Note: This article has a slight spoiler.
On the eve of the National Day, TV screens and video websites, although there are many new dramas, the market response is relatively dull, which is not as good as several national day movies that are ready to go. However, this does not mean that there is nothing to watch in the new drama. In the Distance, directed by Kunhui Chen, written by Shen Jie and starring Liu Ye, Ma Yili, Mei Ting, Jianfeng Bao and Ceng Li, is a series that can stop.
Poster of "In the Distance"
A Structure Similar to Chicken Feathers Flying to the Sky
In just a few years, screenwriter Shen Jie has successively released several realistic masterpieces such as Tiger Mom and Cat Dad, Chicken Feathers Fly to the Sky and White Deer Plain, and he has become a word-of-mouth guarantee. "In the Distance" is a script that Shen Jiehua made great efforts to create, and it is also another cooperation between him and producer Wu Jiaping after "Chicken Feathers Fly to the Sky".
In an interview, Shen Jie revealed that the creative source of "In the Distance" came from "Chicken Feathers Fly to Heaven". In 2015, when filming "Chicken Feathers Fly to Heaven", Shen Jie followed the crew to Tonglu County, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province for filming. He noticed that Tonglu not only witnessed the rise of Zheshang, but also was the "hometown of express delivery in China", where "three links and one reach" appeared-Shentong, Zhongtong, Yuantong and Yunda, which have already penetrated into people’s daily lives. It is the key to success to record and reflect the times and find a suitable small incision. Shen Jie intends to create a TV series reflecting the development of private express delivery industry in the past 20 years.
The creative method of "seeing the big from the small" and describing the resonance between the individual and the times is vividly reflected in "Chicken feathers fly to the sky". "Chicken Feathers Fly to the Sky" takes the emotional and entrepreneurial story of Chen Jianghe and his wife Luo Yuzhu as a clue, tells the tortuous and brilliant course of Yiwu’s reform and development for more than 30 years, and depicts the positive and enterprising spirit of Yiwu people who are flexible, dare to be the first, hard-working and pragmatic. Chen Jianghe and Luo Yuzhu started from the "chicken feathers for sugar" and gradually expanded to the world trade in line with international standards. Their entrepreneurial history is a reflection of the development history of Yiwu and a microcosm of China’s reform and opening up.
Stills of "Chicken Feathers Fly to Heaven".
The screenwriter’s thinking of "Far Away" is the same as that of "Chicken Feathers Fly to the Sky". The story background of Far Away is the 20-year change from 1999 to 2019. It tells the story that Yao Yuan (Liu Ye), a bottom courier, seized the opportunity and dared to be the first in the rapid development of private economy and Internet economy, founded a private courier company, and after several ups and downs, he made mutual achievements with Lu Xiaoou (Ma Yili) and finally became a leader in the courier industry.
Liu Ye plays Yao Yuan.
Ma Yili plays Lu Xiaoou.
The private express delivery in Far Away corresponds to the "chicken feathers for sugar" and folk trade in Chicken Feathers Flying to Heaven, which have all experienced the process of being squeezed out and suppressed by the times, finally accepted by the times, and creating miracles in line with the trend of the times; The love between Yao Yuan and Lu Xiaoou corresponds to the love between Chen Jianghe and Luo Yuzhu. "Only when the ideal calls in the distance can we not be tripped over by the potholes in reality and be trapped by temptation", which is similar to the spirit of "having a dream, chicken feathers can fly to the sky" …
The audience can’t help but compare "In the Distance" with "Chicken Feathers Fly to the Sky". Will "In the Distance" be another good-looking "Chicken Feathers Fly to Heaven"?
How does the entrepreneurial line make the audience empathize?
Like Chicken Feathers Fly to Heaven, In the Distance has two main lines, one is the entrepreneurial line of Yao Yuan and Lu Xiaoou, and the other is their love line. As far as the current dramas are concerned, the entrepreneurial line is mainly focused on Yao Yuan. Yao Yuan, born in 1975, traveled extensively after graduating from high school and started a private express delivery with his uncle.
The beginning of the series is set in 1999. Different from the current private express delivery enterprises, whose business volume and revenue share reach above 90% and 85% respectively, in 1999, it was still dominated by state-owned express delivery companies, and the state-owned postal service monopolized the whole express delivery market, with a market share as high as 90%.
However, at that time, the private economy developed very fast, and the monopoly could not meet the market demand, and private express delivery grew wildly. For various historical reasons, at that time, many private express delivery companies were on the edge of the law, commonly known as "black express delivery". Private express delivery and postal service staged "catch me if you can". The former was often confiscated and fined for "illegal operation" or "unauthorized operation of letter express".
At that time, the business letter was a postal franchise, and private express delivery companies were not allowed to intervene.
In the play, Lu Xiaoou’s father, Lu Zhongxiang (played by Cheng Yu), is the captain of the postal inspection brigade, who specializes in inspecting these "black couriers". From time to time, he stops checkpoints at intersections for strict investigation, and when he is caught, he is severely fined. Yao Yuan people all call him "King Lu Yan". Yao Yuan’s courier company, although it has courier procedures and licenses, was ruled by the policy that private courier companies could not handle letters and business letters at that time, which was the biggest source of profits for private courier companies. Therefore, almost all private courier companies secretly sent business letters (that is, the "customs declaration form" mentioned repeatedly in the play), and Yao Yuan was no exception, so he was closely watched by the inspection team.
Cheng Yu plays Lu Zhongxiang, the father of Lu Xiaoou.
Shen Jie is very good at writing people. Yao Yuan and Chen Jianghe are somewhat similar in personality and quite attractive. Although he comes from the bottom, his education is not high, but he is curious and self-motivated. For example, other brothers who send couriers drink and play cards whenever they have time. Yao Yuan spends his time reading books and checking information in Internet cafes. He has a lively mind and courage. He met the inspection team several times, and he used his quick wits to "save the day" and was able to get orders that others could not get. He can bear hardships, is willing to bear hardships, is pragmatic and willing to work, does not complain about others, and is not arrogant; He still has an idealistic obstinacy. As long as he looks for the truth, he will be able to bite his teeth and continue to be indomitable and supercilious …
Needless to say, from the subject matter, "express entrepreneurship" is not very attractive. However, before Shen Jie’s "Chicken Feathers Fly to Heaven", the entrepreneurial history of Chen Jianghe and Luo Yuzhu was both daily and high-burning, which was very fascinating. Therefore, the key depends on the skill of screenwriters. Translators, negotiators and doctors, which look like high-end occupations, are just as ugly if they are suspended. The express delivery industry, which seems to be "not high enough", has been filmed well, and it can also be exciting.
The entrepreneurial line of "In the Distance" is very skillful. For example, in episode 7, the boss of a textile company turned to Lu Zhongxiang for help. The company had a batch of goods that needed to be transported to the Canton Fair early tomorrow morning, but the land transportation could not catch up, and the air transportation was not booked in advance, so there was no room. Lu Xiaoou told Yao Yuan the news. Yao Yuan quickly called the courier brothers to the airport, and he started everyone to check whether there was any empty cargo hold on each flight. The brothers were not confident, so Yao Yuan encouraged them and asked them to go to the window of every airline to check manually, and maybe there were empty cabins.
The brothers went to the flight window one by one to check, but they were exhausted but found nothing, so they had to leave disappointed. Yao Yuan didn’t want to give up, so he thought of checking the flights passing by and finally found a passing Russian plane, which just vacated the cargo hold. Yao Yuan found his second uncle and asked him to ask the courier boss for help. The police station had vehicles to transport the goods of the textile company to the airport in time. Soon there were many large express trucks on the street, and Lu Zhongxiang personally escorted the goods to the airport after getting the news and understanding the situation.
At this moment, many viewers on the barrage said that they cried-because it was too burning. Not only is the play compact, tense and full of twists and turns, but it fully embodies the characteristics of Yao Yuan, who is willing to work, hard-working, skillful, hard-working and never giving up, and his efforts have been rewarded in the end.
Many viewers on the barrage said they were crying.
It has never been easy to succeed, and every step of the little people is so difficult, but it is an emotional experience that the audience can empathize with. No matter what career you start, only this kind of emotional experience is universal. As long as it can be written, this kind of entrepreneurial drama is good-looking.
The highlight moment in the love line
The acquaintance between Yao Yuan and Lu Xiaoou originated from an inspection. That night, most of the cars of the express delivery team were checked by the postal inspection team. In order to avoid the inspection, Yao Yuan wanted to pull people by the way as a cover, and happened to meet two graduate students Lu Xiaoou and his best friend Huo Mei (Ceng Li) who came home late for the tutor’s birthday.
Ceng Li plays Lu Xiaoou’s best friend Huo Mei, which is a complicated role.
When he was inspected, Yao Yuancai knew that Lu Xiaoou was a postal family member and his car passed smoothly without being inspected. After coming back, the brothers noisily advised Yao Yuan to win the two girls. With undercover, they would not have to worry about being checked by the postal inspection team in the future.
Yao Yuan was refused, because she saw at a glance that Lu Xiaoou was not a fuel-efficient lamp, which was not easy to fool, and he was a little afraid of her. Later, knowing that Lu Xiaoou studied psychology and was looking for internship opportunities, he invited Lu Xiaoou to the welfare home to give psychological counseling to his children, so that he could send the customs declaration form by the way. Lu Xiaoou agreed. Soon Lu Xiaoou discovered Yao Yuan’s real intention, and she also played a trick on Yao Yuan, so they were "no discord, no concord".
Yao Yuan was a little afraid of Lu Xiaoou from the beginning.
How to avoid the routine of "no fight, no acquaintance" love? One depends on the screenwriter to enrich the details of love, and the other depends on the actor’s exquisite performance, such as "Chicken feathers fly to heaven". Chen Jianghe and Luo Yuzhu’s love is touching, and half of the credit goes to Zhang Yi and Yin Tao. However, when "Far Away" just started broadcasting, there was a criticism on Douban about Liu Ye and Ma Yili’s acting skills, saying that Liu Ye was too greasy and act young, Ma Yili, and therefore gave the series a star.
But to be fair, such an evaluation is biased and unfair to the actors. The fact is that there is nothing wrong with Liu Ye and Ma Yili’s performances.
Liu Ye is a very confusing actor. He won the Jin Jue, Golden Rooster and Golden Horse Award for Best Actor (the only Chinese actor), but in some dramas, he didn’t convey the convincing feeling to the powerful actors. His personal temperament greatly limits his career. If he is a simple, simple, idealistic, stubborn, sensitive and fragile character, Liu Ye often has a wonderful play, whereas deep men, elite men and sloppy men always have a little escape.
Liu Ye was lucky to meet Yao Yuan, not only because the role itself was brilliant, but also because the role was consistent with Liu Ye’s temperament as an actor. Yao Yuan is simple and honest, unyielding, stubborn and idealistic, but there are also pains hidden in his heart. At the age of 12, Yao Yuan, who was young and ignorant, lied that he was ill in order to coax his parents to go home to see him. His parents died in a car accident on the road because they were in a hurry to get home. This is a nightmare that has plagued Yao Yuan for many years. When Yao Yuan told all this with the encouragement of Lu Xiaoou, Liu Ye accurately interpreted Yao Yuan’s broken feeling at this time: remorse, remorse and pain, as fragile and helpless as a baby. This is Liu Ye who can remind people of Lan Yu.
For the first time, Yao Yuan told others about the reasons for his parents’ death.
Lu Xiaoou’s personal design is very rare in film and television dramas. Lu Xiaoou was pampered since she was a child, and she is high flyers of the Department of Psychology. She is smart, proud and strong inside, and seems to be able to see through everything in people’s hearts. She is much more imposing than countless so-called female presidents on the market, and this kind of imposing manner is not so tough and unreasonable. Lu Xiaoou has a clear distinction between good and evil, and dares to love and hate. Ma Yili accurately showed Lu Xiaoou’s self-confidence, determination, courage, and innocence and naivety that were not influenced by society. Of course, this role will change later.
Proud Lu Xiaoou
In "Chicken Feathers Fly to Heaven", Chen Jianghe and Luo Yuzhu are "both fallen people in the end of the world". They are appreciate each other, and there is no conflict in values. The resistance to love comes more from the outside world and the fate. In Far Away, the love resistance between Yao Yuan and Lu Xiaoou lies in their class and identity differences. One is a courier with high school education, and the other is a promising graduate student. Both of them are proud people. Yao Yuan’s pride hides his inferiority and self-esteem. Although he loves Lu Xiaoou deeply, he is still worried that he is not worthy of her and cannot give her the life she wants. He chose to "escape" after all. With the appearance of Liu Ailian (Mei Ting) and the return of Homme and Liu Yuntian (Jianfeng Bao), several people’s sadomasochism will also begin.
Like Chicken Feathers Fly to the Sky, the complex multi-angle love in Far Away can easily give people the feeling of dog blood, but what makes Shen Jie brilliant is that his emotional drama has sufficient details, which is bizarre and convincing. He is also particularly good at talking, when a touching highlight moment suddenly appears, hitting the audience.
For example, at the beginning of episode 5, Yao Yuan wants the stolen package back from Black Express. Just as they are about to leave, the head of Black Express wants Yao Yuan to bark like a dog to save face. Yao Yuan didn’t want to give in. When he was in a dilemma, suddenly there was a dog barking behind him-it was Lu Xiaoou, who had always been confident, proud and "arrogant". The audience was as surprised as Yao Yuan, and Yao Yuan’s eyes were full of pity and debt. Perhaps neither of them realized that love had already begun.
Lu Xiaoou maintained the dignity of Yao Yuan.
For example, in episode 8, Yao Yuan didn’t know that it was Lu Xiaoou’s birthday until the evening. He couldn’t wait to run to Lu Xiaoou’s school, only to find that the rich second generation suitors drove Lu Xiaoou back in a luxury car. Yao Yuan left angrily and wished Lu Xiaoou a happy birthday with the call machine. In the one-to-one call machine communication (the details of nervousness, eagerness and excitement are in place when waiting for the other party’s information), they feel and confirm their intentions for each other. Yao Yuan said, looking for opportunities to help Lu Xiaoou make up for his birthday. Lu Xiaoou replied that he would not make up for it if it was out of date. Yao Yuan replied that he would wait for her at the school gate in ten minutes and twelve o’clock. The two of them immediately ran to the school gate, and the burning BGM sounded, which was another tragic moment.
The bridge where the two confirmed their minds was handled very delicately.
It can be seen intuitively from the barrage that the audience was moved.
"In the Distance" is like telling another story in the way of "Chicken feathers fly to the sky", but the good reputation of "In the Distance" has not been passed on. On the one hand, perhaps "Chicken Feathers Fly to Heaven" is famous, and some viewers are inevitably more strict with "In the Distance". On the other hand, as far as the play itself is concerned, "Chicken feathers fly to the sky" may have more "audience affinity". "Chicken feathers fly to the sky" is an epic of little people in the 1980s, their love (classical "parental love"), their worldly wisdom and their struggle, and the audience seems to share their joys and sorrows. In the Distance, the background of the story is moved to the city, without the "worldly feelings" and the "rustic" of the villages and towns like "Chicken feathers fly to the sky", which may be more like reading other people’s stories.
But in any case, "In the Distance" has a good texture at present, and it would be a pity to miss it because of some prejudice.