Rewriting the script
Chinese women are making themselves heard on the big screen
A hilarious and heart-rending new film explores feminist themes
一部令人捧腹又令人心碎的新片探讨女性主义主题
THE highest-grossing Chinese film in the last week of November was not an action flick or sci-fi thriller, two genres that often top the country’s box office. It was “Her Story”, a comedy-drama that follows a single mother, called Tiemei, and her eccentric new neighbour, Xiaoye, in Shanghai. Together the two women face various challenges, such as raising nine-year-old Molly, navigating old and new romances, and handling online harassment. The low-budget film, by turns hilarious and heart-rending, has far exceeded expectations, taking in more than 440m yuan ($61m).
11月最后一周，中国票房最高的并非动作片或科幻大片——这两类影片向来称雄票房榜——而是一部名为《好东西》的喜剧剧情片。影片聚焦上海的单亲妈妈铁梅和她那个古怪的新邻居小叶，两个女性共同应对种种挑战：抚养九岁女儿茉莉、处理新旧感情，以及应对网络骚扰。这部低成本电影时而令人捧腹大笑，时而令人心碎，已远远超出原本预期，票房突破4.4亿元。
“Her Story” is the second feature film written and directed by Shao Yihui. Her script has resonated with young Chinese women, who are pleased by its focus on female experiences and problems related to their sex. The hard and often thankless work of motherhood is a theme. The protagonists also dispel taboos about menstruation. One criticises male fantasies based on pornography. “The mood is never ruined by politeness,” says Tiemei to a potential partner.
这是女性导演邵艺辉编剧和执导的第二部剧情长片。她的剧本引起了年轻中国女性的共鸣，后者对影片聚焦女性经历和性别相关问题感到欣慰。母亲这一角色的艰辛与经常吃力不讨好的付出是片中一个重要主题。女主角们还打破了关于月经的禁忌，其中一位角色还公开批评了色情作品中的男性幻想。铁梅对一位潜在伴侣说："气氛不会被礼貌破坏，气氛只会被不礼貌破坏。"
Some online commenters (mostly male) have criticised the film for belittling men or portraying them in a stereotypical fashion. Tiemei’s ex-husband and her new lover jockey for her affection by acting out a clumsy form of feminism. They bang on about the patriarchy and structural oppression, and refer to Shizuko Ueno, a popular feminist author from Japan. Most viewers, though, have found this to be amusing.
部分网络评论者（主要是男性）批评这部电影贬低男性或以刻板印象描绘男性。铁梅的前夫和新恋人试图以笨拙的女性主义方式争取她的青睐，絮絮叨叨地谈论父权制和结构性压迫，还引用日本知名女性主义作家上野千鹤子的观点。不过，大多数观众认为这些情节十分有趣。
It is interesting that the film was given the green light by government censors. Official narratives emphasise women’s traditional roles in society. But while the characters in “Her Story” are fluent in feminist rhetoric, none activism or protests in a way that might frighten officials. And though censors may not have liked Tiemei being divorced, they were probably pleased to see her raising a child. The state is desperate to stem China’s falling birth rate.
有趣的是，这部影片成功通过了审查。传统叙事一向强调女性在社会中的传统角色。然而，《好东西》中的角色虽然熟稔女性主义话语，但并未以可能令传统感到担忧的方式呼吁行动或抗议。尽管审查者可能对铁梅的离异设定不太满意，但看到她抚养孩子可能会感到欣慰，毕竟正急于遏制持续下降的生育率。
Studios, for their part, are studying how “Her Story” became a box-office success. One screenwriter notes the environment. Patriotic epics and rags-to-riches tales seem out of touch with how ordinary Chinese are feeling. Many young people are unemployed and frustrated—and want to watch films that reflect their angst. Then there is the fact that women make up an increasing share of the cinema-going public. They have accounted for 58% of ticket sales this year, up from 51% in 2018. Those aged 25 to 29 make up the largest cohort, according to Alibaba Pictures, a studio. That a film about young women is a hit shouldn’t have been such a surprise.
制片公司正在研究《好东西》票房成功的秘诀。一位编剧指出，主旋律影片和白手起家的励志故事似乎已经和普通中国人的现实感受格格不入。许多年轻人失业，感到沮丧，想观看能反映自身焦虑的电影。此外，女性观影人数占比不断增长。今年女性贡献了58%的票房销售额，而在2018年这一比例为51%。据阿里影业统计，25至29岁年龄段的女性是最大的观影群体。一部关于年轻女性的电影获得成功，其实并不令人意外。
END
来源：The Economist - Dec. 7th-13th, 2024
原文标题：Chinese women are making themselves heard on the big screen
AI翻译，仅供参考
往期阅读
2024年诺贝尔文学奖得主韩国女作家韩江代表作英译本 | 英文电子书
「如何理解剑桥词典2024年度词汇manifest? | 外刊阅读
介绍一本金句频出、提升认知的英语原版书
崔娃新书 Into the Uncut Grass | 英文畅销书