Although you still have about 20 days to see Feng Xiaogang's "I'm Not Pan Jinlian", I saw the film early because I was in Toronto.

Hello everyone, I am Your Highness. Thanks to Sister Tao’s help, this year, I made my appearance at the Toronto Film Festival as a media member. Although this is not the first time to attend the Toronto Film Festival, it is quite enjoyable to meet more stars and even talk to them as a media. In the next few days, I also recorded my trip to Toronto in a diary to bring you a first-hand Toronto movie experience.

According to past practice, Chinese-language films screened in Toronto are actually not that popular. But "I'm Not Pan Jinlian" is a little surprising. Tickets for the film's premiere have been sold out early. A few friends from the media almost didn’t buy tickets. I had to wait to get up early on the opening day and queue up at the ticket office before 7 o'clock to buy it. Nearly 2,000 seats at the Princess of Wales Theater where the show was being held were packed.

Even the red carpet was much more lively than in previous years. There were already a lot of people crowded 2 hours before the opening. After Fan Bingbing entered the media area to take photos, she couldn't resist the enthusiasm of the audience and came back to sign autographs while dragging her skirt.

From these details, you can also see the popularity of "I'm Not Pan Jinlian". When the artistic chairman of TIFF introduced Feng Xiaogang, he called him China's Spielberg. Well, that's what they said.

The movie-watching experience of more than two hours was also very relaxing, and Director Feng's unique black humor also made the audience laugh continuously.

In terms of look and feel, this should be the most distinctive Feng Xiaogang movie in recent years. It is not an urban comedy like "If You Are the One" or "Private Order", which relies on tongue-in-cheek to make the audience laugh. Instead, it delivers comedy effects through a more formal, black humorous approach.

Just like the poster above, it also has a strong sense of irony. Is Li Xuelian in the middle a joke, or are the surrounding ones a joke? I believe you will make your own judgment.

The film continues the repetitive style of Liu Zhenyun's novels, and the plot is introduced with director Feng Xiaogang's voiceover from the very beginning. Feng Xiaogang is like a storyteller, telling a story about Li Xuelian not Pan Jinlian. Today's Golden Horse Best Actor still has quite a lot of experience in shaping his voice. The voice-over in the background is very precise, and he really looks like a storyteller.

Tell the audience a contemporary legendary story in the way of a storyteller. This is also the intention of "I'm Not Pan Jinlian".

Through storytelling, the film creates a sense of distance. Although the people, things here, the plots and characters are all very real and familiar, they may even make you feel familiar. But in this movie, there is always a sense of distance. You always feel like you are watching this story from a distance, like absurd realism, like a joke.

Of course, what attracts more attention is the circular format of the film.

This is well known to the public in the trailer, and it is also the part that everyone is most concerned about at the beginning. Before watching it, many people were worried whether the audience would be a little uncomfortable with this overly self-contained circular format. However, judging from the on-site impressions, everyone can rest assured.

Although the film uses a rare circular format, it doesn't feel too awkward when watching it. In order to match the circular composition, the film also intentionally uses less close-ups, close-ups, and shots with too much movement. More mid-range or long shots can still ensure the amount of information in the shot. At the same time, the circular composition corresponds to the traditional Chinese circular windows, traditional culture and retro feeling, and more importantly, the voyeuristic perspective.

This becomes another function of circular composition, just like the screenshot above, you can call it a round window or a keyhole perspective, and its meaning is voyeurism. The audience is called a voyeuristic bystander, observing the bizarre and absurd world presented in the film, the so-called mirror flower, water moon. This has also become one of the great features of the film.

In addition, there is another very important thing, that is, you have all been deceived! ! !

At first, we all thought this was a movie with a circular composition from beginning to end. In fact, that's not the case at all. The composition of the film is far more complicated than we imagined. In fact, this movie not only has a circular composition, but also a square composition, and there are two transitions between the circular composition and the square composition. And at the end, normal full frame appeared.

Although, frame changes have been the mainstream of world cinema in recent years, whether it is "The Grand Budapest Hotel" or "Mountains and Rivers""Old Friend", as well as films such as "Mommy" and "Nie Yinniang" have all used the trick of changing the frame. However, the transformation between circles and squares in "I'm Not Pan Jinlian" is still very unique.

More importantly, this change serves the plot. The circular composition is the part of Li Xuelian in the countryside, both circular and Jiangnan.

When does it change to a square composition?

Enter Beijing!

In the film, Li Xuelian went to Beijing twice, and the picture became square twice. Why you can change your mind as soon as you enter Beijing is interesting. I guess you will have your own experiences by then, so I won’t over-restrict you. Also, the transition between circles and squares in the film is not very rigid and happens all at once. It still involves transitions of shapes. For example, if the camera pans through a round window, the frame will also become round. From these details, we can also see that the creator put a lot of thought into it.

I like this still very much. It represents the ethos of the entire film, a strong irony and formal irony. This is the most rare thing for Chinese-language movies today. The comedy elements of the film are basically like this. The film is a bit back to Feng Xiaogang during the "Chicken Feathers" period, paying attention to the affairs of ordinary people, talking about the subtle Chinese-style interpersonal relationships, and the so-called officialdom culture. Although there are elements of humor and comedy here, there is always a bit of black humor and the helplessness and bitterness of life.

So, we will always say that this is the furthest that Feng Xiaogang has gone in terms of form and material selection among his films in recent years. As he said himself, this time he wanted to make a movie that he wanted to make and that was worth making.

Compared with those cookie-cutter comedies and romance films nowadays, this movie at least has a strong appeal and is intentional. Although it is still difficult to let go completely at the moment, movies like this still deserve respect, and we also need movies like this, and more movies like this. It can make this film market richer and more diverse.

The choice of Fan Bingbing as the heroine is somewhat surprising, because she seems to be far from the imagined Li Xuelian. On the red carpet of the premiere in Toronto, we seemed to be paying more attention to her sexy dress.

This is Bingbing

Or Bingbing like this

And like thisof Bingbing

Actually, Fan Bingbing’s performance in the film was pretty good, and it was also the circular composition and medium-long shots that made the character less stressed. Fan Bingbing in this movie has a lot of changes compared to many previous Fan Bingbing characters.

Fan Bingbing herself also thinks this is a very challenging role. According to her, when the director originally asked her to play this role, she was surprised and surprised. She herself likes to read books by teacher Liu Zhenyun, and has also read the original book "I'm Not Pan Jinlian". I already knew what the story line was, but I was still surprised that Feng Xiaogang would come to me, because although I had acted in "Apple" before, which described stories about low-level people, it was a completely different feeling from Li Xuelian.

But for her, it was very exciting and a special honor to be able to play the role of Li Xuelian. You have a lot of space and a lot of desire to realize it. To interpret this character differently and let everyone see a very different Fan Bingbing.

Friendly reminder, Fan Bingbing has such a scene in the film

I carried it naked for a long time, I don’t know if it was me. Also, the tone of this screenshot is interesting.

Except for Fan Bingbing, there are many male actors in this film, which is more like an ensemble cast. They are all passers-by on the road to Li Xuelian's complaint, including classmates, admirers, ex-husbands, judges, court presidents, county magistrates, mayors, provincial governors, etc. The men around Li Xuelian are all kinds of symbolic characters, corresponding to their respective classes and identities, which is quite interesting to interpret.

Just like the judge Wang Gongdao played by Dapeng, this kind of exaggerated and funny role is very suitable for Dapeng.

Other actors such as Zhao Lixin and Yu Hewei are also very interesting and will make you feel like you have seen them before.

Although the film still has a lot of room for improvement, in the current Chinese-language film market, this is definitely a very rare film (referring to the subject matter rather than the form). As mentioned above, our era needs movies of various themes and styles. We need not only youth films, fantasy films, and other dream-creating films, but we also need this kind of film that responds to and dialogues with the times and reality, and goes deep intoTexture works. Isn't it?

Finally, here is a record of a group interview with the main creators in Toronto to see how these main creators talked about this movie.

This group interview was conducted by our group, His Highness, on behalf of Maoyan Films, together with Sina, Tencent, Phoenix, Sohu, and Taobao Toutiao.

Reporter: How many points can Director Feng give himself this time?

Feng: It still has to be rated by the audience. It’s a bit uncomfortable to rate it yourself. This movie saw the audience for the first time yesterday, and I don’t know how it was received by everyone. But I really didn’t expect that everyone would laugh all the time.

Reporter: The original novel is not a comedy. Why does the film have so many laughs?

Feng: In fact, the novel is a very darkly humorous story. When I read the novel, I often marvel at it. What surprised me was that many foreigners were also laughing. I didn’t know if they were “infected” or if they really understood. Because the lines in this movie are sometimes difficult to translate. For example, Dapeng's line "She feels that she is a little cabbage, wronged like Dou E." Some people say that she (Li Xuelian) is the White Snake. If you translate it, foreigners will not know who these are. You have to translate it into the corresponding Western characters. But Chinese things are still Chinese. I prefer to shoot things that are related to daily life. This story may seem absurd, but it is indeed grown in Chinese soil. Only China has such a story.

Reporter: The film’s images are both round and square. Apart from the differences in shooting techniques, do you have any other interpretations?

Feng: What is your interpretation?

Reporter: Some people say that the press conference was chosen on March 14, and 3.14 happens to be the pi ratio; some people say that the release was chosen on National Day, which means "reunion."

Dapeng: Pi is the most reliable, (laughing..)

Feng: It’s all okay, all of these are okay

Reporter: There is another saying that Director Feng has begun to become "tactful". Do you feel this way?

Feng: Yes? Xu Fan must be happy to hear this, because every time I go out for interviews, she always tells me not to be sarcastic. Is it good or bad to be diplomatic?

Reporter: Neutral

Dapeng: (Director Feng) It’s round on the outside but square on the inside, but it’s still square on the inside

Reporter: In fact, Bingbing should have more say. What changes does Bingbing think Director Feng has had in his personality? Can you give an example?

Fan: I don’t think the director has become smoother, but he is softer than before. (Feng: I like this word) When the director was filming "Cell Phone", because it was my first movie, he was very kind to me, but very strict. At that time (I) was a little younger and easily nervous, so the director would teach me how to act one by one. Because he himself is more of an actor, when filming "Cell Phone", there were a lot of tone, movement and emotions, which were actually done by the director and I imitated. Including Brother You sitting there, I (the character in the play) wrote a song called "I Dedicate My Youth to You". After writing the song, I sat there and I didn't know where to put my hands. The director will always open a crack in the door for you, and then he will bring you in and let you perform your best inside. Now when we work together, although I will be nervous, I will find that the director always laughs while filming. He will have many mixed emotions, but he is always very good to me.

Reporter: I heard that the director gave you "a few rules" at the beginning, including not being able to visit the class, not wearing makeup, etc. Why did Bingbing just agree without worrying about her own image?

Feng: I didn’t say I wouldn’t let you visit, but I didn’t come. (Everyone laughed)

Fan: I think actors all have one thing in common when they are acting. (No drama is leisurely.) And they have to be divided into roles. To play each role, you have to know your own look and the "flavor" of the character. Like this movie, sometimes I feel that the character is too beautiful, and I always ask the director if he could be a little uglier. The director said, "Li Xuelian is a beauty. She is not ugly in the book, but she has a story like this."

Feng: In this film, you see that she (Fan Bingbing) is surrounded by male actors. It is divided into different stages. In each stage, there are different actors playing opposite her, so she will be very passionate about acting.

For many years, Chinese films have refused to film human characters, and they have always been talking about things. In the past, there were many films that focused on characters, such as "Li Xiangyang" and "Furong Town". Nowadays, there are very few dramas that focus on characters. For example, Zhang Hanyu's "Gu Zi Di" is one, and "Sixth Master" in "Lao Pao'er" is one. This is a character-based drama, so if the script is good, the actors are good, and everyone is good, the character will stay. But in the play "I'm Not Pan Jinlian", there are a group of characters, and they are the collective male protagonists. The three male actors won the award together for Guo Tao's performance in "Heart of the Burning Sun". Later I watched it and found that the three of them were really indistinguishable. Hopefully we can do the same this time.

Reporter: Fan Bingbing is said to be at the top of the food chain in the entertainment industryShe is a decent woman, but you chose her to play a rural woman. What do you see in her?

Feng: On the surface, I also want to give the audience a surprise. If you find an actress who everyone thinks is suitable to play this role, everyone will feel that the performance is within their imagination. But when it comes to Bingbing playing this role, everyone wonders if she can play this character because she is so beautiful. It seems that the audience accepted it yesterday, so it was a surprise for me, a surprise for the audience, and a surprise for Bingbing. But fundamentally speaking, when she was filming "Cell Phone" 12 years ago, it was her first time making a movie, and she was already very savvy, and she would be on your channel soon. So I think after so many years, Bingbing should have a lot of switches on her head. No matter which switch is turned by Director Tsui Hark, Feng Xiaogang or Li Yu, as long as she turns on our switch, she can act very well.

Reporter: I would like to ask Dapeng. I feel that Director Feng is very affectionate towards you this time. You have a male protagonist from beginning to end. Did Director Feng find you to act because he values your comedy talent?

Dapeng: I really haven’t asked the director. I received the invitation relatively early. I received the script in June 2015. The director said to try it out and see if you can play a character named Wang Gongdao. But from my point of view, I can play any famous or unknown roles, including men, women, animals and plants. Director Feng has been making comedies for 20 years. I think he has had a profound influence on me, so I would do anything to collaborate with him. I didn’t even think about whether there would be more or less drama, as long as I could act, I agreed without hesitation.

Feng: Dapeng’s sense of humor is deep in his bones, and I like some of his ways very much. Just like watching Stephen Chow in a comedy, he doesn't have much time to show his teeth and show his claws, so Ng Meng-tat is left to do it. He looks very innocent and calm. From the very beginning I was thinking that I had to find a more comical actor to play the role of Wang Gongdao. He also picked up the southern accent very well.

Reporter: I would like to ask Teacher Guo Tao a question. I just said that I had a great time filming this scene. But when I watched the premiere yesterday, there was a scene in which you and Bingbing were quarreling, and Bingbing hit you with a hot water bottle. Did you communicate in advance how the scene should be performed?

Guo: No, the movements were planned, but I didn’t expect Bingbing to be so powerful (laughs). After the performance, especially the passionate scenes, I realized that Bingbing had always been like that. Maybe it was the feeling (arrived) in the play.

Reporter: How many shots were taken?

Guo: Three or four,

Feng: The last one was actually not designed at all, and there are actually better ones that fall better than that one.

Reporter: Director Feng, will you go to the movies?

Feng: I really want to watch Eastwood's "Sully" now. I don’t really like watching fantasy, time travel, or outer space. I can't tell who is from the same group as "Star Wars", so I still like to watch dramas. The Canadian director Dolan inspired me a lot in making this film. I think he is a very good director.

Onsite reporter: Your Highness

DepartmentHigh-definition live pictures from @ Toronto photographer Eric

Rear finishing: Peach

Thank you Maoyan Films for your support and providing us with such a valuable opportunity.