camera fits this dreamlike movie.

The mesmerizing music, spiced with a hypnotizing female voice and some sounds of a wind chime, not only matches the rhythm of this dreamlike story, but also adds melancholy and elegance to this soul-seeking journey. The haunting Chinese song sung by a little girl at the end of the movie also beautifully conveys Ricky’s feelings.

Lu Yulai acts quite naturally, while Bernhard Bulling slightly underacts his dual role as Pascal and Ueli who have very different personalities. The actress who plays an old lady with Alzheimer’s disease delivers the most memorable performance and the middle-aged women (師奶) working in the Hong Kong style cafe act very naturally and bring the audience the most hilarious moment, despite their brief appearances in the film.

Despite the above-mentioned strengths, the movie is not flawless. First, the story interweaving the present with the past, combined with three shooting locations and the director’s attempt to blur the boundary between reality and imagination, seems too much for a novice director to handle, which may lead to difficulty in following the story and understanding the messages, though I concur with the director that it may be a good idea to present a film about memories in a non-chronological fashion. Second, Ricky’s motive for inviting a pickpocket to live with him is unclear and their relationship worsens too suddenly. Their relationship can be further developed so that more snippets of their love story can be recalled.

On the whole, Soundless Wind Chime, a poetic feast to the eyes and ears, will cast a spell over the audience. As a director’s debut feature, this beautiful movie is definitely worth our support.

犯駁和不合情理

果醬

因為抵受不住母親在一場大火中喪命的打擊以致精神失常的Anna，康復後獲准回家適應生活。對於以往負責照顧母親的女看護Rachel Summers成為了父親的情人，Anna並不十分接受。在妹妹Alex推波助瀾下，她甚至懷疑當年的火災並非意外，而是Rachel為了取代母親的位置而狠下毒手。兩姊妹明查暗訪下，更發現Rachel Summers並非她的真姓名。這個不明來歷的人，蓄意進駐她的家園裡，究竟有什麼企圖?

一齣好的懸疑片，必須能成功營造緊張的氣氛，一個曲折而意想不到的劇情同樣不可或缺。然而劇情不能夠一味求奇而忽略故事是否合理，也不能太過巧合。太過巧合，說服力便弱。

這齣2009年的作品成功做到了首兩點，電影算是做到了「扣人心懸」的效果，而結局也頗為出人意表。然而看畢全片，知道了真正的答案後，故事中的種種犯駁和不合情理之處也同時浮現，使電影大打折扣。例如喜歡Anna的男生Matt後來的出現和離奇死亡，是不合情理的結局。故事一直用Anna的角度去說故事，以圖加強當中的說服力，可惜仍然牽強。

演女看護的Elizabeth Banks，具一定名氣，然而樣貌卻局限了她演技上的發揮，在戲裡的表現吃力不討好。男主角David Strathairn，提名過奧斯卡，名氣反而不太盛，戲份也相對地少，能發揮的機會不大。戲份最重，演精神病康復者Anna的Emily Browning，也交足功課，但效果反而不及青春可人，演妹妹Alex的Arielle Kebbel來得討好。

在這個互相猜疑的家庭裡，究竟誰才是真正不請自來的人，造成這種種悲劇? 是越見明目張膽的Rachel，或是康復程度成疑，從精神病院回來的Anna? 還是，那一個其實早已不存在的妹妹Alex?

電影還未在港上映，我們也不在被邀請之列。然而故事本身還是略具創意，就這一點，電影還是值得花掉一個半小時的時間。

Dreams are the Forfeits Hongkongers Pay for Economic Development

Kenji Chan

Glamorous Youth is a gloomy and artistic movie about the growth of a Hong Kong boy who becomes a man in one year, Hong Kong people’s loneliness and loss of dreams, the glamour of youth, the problematic relationship between typical Hong Kong men (港男) and typical Hong Kong ladies (港女) and the changing relation between China and Hong Kong.

The film is set in 2006 and ends in 2007. After 10 years since the handover to China, Hong Kong is on the surface a prosperous international city, yet Hong Kong people value too much the importance of money and spend too much time working, so our family members are often neglected. As a result, most of us lack dreams and feel lonely. We don’t know what we live for.

Apart from the messages engaging Hong Kong people, I love the cinematography and symbolic images e.g. the lighthouse with the light off and the train linking China and Hong Kong. Local places like Chan Nam Chong Memorial College, Cho Yiu Estate, Kwai Tsing Threatre, Cheung Hang Estate, Kwai Chung Container Terminal, etc, can be seen. There are also lots of beautiful scenes showing the Hong Kong skyline and buildings which are sometimes deliberately made out of focus. They symbolize the characters’ emotions, e.g. a clear sky seen while running, and convey a message that Hong Kong is prosperous on the surface, but in fact we get lost in this concrete jungle and cannot see our future clearly. Besides, the dark-yellow / dark-red rooms with a sharp contrast between light and shadow, the black-and-white factory and the dimly-lit wedding ceremony can highlight Hong Kong people’s loneliness. Moreover, the mirror in the flat is cleverly used to show the inseparable, but alienated relationship between the father and his son.

The songs used fit the theme and mood of the movie very well, for instance, The Pearl of the Orient (東方之珠). The Cantonese opera (粵曲) also points out the importance of appreciating art.

The cast generally acts naturally and the actor who delivers the most finely nuanced and convincing performance is Tai Bo (太保) who stars as the main character’s father undergoing middle-age crisis.

Nevertheless, the film can be more well-organized and focused. Moreover, the teacher is a little bit preachy and implying his sexual orientation seems unnecessary; so are the explicit sex scenes.

On the whole, it is a sincerely made melodrama most Hong Kong movie lovers can identify with. After the screening, the audience may ponder on the gloomy future of Hong Kong where people are only obsessed with money and forget about our dreams, without which we are only walking skeletons without souls.

特立獨行的人格

曉龍

不少人認為香港的填鴨式教育制度「製造」了一個又一個一模一樣的「機械人」，每個人有同樣的目標，同一的喜好，同類型的理想，目標、喜好及理想皆源於「求學一定求分數」的基本設定。雖然香港教育局的高官多次強調及宣傳「求學不是求分數」的口號，但媒體(包括報章及電視節目等)只計算成果而不描述過程的態度，卻使香港的學生活像一個又一個的倒模，只以獲獎為最終的目標，最佳的喜好，最崇高的理想。當《音樂人生》中的中學生以自己所屬的學校在音樂比賽中獲獎無數為值得驕傲的最高榮譽時，片中的男主角黃家正卻以不屑的態度視之，認為他們為拿獎而努力，不懂得以音樂為本，只盲目追求個人/團體的「殊榮」，反而完完全全忘記音樂的本質，撇棄音樂存在的真正意義。他特立獨行的思想和人格，對現行的教育制度造成莫大的衝擊，值得我們深切反思。

還記得福特主義在資本主義的城市內已廣泛地應用在社會的每一個層面上，教育制度亦不例外。黃家正秉承「求學不是求分數」的宗旨，讓自己的同組同學演奏超時的樂章，明知會被扣分，但偏偏依循自己的喜好，享受自己「崇拜」的音樂，沉醉在自己的風格內。這種特立獨行的個性，可能造成人際關係的障礙，亦可能被整個社會排斥；其我行我素的風格，使他長大後與父親產生難以磨滅的鴻溝，即使他知道和了解父親投放大量資源和心力栽培他，仍然埋怨父親強迫他參加大量比賽時只以獲獎為唯一可取的目標，把喜好、個性等人類原原本本的價值降至最低，所謂利慾薰心，其具體的人格特質正在父親的心態上完全體現出來。父親可能只視自小已獲獎無數的他為獲取讚賞和榮譽的「工具」，從沒有顧及他的個性和喜好，導致他對父親產生一種難以言喻的仇恨。片中他多次高呼自己渴望成為一個「普通人」，此要求心理補償的源頭，正在於其過度追求俗世價值，樂於享受群眾歡呼喝采聲而忘卻兒子個人感受的父親。

在多元化的社會內，像黃家正的特殊天才可能不算罕見，但在強調福特主義的單一化社會內，像他這類特立獨行的人卻成為難得一見的奇人。他在十一歲時已開始談論人生的意義，六年後仍想不透基督教的真諦，天真地以為自己的老師和同學在參加比賽前祈禱是加強團結性的一種「手段」，對人生的依靠遍尋不獲之際，仍以為上帝只是一種最高主宰的象徵，其相信自己卻難以改變世界的不安和無奈，莫非就是天才自以為是而不願意改變自己的悲劇命運？他鬱鬱寡歡的心理狀態，莫非就是天才未能盡情發揮自己的才能而毫不自在的最直接後果？

KJ

What a talented person says is not always right   Kenji Chan

KJ is a special HK documentary about a talented boy’s growth under the influence of his family members, teacher, friends, students, religion, school, etc, and his views towards different issues.

During the movie, you can feel his intrinsic passion for music. He plays music, not because of his desire to win competitions, but his love for music. According to psychology, he has achieved self-actualization. Besides, I’m intrigued by his talent and unique personality.

However, you will also feel his arrogance and rudeness sometimes. Indeed, his character is not pleasing and the director, by inserting the right footage, reminds the audience that what a talented person says is not always right.

 
Then, is KJ a successful person whom we should learn from? Everyone will give a different answer as they define success differently. For example, his teacher mentions the key to success: Talent + Modesty. In my opinion, no one is perfect and KJ does have his strengths and weaknesses.  

The film would be better if KJ’s period of getting lost can be shown. Apart from this, one person who is supposed to be important to KJ is missing in the film. The footage of that person should be included so that the irreplaceable role of his teacher can become more memorable through comparison.

On the whole, the film is a comprehensive study of the growth of a talented boy, KJ. He is so different from other contemporaries that one may find in the movie and his thought-provoking remarks gripping.