The plots were quite impressive, if only the music could be less harsh. I don’t know whether it was due to the old equipment, or the director meant to make it like this, but the plain and strident background music was too annoying to me. However, it seemed to fit the tone of the film because the story was set in the slums where everything was in a terrible mess.
Similarly, the beginning of the film was “disgusting” too. It was kind of like the beginning of Családi tüzfészek (《居巢》) directed by Bela Tarr which I saw in October. It showed the foul environment of the slaughterhouse, implying that the following scenes would not be better. Although the following plots had nothing to do with slaughterhouse, it had provided a key: violent, bloody and bare.
One interesting thing was that all the male actors were muscular. Maybe that fitted the taste of the director who was homosexual? Interestingly, not all the muscular men were strong enough. Insiang’s lover (can’t remember his name) was particularly useless, and so was the man whose family owned a store. Both men loved Insiang but they could do nothing to save Insiang. Dado was strong but was eventually killed by Tonia. All men in the film appeared “negative” which also made the story a tragedy.
Insiang was absolutely a tragic girl. Watching her leaving the prison after visiting her prisoner mother, we don’t know what her life would be. What made her life so dramatic? Her mother? Dado? Or her lover? Actually this is a normal case in Philippines at that time. The director was intent to choose every normal aspect to represent a normal girl and her life. Since it was normal, the tragedy was obviously due to the society.
Similarly, the beginning of the film was “disgusting” too. It was kind of like the beginning of Családi tüzfészek (《居巢》) directed by Bela Tarr which I saw in October. It showed the foul environment of the slaughterhouse, implying that the following scenes would not be better. Although the following plots had nothing to do with slaughterhouse, it had provided a key: violent, bloody and bare.
One interesting thing was that all the male actors were muscular. Maybe that fitted the taste of the director who was homosexual? Interestingly, not all the muscular men were strong enough. Insiang’s lover (can’t remember his name) was particularly useless, and so was the man whose family owned a store. Both men loved Insiang but they could do nothing to save Insiang. Dado was strong but was eventually killed by Tonia. All men in the film appeared “negative” which also made the story a tragedy.
Insiang was absolutely a tragic girl. Watching her leaving the prison after visiting her prisoner mother, we don’t know what her life would be. What made her life so dramatic? Her mother? Dado? Or her lover? Actually this is a normal case in Philippines at that time. The director was intent to choose every normal aspect to represent a normal girl and her life. Since it was normal, the tragedy was obviously due to the society.
Lino Brocka，菲律宾电影导演，不仅是东南亚也是亚洲最重要导演之一，可与黑泽明，雷伊，侯孝贤这些导演并列，但知名度要小很多，原因在于他的电影一直很难被看到。直到斯科塞斯的world cinema project挖掘其最重要的俩部作品，并由美国的CC和英国的BFI发行蓝光。Brocka经常被拿来和法斯宾德比较，和后者一样，俩人都是天才导演，都是工作狂，都是电影电视剧场都做，都是较早去世。说他是天才只要看看下列这组数字就知道了：拍摄Insiang的时候，他只花了11天时间，拍摄所用胶卷与成片比例是1.33:1，拍完14天就进院线。如果考虑到电影如此出色，这组数据几乎是不可思议的。
8.5分。天山电影院，菲律宾大师展，4k修复版。n诗意与碎片媾和的生活，贫苦与渴望铺展的街道，布罗卡用带血的屠刀切开生命的肚皮，流淌而出的，是人性中沾腥的恶血。n展现家长里短的残暴，布罗卡比小津更现实，上演颓废社会的呐喊，布罗卡比新现实主义更绝望。一出对三位男性的复仇，揭示了被男权凌辱的被损害的英湘们。n出色优美的旋律仿佛新现实主义附体，当主题一遍遍响起之时，正如英湘一次次挣扎于男性的承诺与谎言之门，又暗示了如英湘们的一幕幕悲剧还在此起彼伏的上演。n社会造就的女性堕落，就让女性自身完成救赎之道。只是最后母女的拥抱，是对内心真正的放下与和解，还是对残酷生活之路流下的无奈的眼泪？n片头屠宰场的镜头与片尾的刺杀遥相呼应，如果人本身只是一具行尸走肉，情和欲将安身立命在何处？n剧本和台词大赞，演员的表演功不可没，英湘那倔，耿，痴，忧的眼神洞穿了时间的隧道，成为对命运永久的叩问。加上大荧幕上美轮美奂的修复画面，此种视听与观影拓展，夫复何求？
看完《英湘》，习惯性地跑到豆瓣来写评论，看到不少豆友的短评与我的内心评价相去甚远。
虽然我看的电影和豆瓣上很多动辄一两千部观影记录的豆友们相去甚远，但是也算自觉有分辨好电影和烂电影的审美。观看《英湘》的过程中，我自始至终却也未能把它与狗血剧联系在一起。看完一些评论，细想之下，其剧情的确与一些”八点档“有相似之处，但是究其根本，它们之间又有本质上的区别。在此罗列一二，与有幸观看本片的豆友们分享拙见：
屠宰场与菜市场
电影以血腥的屠宰场开场，英湘的母亲是在此间菜场里卖菜的小贩，暗示了其母的“动物性欲望”与“强势”的性格。菜场里人头攒动，母亲便是在这样的工作环境下支撑起家庭的开销，养大英湘。恶劣的生存条件，让母亲变得不近人情，自私自利。电影一开始，母亲便赶走了从乡下来的穷亲戚，却又把自己的小男友带回了家。
菜场在电影后半段再次出现，是英湘被男友毕博抛弃之后。回到家中的英湘与母亲暂且和解，她便跟随母亲到菜场卖菜。与母亲一同在菜场卖菜的英湘，何不是母亲年轻时刚刚担起生活重担时的样子。吵杂的菜场从来没有罗曼蒂克和对未来的美好幻想，只剩零星琐碎的生存现实——那是亲眼目睹母亲从少妇变成老妪的地方。
夜间的水龙头
电影里，英湘的母亲对英湘说要洗澡，让英湘放水。实则是母亲晚上要与小情人云雨，想借着水声掩盖，以防被外人听到。英湘每次开完水龙头，便躺到床上，辗转反侧，偶尔还会听到母亲的呻吟声。这时候的英湘会在思考什么呢？
联系到英湘与男友之间的关系。英湘天生丽质，但是感情却并不比旁人顺遂多少。男友毕博三番两次约会英湘，想与英湘在电影院幽会，共享二人世界，却屡次被英湘抗拒。这一行为与中国文化中女性的矜持略有不同的是，英湘的这种抗拒反而与电影院中其他的情侣格格不入了。
也许便是母亲的这种对于欲望的放纵，让英湘对于“性”产生了抵触情绪。水龙头这一细节的安排，让英湘的性格里深深烙下了对于人性欲望的克制，为故事之后的转折奠定了前调。
母亲的眼泪与英湘的背影
母亲最后因为杀死了情人入狱，英湘到狱中探望母亲，告诉母亲这一切都是自己一手策划。母亲听完仍坚持说自己不后悔，而英湘却后悔地哭了起来。被英湘抱着的母亲却生硬地转过了头，并没有半点示弱。直到英湘离去，擦干了眼泪（不想被外人看到），渐行渐远，母亲才隔着监狱的铁栏，望着女儿的背影，流下了眼泪。
强势的母亲为何在最后流泪。那是深藏她内心的属于女性的脆弱，长久以来，被埋在了恶劣生活环境的废墟之下。母亲在电影里仿佛一直只是“恶言恶语”，"残酷无情“，”纵欲无度“的化身，但最终看着自己唯一亲人的离去（母亲之前一直强势地不让女儿离开自己，可以说是自私，但是其中也参杂了对于失去的害怕），女性的柔弱又再次浮现出来，让人动容。
简要举例的这三个细节，都是狗血的八点档里很少会去着力刻画的。这些安安静静的细节描绘远比大吵大闹的撕逼战让人动情，也许这就是狗血剧与戛纳电影节的距离吧。