Note: This article contains spoilers
At the 14th Beijing International Film Festival, which ended in late April, the film Stop & Go won three awards: Best Film, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress. After watching the film, I can quite understand the judges' choice. A film cannot be liked by everyone, but from my personal perspective, Stop & Go is indeed a good film. There are few Chinese films that can approach the essence of our lives in such a light and infinite way.
Poster of Stop and Go
The first half of the story is light-hearted, enjoyable, cute, and full of laughs.
Wu Di (Hu Ge) is a screenwriter who has been living in Beijing for many years and has achieved almost nothing. He broke up with his girlfriend, his roommate moved out, and he could not afford the rent alone, so he had to return to his hometown in despair.
Wu Di (played by Hu Ge)
Many of the movie's cute jokes come from Wu Di. Hu Ge, who is used to playing urban elites and overbearing bosses, plays a "loser" with a different flavor. The screenwriter created many comedic contrasts around Wu Di - he thinks he is "gold", but in the eyes of others, he may be "shit". The huge gap between the high level of self-cognition and the low level of external feedback creates a satirical sense of humor.
Undoubtedly, Wu Di has some cognitive bias. He is a little aloof and proud. Although he "escaped from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou" in a disgraced state, he still says that he is "returning home to develop"; under the lens of his old classmate Feng Liuliu (played by Gao Yuanyuan), he couldn't help but "pretend" and took out all the trophies and certificates he won as a child and placed them on the cabinet.
Wu Di returns home and runs into his old classmate Feng Liuliu (played by Gao Yuanyuan)
But strangely enough, the audience does not dislike this older young man who seems to be a little "high-minded but incompetent" and sometimes "boastful".
On the one hand, Wu Di’s cognitive bias is actually a kind of self-comfort that comes from being dissatisfied with reality but unwilling to give up his dreams completely. It is a psychological defense mechanism when facing life pressure and frustration, and it shows his optimistic attitude towards life, that is, believing that the current predicament is only a temporary stage in the journey of life, which is what he calls the "gap."
Wu Di is very self-satisfied
On the other hand, Wu Di's personality is like his fluffy hair, which is "furry", gentle, not angry, and not aggressive. Even when he experiences failure and setbacks, he still maintains a peaceful state of mind, does not vent negative emotions to people around him, and does not become sarcastic because of his circumstances.
Wu Di's personality is a bit "cowardly", but this is an advantage, he doesn't hurt people
Therefore, although "Stop and Go" touches on the social hot spot of "escaping from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou", which is a hot topic of "returning home narrative" in film and television creation, it does not have the theme of joining the hot spot, catering to the topic first, selling anxiety, or deliberately exaggerating. Not at all. Wu Di is too calm inside. Going back or escaping, success or failure, for him is just a change of living place. His heart is stable and self-consistent.
Wu Di's intermediate state between "rolling" and "lying down" is also the living state of many young people today. However, in the fast-paced and highly competitive modern society, we are often easily driven by external standards and expectations, and easily fall into continuous comparison and the urgent pursuit of success. Wu Di's stability and self-consistency show that he is free from the mainstream evaluation system and accepts his self-worth. This is a rare quality among contemporary people. It is recommended that people with anxious personality can learn from the "cute and funny" Wu Di, maybe you will be calmer.
Another source of the ease and cuteness of the first half of "Stop and Go" comes from Wu Di's family. If you are not from the same family, you will not enter the same door. Wu Di's personality is closely related to the family atmosphere.
The family consists of the father Wu Mingfa (played by Zhou Yemang), the mother Jiang Meiling (played by Yue Hong), and the younger sister Wu Shuang (played by Jin Jing). The father is an old stubborn man with a bit of a poisonous mouth and loves to say sarcastic things. The family atmosphere seems tense... But relax, everything is superficial. The status of the family is clear at a glance - the father is at the bottom, and the personality of this family is more like the mother - there is always a sense of relaxation.
Dad Wu Mingfa (played by Zhou Yemang)
Does this sense of relaxation come from the unique "Bashi Culture" (i.e. "comfortable culture") of optimism and open-mindedness in Sichuan and Chongqing? Even in the face of pressure and challenges in life, they can always maintain a positive attitude, resolve troubles with humor, and embrace life with enthusiasm. In any case, this family is not anxious.
Mother Jiang Meiling (played by Yue Hong)
Facing Wu Di who suddenly "broke into" the family after leaving home for many years, the family members were surprised but calm, and would suddenly make a concise and to-the-point sarcastic remark. Dad said, "Gold is gold wherever it is, and shit is shit wherever it is"; Mom said, what you lack is not opportunity, "what you lack is strength"; Sister also complained, "It's a problem of endurance, men can't persist in anything for too long"...
There are both small ironies about Wu Di's unrealistic fantasies and hidden love and acceptance, which allow us to feel the unique tolerance and relaxation of this family in laughter - even if it is shit, even if the strength is not enough, even if there is no endurance, the family members will catch Wu Di slowly.
The family members mocked Wu Di without any politeness.
In short, the first half of "Stop and Go" uses a very light and lovely way to film a very happy and precious, but seemingly ordinary, and always overlooked life state, that is - the whole family lives together in peace and health, although their careers are not successful, they don't have much money, they don't have any proud achievements, and they even live in a small house.
This sense of lightness can well reflect the skills of the screenwriter and director. "Stop and Go" focuses on the true portrayal of the characters, the wit of the dialogue and the subtle construction of the situation. It presents the "fights" on the table, small disputes, or the various "chicken flying and dog jumping" when Wu Di is preparing to shoot a film in a warm and lovely way, and uses a high degree of observation and sensitive capture of life details to dig out jokes from them. Ordinary life is no longer boring but bland and interesting. At the same time, through the mutual complaints and self-deprecation of the family members, the movie deals with realistic problems such as career setbacks and financial constraints in a light-hearted and humorous way, avoiding heaviness and depression, and instead creating an optimistic and relaxed attitude towards life, which makes people smile.
However, at the end of the movie, there is an unexpected event that caught the characters and the audience off guard. Such accidents are part of life. It is often because of such accidents that we suddenly realize that a family living together in peace and security is a gift of happiness and a gift of life.
Although my mother talks about Wu Di, she actually accepts Wu Di in any way.
This turn of events in the movie is the climax of the plot and the sublimation of the depth of emotion. The father's turn makes people cry. What should we do in the days ahead? Should we cry out to the heavens, feel sorry for ourselves, or regret our past actions? None of them. Although life cannot be the same as before and cannot be without gaps, life will not stagnate, nor will it go from relaxation and lightness to tension and heaviness.
The most valuable thing about "Stop and Go" is not only that it captures the happy daily life in a light-hearted way, but also that even when unexpected accidents occur in life, the movie still presents them in a light-hearted manner.
This led to the traffic jam scene at the end of the film, which was a natural and brilliant stroke of genius. It will definitely be one of the most unforgettable scenes in Chinese-language films this year.
Three years later, Wu Di, who had changed his identity, was driving a car. In the adjacent lane, he saw Feng Liuliu, who had gone to Beijing three years ago. Feng Liuliu's family was driving a luxury car, and there were sounds of children playing in the car. Obviously, Feng Liuliu also had a new life. Feng Liuliu also saw Wu Di. They turned their heads frequently to look at each other, but they did not look at each other and did not say hello. Silence may be the best choice. Perhaps he no longer knew how to start or what to say.
Two cars are driving side by side, shuttling between adjacent lanes. The identities of the owners, the brands of the vehicles and the pace of their travel are like a microcosm of their respective lives. It is not only an intersection and overlap in physical space, but also a vivid portrayal of their respective life journeys.
On the road of life, the moment of leading may represent the leading or success of a certain stage of life, but the subsequent staggered changes make people realize that life is never a one-way street. Everyone has his or her own rhythm and pace. Fast and slow, walking and stopping are not only a reflection of the road conditions, but also an allegory of the ups and downs and gains and losses of life.
More importantly, isn’t this kind of “stop-and-go” the most primitive and core essence of life? No matter whether the earth is collapsing or the waves are calm, life always moves forward in stops and starts; no matter what challenges we encounter, life always goes on, taking us through the congestion and moving forward.
I don’t know if Wu Di would regret not sending the WeChat message when he looked at Feng Liuliu, or feel inferior because of his current life situation? If I were him, I would feel regret and inferiority before watching Stop and Go. However, I was lucky enough to encounter Stop and Go and was deeply touched. Maybe I will slowly learn to embrace and accept everything I have with a stable and self-consistent attitude, "allow everything to happen", not imagine what has not happened, not be pessimistic and depressed in regret, just stop and go, walk out my rhythm in my life lane, and drive lightly towards my future.
