洗 澡
张丹丹
一.导演、演员介绍
1.导演
张杨,中国华语影视导演,1967年出生于北京,毕业于中央戏剧学院导演系,是中国“第六代导演”的代表人物之一。1997年凭借其个人首部电影《爱情麻辣烫》荣获第18届中国电影金鸡奖最佳导演处女作奖,这也标志着他导演生涯的正式开启。1999年执导电影《洗澡》,凭借该片获得第47届圣塞巴斯蒂安国际电影节最佳导演奖,2005年凭借影片《向日葵》再次荣获该奖项。2007年执导的《落叶归根》获得第57届柏林国际电影节大观单元——天主教人道精神奖。除此之外,《昨天》《无人驾驶》《飞越老人院》等影片也是其优秀的代表作。
张杨的影片大部分都是以中国老百姓的家庭生活作为叙事的主题,从生活细小处入手刻画,塑造了一群性格鲜明的中国社会“小人物”形象,呈现出中国社会的历史人文变迁,体现了一代人的心路历程。
2.演员
朱旭,中国内地戏剧演员,在电影《洗澡》中饰演父亲老刘,1930年4月出生于辽宁沈阳,2018年9月因病逝世,享年88岁。其于1952年加入北京人民艺术剧院,成为一名话剧演员,先后参演《非这样生活不可》《女店员》《胆剑篇》《红色火车头》《骆驼祥子》等多部话剧。1991年,朱旭获得中国话剧金狮奖“演员金狮奖”。1996年参演电影《变脸》,获得第9届东京国际电影节最佳男演员奖。1999年凭借影片《洗澡》入围第20届中国电影金鸡奖最佳男主角奖,2001年凭借电影《刮痧》获得第24届大众电影百花奖最佳男配角奖。2012年参演话剧《甲子园》,这也是其参演的最后一部话剧作品。作为一名优秀的话剧表演艺术家,其一生塑造了60多个艺术角色,为中国话剧、电影艺术做出了巨大的贡献。
濮存昕,中国男演员,中国国家一级演员,在电影《洗澡》中饰演大儿子刘大明,1953年7月出生于北京,祖籍江苏南京。自1991年起参演过《清凉寺的钟声》《三国演义》《与往事干杯》《洗澡》《一轮明月》等十多部影视作品。曾任北京人民艺术剧院副院长,现任中国文学艺术界联合会第十届全委会委员、副主席,中国戏剧家协会主席,中国电影家协会副会长等职务。
姜武,原名姜小兵,中国内地影视男演员,在电影《洗澡》中饰演二儿子刘二明,1969年11月出生于河北唐山,1994年,从北京电影学院表演系毕业。1999年因出演电影《洗澡》而广为人知,其也凭借此片获得了第5届中国长春电影节最佳男配角奖,第7届北京大学生最佳男演员,以及第8届中国电影表演艺术学会凤凰奖表演学会奖。除此之外,其还参演过《美丽新世界》《5颗子弹》《我的唐朝兄弟》《别了温哥华》《天注定》《狭路相逢》等优秀影片,荣获多项国内外大奖。其哥哥姜文,也是优秀的华语电影导演及演员,2010年,其参演了哥哥姜文导演的黑色喜剧电影《让子弹飞》,饰演武举人。
【参考文献】
[1] 百度百科.张杨[DB/OL].[2020-09-24].
[2] 百度百科.朱旭[DB/OL].[2020-09-24].
[3] 百度百科.濮存昕[DB/OL].[2020-09-24].
[4] 百度百科.姜武[DB/OL].[2020-09-24].
二.电影梗概
电影《洗澡》是由西安电影制片厂出品,张杨执导,姜武、朱旭、濮存昕主演的剧情片,影片于1999年9月14日在加拿大上映。影片以北京一个普通的老澡堂——“清水池”为背景,讲述了20世纪末北京的邻里百态和父子、兄弟之间感人的亲情故事。
老刘是“清水池”这个澡堂子的老板,是京城搓澡行业的一把手。他早年丧偶,育有两个儿子。长子刘大明离家南下多年,只有智商低下的小儿子刘二明陪在他的身边。老刘颇感晚景凄凉,但幸好还有一群多年的老朋友经常过来光顾,大家经常在这里泡澡、看报、听曲、下棋、睡觉、喝茶、斗蛐蛐,澡堂成为大家相聚的好地方,令老刘感到几许喜悦。
一天,大明突然从南方回来,原来是二明发给他的一张明信片让他误以为父亲病逝,所以匆忙回来。大明年轻时因为南下一事跟老刘闹过争执,多年来他也没有回来看望过父亲,大明面对迟暮的父亲、痴呆的弟弟和破败的澡堂子,毫无久留之心,稍作安顿便准备返程。老刘对此很是失落,但并没有阻拦大明。一天大雨的晚上,大明和老刘一起修缮屋顶,两人解开了心结。第二天老刘突然犯病,又不愿意去医院,大明只有推迟回深圳的计划,留下来照顾父亲、弟弟和澡堂子。而从这之后,大明才开始真正接触澡堂子、接触洗澡,接触在这里洗澡的形形色色的人,也才开始试图去了解父亲,并渐渐产生出一种发自内心的感动。不久后,老澡堂子面临被拆迁的境况,老刘表示坚决不和澡堂子分开,但就在这个时候,已是风烛残年的他再次犯病,忽然离开了人世。
老刘离开后,澡堂也开不下去,没了往日的热闹。如何照顾弟弟也成为摆在大明面前的问题,痴傻的二明肯定不能一个人生活,但是大明年轻的时候怕丢脸,并没有跟自己媳妇坦白弟弟是傻子的事实,如果他直接把二明带回去,媳妇肯定接受不了。因此他打算先回深圳跟媳妇说明情况,然后再把二明接过去,可他又不想麻烦邻居们照顾二明,思来想去将二明暂时托付给了福利院。结果在回深圳的路上,大明还是放心不下,返回了福利院,正巧碰见护士正在抓二明,看到弟弟被按在地上的场面,大明心里很不是滋味。回家后打电话跟媳妇坦白了一切,媳妇显然接受不了这么多信息,生气地挂断了电话。第二天,大明看到二明在给苗壮搓澡,明白弟弟不想离开澡堂,便让弟弟去前台接客,没过多久澡堂又恢复了往日的热闹。晚上大明还穿上了父亲的运动衣,陪他一起跑步。快到门口的时候撞见何正在给澡堂修霓虹灯,何正说这是老刘在世时的心愿,说什么也得让它亮一回。但最终这个澡堂还是逃不过被拆迁的命运,在居委会拆迁的文艺晚会上,苗壮上台表演《我的太阳》,但还是唱不出口,二明找来水管浇在苗壮身上,苗壮顿时放松了下来,终于放声歌唱。平日里来澡堂的老主顾们,他们的房子也要被拆,拆迁工作进行得很快,刘大爷拿着相机记录这里的残留画面,大家帮忙把澡堂里零碎的东西取了下来,只剩下空荡荡的房子,就在这时澡堂里传来二明的歌声,他听着苗壮给他的录音机,沉醉地唱着歌,影片也在二明的歌声中逐渐落下帷幕。
三.相关获奖、报刊评价情况、颁奖辞和权威的获奖评价
1.相关获奖
(续表)
2.“第六代导演”及其艺术特色介绍
“第六代导演”一般是指20世纪80年代中后期进入北京电影学院导演系学习,90年代后正式进入电影市场的一批年轻的导演。他们大多出生于20世纪六七十年代,基本上没有受过“文革”的影响,即使受到一些,也只是孩童时代的印象性记忆,没有受到过压抑的切肤之痛,中学时代至长大成人时期正是中国社会改革开放的重大变革时期,旧体制、旧观念的消融与瓦解,各种新思想、新观念的发生与建立,伴随着他们成长,这就决定了他们对传统和一切旧事物习惯于站在怀疑和审视的立场上。其代表导演有张元、陆川、王小帅、娄烨、王超、路学长、管虎、贾樟柯、何建军、王全安、李杨、刘冰鉴、宁浩、张杨、章明等。代表作则有娄烨的《周末情人》、贾樟柯的《小武》、王小帅的《冬春的日子》、管虎的《头发乱了》、张杨的《爱情麻辣烫》、陆川的《南京!南京!》、章明的《巫山云雨》等。
他们经历了中国改革开放时期的巨大嬗变,这一过程反映在他们的作品当中,形成了以个人体验为主的艺术笔触,因此从一开始他们就写自己,写同代人,包括写边缘文化的人偏多(郑洞天,2003)。他们的电影往往叙述琐碎、平常的日常生活,传达着动荡、迷离的都市生活体验,或是深入潜意识层面探究当下人的个体精神状态,这是他们这一代导演所拍摄的电影中最为突出的美学特征。他们不像第五代导演那样具有强烈的历史意识,他们的镜头下所对准的人物也往往是一些个性特征鲜明、自我意识强烈的先锋艺术家或是社会上一些普通的边缘生存者。他们在电影美学风格的追求上也由第五代导演的影像造型美学转变成对于纪实叙事风格的追求。因而,体现在拍摄手法上则是通过同期录音、跟镜头、实景拍摄、长镜头等来呈现出纪实的个体化的生存状态(陈旭光,2006)。
总的来说,在题材选取上,他们关注当下都市中的边缘人物,例如摇滚乐手、小偷、妓女、无业青年、都市外乡人等,这些人物形象在电影中频繁出现;在叙事策略上,他们常常在剧中人物身上融入自己的经历,或多或少带有自传色彩;在影像风格上,他们强调真实的光线、色彩和声音,大量运用长镜头,形成纪实风格。他们注重以电影为媒介来考察当代都市普通人或边缘人的生活状态,新一代青年在历史转型时期的迷茫、困惑和无所适从在他们的镜头下被真实地记录下来。
【参考文献】
[1] 百度百科.第六代导演[DB/OL].[2020-09-29].
[2] 陈旭光.“影像的中国”第五代、第六代导演比较论[J].文艺研究,2006(12):88-98+167.
[3] 郑洞天.“第六代”电影的文化意义[J].电影艺术,2003(01):42-43.
3.相关评价
从20世纪90年代到21世纪初的20年间,第六代导演和中国电影新力量先后加入到影视创作队伍。《可可西里》《南京!南京!》《洗澡》等作品或聚焦百姓生活,或追求纪实风格,或关注艺术探索,虽然形态各异、类型多元、风格迥异,但都以自觉的美学追求和创新意识来指导创作。这种自觉,一方面来自于创作者在相对开放多元的文化环境下接受系统艺术教育,并接触大量国外电影理论的成长环境和社会阅历,另一方面源于在经济体制转轨给中国社会关系、人际关系、家庭关系带来重大变动的时代背景下,整个电影界所坚守的观照现实生活、反映百姓心声的现实主义创作理念。
【参考文献】
金春妮,李秀梅.改革开放四十年:中国电影实现跨越式发展[N/OL].光明日报,2019-01-30.
20世纪90年代中期后,反映中国当代现实生活的影片逐渐增加。这些影片往往聚焦于城镇底层普通人的生活,表现他们的喜怒哀乐。风格上慢慢趋向于纪实化。第六代导演贾樟柯在国际上广受关注,正是因为他始终将镜头对准中国当代社会变迁中的小人物,在细腻体察他们的哀乐人生中寄予宽厚的人文关怀和理解。这一时期获奖的《十七岁的单车》《洗澡》《生活秀》等也属于此类。
【参考文献】
陈犀禾.用中国故事吸引世界观众(逐梦40年)[N/OL].人民日报,2018-10-18.
四.文献综述
《洗澡》这部影片,它通过对中国源远流长的家庭伦理剧的描述,主要表现了父子之间的冲突与和解,以逆子向慈父的回归为大结局,其中也蕴含着第六代导演对西方文化和现代文化的思考和选择(张继红,2007)。相比于第五代导演对于传统文化和民族精神的恢宏的表现方式,第六代导演则更加偏爱从社会小人物出发,将自己对于时代变迁的感悟通过生活小事体现出来(庞振康,2019)。张杨导演所执导的这部影片便是这一类型电影的代表之作。且电影《洗澡》有多重的主题,一方面是亲情,一方面是新旧文化的更替(张灵燕,2012)。
淳朴的亲情,是中国传统文化中不能丢失的人文情怀,是维系每个家庭成员的重要纽带。电影《洗澡》向观众展示了具有典型性的中国式的亲子关系,且在大明和二明的身上有着不同的体现。老刘代表着中国传统文化的价值观,大明是现代白领阶层的代表,二明则是两人之间的黏合剂。虽然在价值观上,老刘和大明之间存在着差异,但是亲情的纽带依然将他们的关系系得很牢固。对中国大多数老人来说,他们对于晚年的期盼,就是希望儿女陪伴身侧,儿孙绕膝,享受天伦之乐,但大明却毅然南下,并且这么多年没有回来看望过父亲,因此,这对父子之间产生了心理上的隔阂(李海霞,2007)。在大明面前,老刘是典型的内敛的中国式父亲的形象,总是习惯将自己对儿子的爱隐藏在心底,爱得越深,隐藏得越深。且由于大明长期远居深圳,与父亲之间缺少了必要的沟通,但在两人表情和举止的细微变化当中,依然可以感受到他们之间的父子深情。在经历二明走失和雨夜共同修缮澡堂屋顶过后,两人终于解开心结,重归于好。而对痴傻的二明来说,老刘却是慈爱、温和、博爱、勇敢的英雄的化身。因为他对父亲的依赖永远停留在了最初的时候,从而没有叛逆的疏远,也没有价值观的冲突。不管如何,在这部电影当中,向我们展示了亲情的力量,老刘的形象更是成为中国传统美德中大爱无声的中国父亲的象征。
《洗澡》发生在时代进程冲击传统文化的背景之下(郑洞天,2000),是导演张杨在亲历中国改革开放,目睹中国现代化建设的过程中对中国社会变革深入观察和思考的成果(万明科,2015)。电影用一间澡堂完成了对传统文化的建构(庞振康,2019)。影片中的澡堂不仅仅是一个洗澡的公共场所,更是一个散发着浓厚人情味的地方。在这里,人和人之间形成了直率坦诚的亲密关系(白蔚,2002;张灵燕,2012)。不管是青花瓷盘、酒盏、上善若水的牌匾还是退休老大爷们玩的斗蛐蛐的游戏,这都是中国传统社会的表征,而这个老澡堂子就是中国传统社会的一个缩影(白蔚,2002)。“清水池”所承载的是一种传统的儒家文化中“和”的精神,它以洗澡这件事将邻里街坊聚集在一起,形成了一种稳定、缓慢的生活节奏,营造了一种自由、和谐的生活氛围,是传统生活的体现,是中国典型的民间交往空间(万明科,2015)。尽管导演张杨在提及这部影片的洗澡文化时提到,电影所展现的并一定是一种真实的洗澡文化,只是在艺术创作的基础之上提供了一种可能(张燕,2000)。在影片的结尾,虽然澡堂被拆除了,老刘也逝世了,但是在这个澡堂里建构的那种人与人之间的和谐关系却一直延续了下来(胡克,2000)。
但科技和经济的高速发展,必然会导致人们的生活发生翻天覆地的变化,物质生活的不断提高也必然会逐渐瓦解传统的文化,传统文化和现代文化就这样在历史前进的脚步中不断地碰撞、融合(万明科,2015)。文明进步的同时,会以一些其他东西的失落作为代价。正如影片洗澡形式的变化,其中还蕴含着洗澡内涵的变化,与舒服相比,现代的人们更加珍惜时间(郑洞天,2000)。其中,传统文化和现代文化之间的冲突与矛盾,在大明这一角色身上体现得尤为明显,作为去深圳打拼的青年,他渴望被现代化的社会所接纳,成为一个现代人,重塑自己的文化身份,但在一定程度上他对这种身份十分不自信,最终在以父亲为代表的传统文化的包容与接纳之下,实现了对传统文化的回归,协调了两种文化的紧张关系(万明科,2015)。
在中国的传统文化中,水具有包容万物、海纳百川的力量,代表着中国人性格中和谐、宽厚的一面,在电影中,水更是被赋予了不一样的象征意义,小胖的《我的太阳》只有在淋浴的时候才唱得出来,象征着来自西方文化的因素在东方传统文化的滋润之下,也可以被人接受(庞振康,2019)。因此,这部影片成功的主要因素之一就是它以中国北方城市的旧式澡堂构建了一个特殊的空间,在不冲突中国观众的文化认同的前提下,又满足了外国观众的猎奇心理(胡克,2000)。总的来说,这部影片给人的感受是一种“对行将逝去的传统社会无法挽留的哀缅,以及对蜂拥而至的现代文明仓促应对的惶然”(白蔚,2002)。
【参考文献】
[1] 白蔚.一曲传统社会的挽歌——《洗澡》赏析[J].电影评介,2002(02):41.
[2] 胡克.《洗澡》剧作评析[J].当代电影,2000(01):22-26.
[3] 李海霞.用传统文化拯救现代心理危机——关于《洗澡》的研究性解读[J].电影评介,2007(07):35-36.
[4] 庞振康.电影《洗澡》对传统文化的三重建构[J].传媒论坛,2019,2(13):175.
[5] 万明科.论电影《洗澡》中的现代性书写[J].电影文学,2015(05):97-99.
[6] 郑洞天.文化是什么?——《洗澡》导演策略探讨[J].当代电影,2000(01):26-27.
[7] 张继红,康霞.从《小城之春》到《洗澡》看中国电影的民族化与现代化[J].电影文学,2007(19):21-22.
[8] 张灵燕.论电影《洗澡》的多重主题[J].电影文学,2012(07):99-100.
[9] 张燕.火爆《爱情麻辣烫》之后轻松《洗澡》——大学生电影节访张杨[J].电影文学,2000(08):27-30.
五.跨文化知识点
1.中国式父子关系
“中国式”的父亲,性格往往都是沉默寡言的,他们不善于自己的情感表达,不善于与孩子的沟通交流,因此与孩子之间常常会产生误解和隔阂,甚至游离在孩子的家庭教育之外,使孩子从小缺乏与父亲的交流和了解(伊凡,2014)。但在这些表象的背后,他们对自己的孩子却爱得深沉。就像电影《洗澡》中,老刘对于大明的归来,虽然表面上不在意,但却在大明洗澡时,默默地为他加热锅炉,在他想要离开的时候,流露出落寞的神情。这说明父亲虽然跟大明之间存在着心理上的隔阂,但在心底还是在意儿子,却碍于作为父亲的面子和自己的性格不愿表达。
在中国传统文化当中,父亲在一个家庭当中拥有绝对的权威,父子关系在儒家思想中也占有核心的地位。因此在大多数中国式孩子的眼里,特别是男孩,父亲往往是不苟言笑的,是严格谨慎的,对家里的大小事情总是一副“命令”的姿态。而男孩相比女孩,也总是偏向于将自己的情感积压在心里,才形成了这样微妙的父子关系。但同时,父亲却也是儿子心里最坚实的依靠,他们只是习惯用这样一种男人之间的表达方式来传递感情。
【参考文献】
[1] 解浩.中国现代家族文学父子关系探析[J].小说评论,2012(02):148-151.
[2] 伊凡.家庭教育中的中国式问题[J].现代教育管理,2014(10):33-37.
2.中国洗澡文化
导演张杨在接受采访时也提到,电影中所展现的所谓的“洗澡文化”可能并不是真实的,中国的洗澡也许并没有形成一种固定的文化,相比来说,日本反而在这方面更有发言权。但是在中国南北方确实在洗澡方式、洗澡氛围等方面存在巨大的差异。中国人对于洗澡的观念,在历史的进程中产生了极大的改变。
中国自先秦以来,便形成了三日一洗头,五日一沐浴的生活习俗,在中国古代,受到“身体发肤受之父母”这种身体观念的影响,不论男女都要留长发,因此,古人对于洗头很是重视,但洗起来也很是烦琐。在成人礼等重要仪式,或是接见重要宾客时,古人必须沐浴更衣。但这种洗澡的待遇在古代也仅限于贵族家庭,平民百姓则享受不到尊贵的洗澡待遇,因而一直被大家所忽视。但在现代社会,洗澡已经成为每个人日常的活动,除了在家里或者公共澡堂洗澡之外,还发展出了“洗澡”与“餐饮、娱乐”等元素相结合的洗澡文化,在洗澡形式上也形成了牛奶浴、鲜花浴、水果浴等新鲜多样的形式,因而在洗澡这件事情上,甚至可以花上一整天的时间。在现代中国社会,由于物质生活的提高和人们对于自己身体观念的转变,使人们将洗澡更多看作是一种令自己享受放松的活动。
受到自然地理环境的影响,中国北方天气干燥且寒冷,每次洗澡的时间间隔比较长,所以人们喜欢在大澡堂里,热气氤氲的氛围之下一起洗澡,在没有隔间的大澡堂里大家也并不觉得尴尬,可以谈笑风生。在全套的洗浴流程当中,搓澡和蒸桑拿也成为北方人洗澡的必备项目。因此澡堂甚至成为放松交际的好地方。但中国南方空气湿度大,一天不洗澡,就会觉得身上黏糊糊的,因此,形成了夏季基本每天都要洗澡,冬季也要两三天洗一次的习惯,而且喜欢在自己家里或者独立的空间当中洗浴。除了自然地理因素之外,北方人和南方人的性格差异也是导致洗澡方式不同的一个重要因素。北方人的性格偏大气豪迈,不拘小节,而南方人则相对内敛含蓄,认为洗澡是一项隐私的活动,不愿意与陌生人在一起。
【参考文献】
苏全有,崔海港.论近代中国的洗浴文化[J].福建论坛(人文社会科学版),2013(08):92-96.
六.讨论题
1. 请结合电影情节对老刘与两个儿子的父子关系进行讨论。
2. 电影中为什么小胖苗壮每次只有在澡堂才敢大胆地开口唱出《我的太阳》这首歌,在其他地方都不行?
3. 有人认为影片结尾,老刘的逝世和澡堂的拆迁意味着传统文化的瓦解,因此现代文化必然会取代传统文化。你怎么看?
4. 你对影片中所展现的中国“澡堂文化”有什么样的感想?
5. “中国式父子关系”往往是沉默、紧张、深沉的,请结合你自己国家的文化聊一聊你对“中国式父子关系”的看法。
Shower: A Moving Elegy to Family and Community
Yong Ho
Shower (xǐzǎo洗澡,Chinese release: 1999;US release: 1999)
Directed by Zhang Yang张杨
Shower is one of those films that were scarcely noticed and scarcely screened in China and were then reintroduced to the country after they attained success and fame abroad. It was premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 1999 and won the prestigious FIPRESCI Prize. It was subsequently shown in numerous international film festivals,including San Sebastian Film Festival,Sundance Film Festival,Seattle International Film Festival,and Rotterdam International Film Festival and garnered many awards.
The center of action or tension of the film is a communal bathhouse in a depressed section in Beijing. The old⁃fashioned bathhouse is not merely a place for locals to get a steam soak and rubdown,but more importantly a sort of community center or even a refuge for a motley group of regular patrons to mingle and schmooze. There are old men who spend almost all their time there day in and day out,enjoying a spirit of camaraderie by drinking tea,playing chess,holding cricket matches and confiding their secrets and anxieties. The bathhouse is owned and operated by a Master Liu (Zhu Xu) with his mentally⁃retarded younger son Er Ming (Jiang Wu) as the helper. For decades,Master Liu has treated the bathhouse as his entire world,performing or dispensing a variety of voluntary social services that have nothing to do with his business such as personal advice,domestic counseling and dispute mediating. Liu refuses to retire despite his fragile health and repeated urgings by his older son Da Ming (Pu Cunxin),who left his humble background years ago to seek opportunities in the southern modern city of Shenzhen. He succeeded in building a career with a high⁃powered job and started a family in the adopted city,having no intention to return to his roots. Da Ming is alarmed and rushes home when he receives word from Er Ming alluding that their father is on his deathbed. This is actually a ruse of Er Ming to get Da Ming home. Da Ming returns home only to find that there is nothing wrong with his father,who is still presiding over his bathhouse. The trip home didn't turn out to be wasted,as he returns at a time when the bathhouse faces the prospect of being demolished by the city to make room for a high⁃rise building. Thrown into the crisis,Da Ming has to repeatedly postpone his departure to help deal with the emergency. In the process,he experiences a “coming of age” and undergoes a transformation of his perspectives of life. He finally reconnects with his father and brother through his reawakening to and embracing of the value of the bathhouse and its associated old ways. Finding what is missing in his life,Da Ming achieves a rapprochement with his family and community by making a life⁃altering decision to stay behind upon the death of his father to shoulder his family responsibility to personally take care of Er Ming instead of sending him to a mental institution and start a new life back home. He finally finds that a life connected into a caring community is much more fulfilling.
As its central theme,Shower addresses the disparities between modern and traditional China.The movie is a new departure from the host of films produced in China in the 80s and the 90s,which,for the most part,are about China's “exotic past or the unsettled politics of its recent history. But after all,most of its citizens lead ordinary lives and share dreams and fears similar to ours. The film is about everyday people” (Ebert,2000). In portraying everyday people's life,Shower is unmistakably a sentimental film about conflicts and strife present on many levels. Chief among them is the “bittersweet exploration of the inexorable slide from past to future traditional cultures face as the entire world becomes Westernized.” (Johanson,2000). Such a conflict is manifested in the father⁃son strife “powerfully conveyed in calm,sorrowful performances that establish the movie's bittersweet mood” (Holden,2000). Master Liu enjoys a simple life and holds the bathhouse dear to his heart,as it constitutes his entire orbit,representing tradition and affording a sense of community. Da Ming,on the other hand,is used to a fast⁃paced material life with no or little intimate human interaction. He feels alienated in the old community and the comforts of the bathhouse. What effect the transformation in Da Ming are the close bonds he observes between Er Ming and their father and between Master Liu and the folks coming to the bathhouse to seek comfort or sanctuary. Such bonds are the result of the sense of friendship,family,and community,which are often sacrificed in people's pursuit of modernity.
Master Liu is certainly the central figure in the film. As observed by Elley(1999),he “quietly commands the movie without dominating it,exemplified in a sequence in which he faces off some hoods with a display of Old World manners.” But his son Er Ming figures equally large. In spite of his mental challenge,Er Ming is the darling of many critics. A young boy in a grown man's body,he breaks the tension with his playful nature. While Da Ming is impassive and expressionless,Er Ming,on the other hand,is very expressive of his emotions. As Ebert (2000) observes,“The best thing in the movie is the affectionate and yet unsentimental way the father and the retarded son are seen. Yes,Er Ming is slow. But he has good qualities and strong feelings and has found a niche in life that suits him.”
Various conflicts in the film are displayed by Director Zhang Yang through metaphors and images. The most striking metaphor is the use of the method of bathing to indicate two discordant lifestyles. “The difference between the worldviews of Master Liu and his elder son is craftily suggested by an opening scene in which Da Ming puts himself through a coin⁃operated automated shower that resembles a human carwash and thus suggests an automated or robot⁃like life style. By contrast,at Master Liu's spacious establishment everything is done slowly and by hand.” (Holden,2000). The automatic shower machine cleans people much the same as a car is cleaned in a drive⁃through carwash all done in a few minutes,suggesting mechanical and expressionless rather than a human approach. There is a carwash scene later in the film which is highly reminiscent of the opening scene. The similarity between these two scenes cannot be unintentional. To some critics,the draining water in the automatic shower conveys a meaning. “The futuristic shower booths are not intended to be as fun as they look,but instead a sign that traditional Chinese values are swirling down the drain.” (Tobias,1999) Ubiquitous throughout the film,water almost possesses a magical property that knits the story together (Elley,1999). While Da Ming tries to avoid water by opting for a quick shower,his father and brother prefer a leisurely bath. For Master Liu and Er Ming,water is a way of life and has a soothing therapeutic effect. The bond between them and also among the patrons is built by and through water. Master Liu even believes water does not only wash one's body but also one's soul.The bathing method comes to the fore again when Da Ming reconciles with his father later in the film and reintegrates himself into the old community he once knew. By the end of the film,he takes a bath with the rest of the local folks.
An underlying theme evident in the film is the sense of touch,which is manifested,first of all,in the back⁃scrubbing Master Liu gives his customers in the bathhouse and in many other ways. Seldom found in a fast⁃paced modern society where people are often stripped of their humanity and dignity,this act promotes contact that helps create interpersonal intimacy and a strong bond between people.
Shower is presented as a light⁃hearted comedy,but no critic would think it is not a serious examination of the value of family,friendship,and tradition. According to Tobias (1999),“it is a movie determined to keep China's distinctive identity and values from fading into the ether turns out to be among the least ‘foreign’ films the country has exported.”
Johanson (2000) finds Shower “a bewitching film,one that will make you suspect too many wonderful things have been lost in the name of progress”,but the ridges and rivalries between new and traditional values and ideas described in the film are not unique to China. In much of the world today,we are witnessing a process whereby nations increasingly become industrialized,dismantling the old and replacing it with the new. In the process of modernization,family ties can be estranged and community spirit can be deprived. Shower conveys a powerful universal message that as the world moves forward,we should not abandon traditional values of family,loyalty,community,solidarity and friendship or forget the small pleasures in life. Contact and touch are as important as ever,even if it may entail certain sacrifices of comfort.
Discussion questions:
1.The conflicts between tradition and modernity depicted in the film may not be unique to China. Have you observed such conflicts in your country? How do they manifest themselves?
2.The film director leaves the ending of the film as a mystery. What do you think would happen Da Ming,Er Ming,and moreover,the whole community that has grown around the bathhouse after the neighborhood has been paved over?
3.Da Ming's wife is a character in the film,but she is never seen or heard other than being obliquely suggested through Da Ming's phone calls to her. Based on the allusions about her,how do you think she will react to Da Ming's decision to stay in Beijing to take care of his brother instead of reuniting with her in Shenzhen?
4.Other than the three main characters in the film—Master Liu,Da Ming and Er Ming,there are a number of secondary or quirky characters. Who among them strikes you the most and why?
5.The bathing method and water are recognized as metaphors used by the director in the film to indicate the contrast between tradition and modernity. Are there other metaphors you have observed and what effect do they serve?
References
1. Ebert,Roger. 2000. “Shower” (July 28).https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/shower⁃2000.
2. Elley,Derek. 1999. “Shower.”Variety (September 13,1999). https://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/shower⁃1200459104/.
3. Holden,Stephen. 2000. “Film Festival Review: Rediscovering Wisdom in a Home Left Behind”.New York Times.March 30,2000.
https://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/30/movies/film⁃festival⁃review⁃rediscovering⁃
wisdom⁃in⁃a⁃home⁃left⁃behind.html.
4. Johanson,Mary Ann. 2000. “Shower (Review)”,Flickfilosopher,(July 6,2000). https://www.flickfilosopher.com/2000/07/shower⁃review.html.
5. Tobias,Scott. 1999. “Shower”. https://film.avclub.com/shower⁃1798192210.