Original title: What is difficult to shoot in a suspense film is logic and emotion (theme)
Zhang Mo directed “Rescuing the Suspect” to bring a case within a case to a conclusion (subtitle)
Beijing Evening News reporter Wang Jinyue
A case full of suspense involved three families. In the conflict between love and law, they all made their own choices. This is the core of the story of the currently being screened movie “Rescuing the Suspect”. The film’s director, Zhang Mo, said in an exclusive interview with reporters that his original intention in creating the film was to use this story to show the imperfections of human nature. “Although the actions of each parent in the film are extreme or even wrong, I believe that everyone’s actions are extreme and even wrong.” There is a surge of energy in my heart, which is the giving of love.”
The ending intentionally explains the whole story clearly
After co-directing the movie “Sniper” with his father Zhang Yimou, Zhang Mo chose the suspense crime theme for his new film. “I like to challenge various types of movies, and suspense movies are my favorite theme. , I am confident that I can do it well.” The first movie she directed was the romance film “28 Years Old”, which earned 129 million yuan at the box office. It was a good start for a new director, but she didn’t want to repeat the same genre.
Zhang Mo did a lot of preparatory work for the filming of “Rescuing the Suspect”. She watched many excellent domestic and foreign films of the same theme and summed up some rules herself. In her opinion, an excellent suspense movie must do two key parts well. The first is to pay attention to the connection between emotion and logic. “Every time the audience sees a reversal, they must know that the emotions of the characters and the logic of the story are possible and logical, which is what we often call understanding in seconds. , only in this way can the narrative enter the next link. In this way, the story can gradually reach its climax.” The second is to make new ideas in telling the story. After all, countless movies with similar themes have been made. The most important thing is to find the audience’s empathy and make people feel original.
Some suspense movies like to use open endings, leaving enough room for the audience’s imagination. However, Zhang Mo used another ending method in this film, which is to explain the entire story very clearly, allowing the audience to fully understand the ins and outs of the story. For this reason, at the end of the film, she deliberately added a scene where Lin Shu’e, played by Hui Yinghong, gets along with the daughter of the lawyer Chen Zhiqi who was kidnapped by her for a few days. As time goes by, her feelings for the little girl become deeper and deeper. . “The perspective we saw earlier was from the perspective of mother Chen Zhiqi. Her heart was full of anxiety, but I think the audience would unconsciously want to see how her daughter lived during the five days she was kidnapped. Only by showing this part, the whole story will be complete. This is a big emotional point, which is crucial to understanding Lin Shu’e’s heart.”
Zhang Mo is one of the screenwriters of “Rescuing Suspect” and she wrote the first eight drafts of the script herself. She wrote a total of 17 drafts of the entire script, and the ending of the story was only thought of when she was writing the seventh draft. She revealed that until the time of filming, she was still debating whether to film it, because it would take an extra day of filming. Fortunately, Hui Yinghong liked the scene very much and suggested that she film it, saying that she was not afraid of acting, so Zhang Mo filmed it.
It’s very reassuring to work with Hui Yinghong and Zhang Xiaofei.
In the film, the two mothers, Chen Zhiqi and Lin Shue, are undoubtedly the most important characters. Because his daughter was kidnapped, one had to act against his will as a defense lawyer for Dan Wen, who had been sentenced to death in the first instance; the other, because his daughter was killed, took risks and planned a kidnapping case. In Zhang Mo’s heart, Hui Yinghong is Lin Shu’e’s best choice. After reading the script, Hui Yinghong felt that this character was very powerful and quickly agreed.
Zhang Mo had previously watched Zhang Xiaofei’s performance in “Hello, Li Huanying” directed by Jia Ling. At the end of the film, the mother Li Huanying played by Zhang Xiaofei said when arguing with her daughter, “Don’t choose my destiny for me. My destiny is very different.” Okay” This line moved Zhang Mo for a long time. She felt that this was the real mother, gentle and tolerant. “Zhang Xiaofei is soft on the outside but strong on the inside. The whole scene is her true character.”
Zhang Mo once heard Zhang Xiaofei say in an interview that he wanted to expand his acting career and wanted to try suspense movies, so he approached her after writing the first draft of the script. After reading it, Zhang Xiaofei asked Zhang Mo: “How do you want to shoot Chen Zhiqi?” Zhang Mo told her that he wanted to hear her opinion first. Zhang Xiaofei said that she particularly did not want to play this character as a single lawyer. “She hopes that in court, Chen Zhiqi will be a very sharp professional lawyer, but in life, she will be an ordinary mother.” This is in line with Zhang Mo’s thoughts. It coincided with each other, and the two quickly reached a consensus.
Zhang Mo felt particularly at ease working with excellent actors. “The director’s job actually serves the actors. You must give trust and tolerance to the actors, leave the stage to them, and let the actors perform according to their understanding. Actors like Hui Yinghong and Zhang Xiaofei, their careers It takes even longer than me, and they will always give you a quality guarantee,” Zhang Mo said.
In the ending scene, on the second day that Lin Shu’e got along with Chen Zhiqi’s daughter, she burst into tears as she stared blankly at the photo of her murdered daughter. During normal performances, Zhang Mo always requires the camera to be on to capture the actors’ expressions at any time. But that day, everyone was so shocked by Hui Yinghong’s performance that they actually forgot to turn on the phone. Just when Zhang Mo felt very sorry, Hui Yinghong told her that it didn’t matter, she would cry better next time. “Sister Hong’s second performance was more layered.” Zhang Mo praised.
For a movie, creating believable characters is the most important thing. Although the three parents in the film are not perfect on a human level, what Zhang Mo wants to convey to the audience most is their dedication and love for their children. “In fact, in the real world, none of us are perfect, have shortcomings, and are multi-faceted, but it is this kind of ultimate love that makes us feel the value and beauty of family ties.” Zhang Mo said.
