If only I could call my mother again.

In the 1990s, a small village in Wushan County, 12-year-old girl Li Dongmei, spent seven days from her last meal with her mother to her death. My mother died in childbirth, and the fifth girl ran away from home. My father who went out to work came back and cried in front of his dead wife's grave. As the eldest daughter, Dong Mei said to her father, "I will be as filial to you as my son."

Later, Li Dongmei became the only child in the village who was admitted to a university and went to a big city. At the age of 3/kloc-0, she gave up her stable job and chose to study abroad and watch movies. At the age of 40, she made her childhood experience into a feature film debut "Mom and Seven Days".

"Mom and Seven Days" poster

The just-concluded Gothenburg Film Festival is the only international Class A film festival in Northern Europe. As the only China film, "Mom and Seven Days" was shortlisted and finally won the "ingmar bergman" international debut award, and she became the first China director to win the award.

Goldberg wrote in his acceptance speech: "Through frank expression and brave minimalism, the director conveyed a true feeling full of introspection and invited all of us to feel it emotionally, intellectually and even instinctively. The audience is immersed in an immersive, emotional and contemplative experience, which is as close as possible to what the film art expects. "

Director Li Dongmei's acceptance speech at Gothenburg Film Festival.

Previously, the film made a stunning appearance at Venice Film Festival, and won the Fei Mu Prize for Best Film at Pingyao International Film Festival last year. Li Dongmei, who faced the pain directly with the film, also accepted and released himself with this film.

The mother of "half a family" and the girl who didn't grow up

"For me, Mom is more than just a movie. It is part of the memory precipitation. " Li Dongmei defined this novel as her first feature film. This part is pain, which she could not cope with for a long time when she was growing up. But she always knew that in the face of this pain, she should have a choice. "One is to turn your back on it and the other is to face it. When I had enough courage to face it, I decided to start writing this script. This is the initial starting point and a commemoration and farewell. "

Stills of "Mom and Seven Days"

The film almost completely restored her last childhood memories of her mother, which began in the second week of Li Dongmei Middle School. Before leaving home, she had a meal with her mother, grandmother and sisters. In the movie, my mother is silent, with simple ear-length short hair, charitable eyes, a big belly, often doing housework, and occasionally sitting in a daze.

Stills of "Mom and Seven Days"

Li Dongmei remembers that their family was almost the only one in the village without a son. When a mother has a friction with someone, the other party will call her "half home". Half a family means that a family without a son is incomplete, which is a humiliating thing in that small mountain village.

In the memory of Li Dongmei's growing up, it is common for her mother to get pregnant again and again and wait for her younger brother to be born. Every time the mother is pregnant, the expectation for the boy always shows on the old man's face. Because she is pregnant, Dong Mei, as her sister, has to live with her sisters. When my mother was in labor for the fifth time, Sisicai 1 was still in foster care with relatives. Dong Mei took the second and third sisters across the long mountain road to go to school and play. They still don't know the cruelty of life and look innocent.

Dad goes out to work, and the old people are doing idle work. Mom is pregnant, and life flows silently. It was so quiet before the ending that she didn't realize it was a passing by.

On the night of delivery, my mother's placenta fell into the uterus. It's a long way to the town hospital. Four men next door held up their mother on a sliding pole, and the journey on the mountain road seemed to be in the foreseeable future. Grandma ran after her mother with a flashlight, and the light of the flashlight fell far behind in the dark, getting farther and farther. ...

In fact, grandma's house is already in the town, which is close to the hospital. My aunt and uncle called and disagreed with her mother's giving birth at her grandmother's house, on the grounds that it would be "bad for her family" for her married daughter to give birth at her parents' house. So, grandma accompanied her mother to grandma's house in the mountains, which is at least ten kilometers from here to the town hospital.

"When I came home five days later, my mother was gone. My sister and I came back from school, and the mother we just met five days ago has turned into a corpse, lying in the corner of the house. Several hours ago, the doctor announced her death. My sister and I knelt on the ground and began to cry. I can't believe this is a fact. "

Before the mother gave birth, an aunt in the neighbor's house also experienced childbirth and gave birth to a stillbirth. The family is very sad, and the birth and funeral of the child are held together. That's another family's sad song.

Stills of "Mom and Seven Days"

Starting from the seven days of the movie, it is the life of Li Dongmei and his sisters. The year my mother left, Li Dongmei 12 years old. From then on, she said that there was a little girl in her heart who was forever 12 years old, staying in the abyss and unable to grow up. "I think, when I was growing up, I always felt guilty. I've been thinking that if I were a son, my mother wouldn't suffer so much from behind. I think my sisters have them, too. We didn't communicate this matter, but this feeling of guilt and pain has been hanging over us. "

3 1 year-old film director and 20-year-old editor are crazy.

In the movie, Xiaoxian, the incarnation of Li Dongmei, comforted his father who was crying at his mother's grave and said, "I will be as filial to you as a son in the future." . In life, Li Dongmei can't remember whether she really had a chance to say this sentence to her father for a long time, but at the moment when she decided to make this film, it was a line that she had to put in.

Stills of "Mom and Seven Days"

Movies are always used to interpret dreams. Someone used it to make up for a nightmare.

Li Dongmei is very strong. He has studied well since he was a child. She is the first college student in that small village. She went to Chengdu to study British and American literature and became an English teacher after graduation. She likes teaching, and also benefits from her good English, and sees a bigger world. But she's still sad.

"I think my heart actually hurts, and I have been stuck in that place. I didn't know what to do, so I was particularly uneasy for a long time. This kind of anxiety is close to the feeling of despair, a way, an exit. "

By chance, her foreign language tutor found that she was very attentive when looking at some natural landscapes such as flowers and plants. That kind of concentration is calm, which is very different from her usual anxiety. So he suggested that Li Dongmei could try to learn photography.

Li Dongmei found her interest in images from the beginning of her contact with photography, but she seems to prefer telling stories to photography. And in the story she wants to tell, there are some things that are extremely important to her life.

So Li Dongmei, 3 1 year-old, did something that surprised people around him, quit his job and went to Australia to watch movies. "I went to school to resign and the principal asked me what I was going to do. I said I was going to learn movies. Now think about that scene, it may be quite funny. " This is the late rebellion of the lovely girl Li Dongmei.

She was admitted to the director department of Melbourne University. As an undergraduate, she is an older student in her class. Not only is she old, but she knows almost nothing about movies. Many local students have had good shooting practice in high school. "At that time, I couldn't tell the specifications of various movies, and I didn't understand many movie terms, let alone genres, but I never doubted my original decision." Li Dongmei is very grateful for the film education in the school. "It protects me very well. What I want to express, what I am interested in, has never been denied. "

Li Dongmei's films are very special.

Stills of "Mom and Seven Days"

"Mom and Seven Days" is not a "good-looking" movie, with fixed shots, panoramic views and long shots, and nothing fancy. Mountain roads, vegetation, a dish and a meal, or people who walk or sit quietly, even have little language, and there is no music and other auxiliary plot means. Minimalism and natural aesthetics add an expression of the author to the film.

In fact, this very personal and subtle emotion is the skill and charm of this seemingly simple film, which captures the flow of time and some truth of life with the lens.

The filming took 1 1 day, and one year later. In this editing work, which does not need any special effects and many scenes do not need editing, editing is extremely painful. At an internal sharing meeting at Pingyao Film Festival, the editing guy in his twenties complained that the pace of director Li Dongmei was too slow. "After the film was arranged at the beginning, there was almost no adjustment, and there was no skill in sound and painting. Editing took a year, almost all in the selection of editing points. In almost every scene, the director asked me to multiply 1.5 to double the time. It may be that life experiences are different and I feel the rhythm. These contents, such as eating, sleeping and walking, have extended the time several times, which may be the reason for the silence of the film.

Stills of "Mom and Seven Days"

For such a choice, Li Dongmei said that it followed intuition and tried to restore memento mori, who was deeply rooted in the bone marrow. The length of time not only explains the content, but also affects the viewer's feelings. "It's not that I chose such an aesthetic, but that I have such an important experience in my life that I have the ability to complete such a film." But she also knows that "editors in their twenties will be driven crazy by a 40-year-old director of mine."

When the film was first shown in Venice, it surprised the western audience. In issue 5438+00 of June 2020, the editor-in-chief Marcos Uzal published an article Vacance de Venice, saying that his mother had met his greatest expectation for the Venice Film Festival-enlightenment. "At first glance," Mom and Seven Days ",which was shot with a distant and quiet fixed long lens, will soon be classified as a well-known rural chronicle film in China. But this feeling of deja vu will soon be forgotten, because the expression of this film is out of the pursuit of purity and minimalism, and it is by no means flattering and artificial ... Its narrative technique will remind us of Hou Xiaoxian's early chronicle works, in which the story unfolds at a certain time, death is caught as a gap in the timeline, and the core is indifference to the surrounding environment. "

10.5 million policy mortgage loan and bonus.

The birth of this film is not only difficult to explore the spiritual level of its own traumatic experience, but also difficult to make a film.

When introducing the film to the media, Wu Jueren, a film selector in Pingyao, said, "It started with an insurance policy." After Li Dongmei decided to shoot Mom, she became "anxious". Although a friend suggested that she go to some venture capital to find money slowly, it must be done at once for her. "Writing a script has accumulated a lot of strength and emotion. If I don't do it right away, I'm afraid I won't do it in the future. " Li Dongmei made nine short films in one breath, starting from college. The preparation time of short films often takes half a year, while the preparation period of "Mom" is only three months. "I told my friends that it was like talking about an online dating. If you don't show up, you may have no strength for a while and it will be yellow. "

So she mortgaged Simei's insurance policy and got the insurance of155,000 yuan. From the beginning of writing Mom, Li Dongmei devoted all his energy to pure creation. Earlier, she did some business, took over some jobs, and saved up to maintain her creation for a period of time. "Life is quite comfortable and I am quite confident." Li Dongmei knows what he wants, earns money to study, knows that with savings, he can create with more peace of mind, and also knows that he can choose concentration and purity without being involved in material anxiety.

Pingyao took the bonus, and Li Dongmei said, "Great, if you have money, you can return the flowers." When asked about her financial situation, she was also very frank. "Spend money, borrow money and make small loans in turn. Every month depends on the minimum repayment amount of this month. " Mom is her favorite movie. Facing this, it is not just a movie, but a part of her life. She must be true to her feelings and have no choice of "market prospect". Not financing may be the simplest way to remain pure.

Li Dongmei at Pingyao Film Festival.

Mom and Seven Days was a special existence at Pingyao Film Festival last year. In addition to being the winner of the "Feimu Honor" award, it first encountered a refund, and the number of screenings was changed to some kind of code word "Hidden Dragon B", which created a legend of "the largest number of people leaving the scene" during the screening process. Those who stay behind will be firmly nailed to their seats by the silent and heroic ending of the film, saturated with a deep and compassionate atmosphere coming back from the battle, and recall the preciousness and cruelty of those once "sleepy" daily lives.

Cheng Qingsong, the film director, cried with Li Dongmei in her arms after the premiere. "For a woman of that age, such a move made me feel a little embarrassed, but I was very moved." Li Dongmei said. There are audiences who haven't bought tickets, waiting outside the movie palace and wanting to see the director. "I talked to many viewers. I don't think I've talked to so many people in my life. Each of them is so sincere. Many people told me that they saw themselves in this movie and saw the painful experiences in their lives. "

When talking about the feedback of film harvest, Li Dongmei said, please help me to thank them again in the article if possible. They like this movie, and I think everyone is an "Fei Mu honor". Some fans go to Li Dongmei with notebooks or ticket stubs to ask for autographs. Some people will want her to write another sentence. Li Dongmei will tell them, "Be brave."

"This is my biggest gain in making this film. If you think something is important to you, do it. The whole shooting process gave me a great sense of strength. I feel that my former self is wandering, helpless and my life is out of control. But after this filming, I began to feel that I also had the strength to do something that others might find difficult to do. " Li Dongmei said.

On the day of interviewing Li Dongmei, it was late at night in Pingyao. We hid in the "small cave" in the interview room of the film palace. We talked in the dark and couldn't find the switch. We could see the light in her eyes. As she said, there is a 12-year-old girl who stayed in her body and failed to grow up, so she is sincere, keen and naive. There are some dialogues below, about movies, about Li Dongmei, or about some unspeakable pain.

Li Dongmei is on the set of Mom and Seven Days.

have a conversation

Thesis: In the movie, you told your father that "you should be filial to him like a son". What happened to your relationship with your father? At that time, you should not clearly understand the root of the tragedy you are facing. When did you start to have some introspection or critical consciousness?

Li Dongmei: I don't hate my father, but I always feel guilty about myself. This kind of guilt has always made me a person who is hard to be happy, and it really has a great influence on me. But I think if I am mature enough, I will never criticize my father.

I can criticize such thoughts, but I can't criticize my relatives. Because my father has his cognitive limitations, my grandfather has his cognitive limitations, and my mother is resigned because she loves my father deeply. You can't criticize these people. Once criticized, you only aim at one concept.

Actually, I can understand my father. He has his own sufferings. He is a biographer himself. He is the only man in my grandfather's generation. They also live in anxiety all their lives, and they are all the same victims. I really understand their difficulties. And in that environment, I can't say that my mother didn't resist. She has no consciousness or strength.

Newspaper: This film won an award. What was Dad's reaction?

Li Dongmei: My dad is actually worried that I will criticize him with this movie, so he hasn't seen it yet. He didn't really want me to shoot this clip. But I told him on WeChat that I won the lottery, and he gave me a "like" and a strawberry bear gave me a thumb. (He gestured with an expression pack. )

Paper: The film Mom is a very personal memory, and your personal experience is almost the most important and powerful part of this film. But then, as a director, can this creative way continue and be copied after stripping this life experience?

Li Dongmei: It is true that this film was created by this personal experience and intuition, but I believe many people have experienced the same thing, but why didn't they choose to make a film? I don't think the content is the most important. This content is the experience in my life, but the form of expression is the rhythm and structure created by my creator. What I show you and when I show it to you are part of my work as a director.

If you just talk about the content, the content of this film can be finished in 5 minutes. Why did I speak for two hours 13 minutes? That's my work. Of course, this is actually an origin in my life experience, so I don't think I am very worried about my future. This birth is closely related to me, but it is not a copy of my life experience. I also believe that the film "Mom and Seven Days" seems to be talking about those seven days of life, and the feelings seem very personal, but I believe that it expresses not only personal trifles, but what will eventually be formed must be higher than this.

Stills of "Mom and Seven Days"

Thesis: When you talk about "origin", can you tell me what kind of influence it has had on you later?

Li Dongmei: I grew up as a really insecure child. I remember two things that had a great influence on me. My trust in the world completely collapsed. One is that my mother died, we had dinner together a few days ago, and suddenly came home from school without her; The other is the Sichuan earthquake. At this time, I discovered that the land that looks so solid is actually so fragile. This has created a melancholy background in my character. This color may gradually calm down and fade, but it will not disappear.

Thesis: Is it cruel or beneficial to reproduce this experience?

Li Dongmei: I think so. During the filming, I went back to that place to find out the time and feelings at that time. I feel horrible. Actually, I seldom stay near the monitor when shooting. Before making a movie, I gave myself an expectation. Maybe after this movie, I will miss my mother less. In fact, some emotions have indeed been alleviated, but what I miss is the background color. Maybe when I grow up, I won't say I miss my mother today, but I may feel subconsciously all the time that if I can call my mother again, I will envy all children with mothers.

Stills of "Mom and Seven Days"

Proofreading: Zhang