It is a hotel that does not say "welcome", and a group of people who are fighting the disease support each other, and the warm and touching life story is staged...... Produced by Han Sanping, directed by Liu Bowen, and starring Huang Xuan, Liu Yan, Liu Yang, Zhang Zhehua, Dong Baobao, etc., the reality movie "Laifu Hotel" was released nationwide on June 28. The film revolves around the "Patient's Home", discussing topics such as life and death, family affection and personal growth. Recently, Liu Bowen, director of "Rifle Hotel", was interviewed by "Variety" to share the behind-the-scenes creation story of the film.
The story is based on real news
Although it is called "Rifle Hotel", the place where the story takes place in the film is actually a small hotel. Because it is located next to the hospital, it has become a "home for patients" who come and go. It is a place where patients warm each other and find hope for life.
At the beginning of the story, Sanqing (played by Huang Xuan), who was released from prison after completing his sentence, was arranged by his old acquaintance Wang Daji (played by Dong Baobao) to go undercover to the "Rifle Hotel" in order to raise money for his father, trying to disrupt the business of the Huang Hotel, forcing the owner Xiao Lin (played by Liu Yan) to agree to the demolition. But in the process of getting along day and night, Sanqing not only gradually developed friendship with the members of the hotel, but also witnessed the life stories of the guests in the store. On the one hand, he is a patient who gets along day and night like a relative, and on the other hand, he is a money-making olive branch thrown by an old acquaintance, where should he go......
The film directly confronts social issues such as birth, old age, sickness and death, and tells the story of ordinary people helping each other, which arouses emotional resonance among the audience. Director Liu Bowen is a post-90s generation, and the high-scoring online movie "Mourning Women's Heavenly Troupe" directed by him in 2017 also pays attention to the proposition of life and death. Talking about the original intention of the creation of "Fortune Hotel", Liu Bowen said, "I personally pay more attention to this kind of theme. As I grew older, I gained a new perspective on the subject. Especially in the process of aging my parents, I understand that we should cherish the present. ”
In the daily observation of creation, Liu Bowen and Yao Guanchen, another screenwriter of "Laifu Hotel", happened to see social news such as "Patients' Home" and "Cancer Hotel" - near hospitals in many big cities, patients from all over the world gather in small hotels because they are waiting for treatment and treatment. Liu Bowen was deeply touched and decided to put the story on the big screen, "I found a good incision to cut into the issue of life and death. ”
The protagonist of the film, Sanqing, is a person who has been released from prison, "He was confused and couldn't find the direction of his life, but he accidentally walked into the 'Laifu Hotel' with strong vitality, and was gradually moved, and finally found his own value and had the courage to face life again - this theme is very vibrant, satisfying my expression of the topic of life and death." Liu Bowen said.
Before writing the script, Liu Bowen and other main creators visited patient hotels in Beijing, Heilongjiang and other places. They had in-depth exchanges with the hotel owners to understand the operation model of the "Patients' Home"; Stay in a patient hostel and observe the interaction between patients and their families; Visit the hospital doctor to understand the details of the patient's medical treatment. The main creative team has collected a large number of real and vivid materials. Liu Bowen said that the script integrates and recreates the materials to artistically present the real story.
The film was filmed in Dalian, and the protagonists in the film speak Northeast dialect. "Northeast people have a relaxed and optimistic attitude, and no matter what difficulties they encounter, they can resolve them in a relaxed and humorous way. This quality is very much in line with the optimistic and positive spirit that the film wants to convey. Liu Bowen said.
Huang Xuan and Liu Yan broke through the image
Interpret a new character
actor Huang Xuan changed his previous image and challenged the hot-tempered and righteous "social brother" Sanqing; Liu Yan interprets the bold and spicy and soft-hearted proprietress Ma Xiaolin, and the two perform with a great sense of contrast, and the drama is full of tension.
"The character of Sanqing is like a lone wolf, he is kind, honest and even soft in his heart, but he has a hard protective shell on the outside, and there are some stubborn and neurotic parts of him." When talking about character building, Liu Bowen said that Huang Xuan's performance has a "distressing" quality, which is highly compatible with the role. "Accurately conveys the complexity and delicacy of the characters."
As the backbone of the "Laifu" family, Ma Xiaolin, played by Liu Yan, also suffered from illness. Therefore, she is well aware of the significance and value of Laifu Hotel to patients, and firmly chooses to operate it. "Xiao Lin is a tenacious, independent and assertive woman. She is actually a person who has been illuminated by the 'tinder', so she wants to continue this love in her own way and try to help the people she thinks are important. Liu Bowen said that Liu Yan had work experience as a nurse and was a particularly down-to-earth and pyrotechnic actor, "She is also very compatible with the role." ”
The film also portrays a vivid group portrait of patients, such as Fu Ye, who is humorous and open-minded, and says the golden line "I'm not afraid of death, I'm afraid of waiting for death"; For the last dignity of his life, he chose to take his mother "home"; seems to be unreasonable, but in fact it is a lonely old naughty boy "Lao Shi"; The loving and gentle Xiumei and so on. In Liu Bowen's eyes, "Fortune Hotel" is like a life hotel, accommodating all kinds of characters, whose stories all point to the dignity and meaning of life. He hopes that through these stories, the audience will be inspired to think and encourage everyone to face life with a positive attitude and live happily.
Dialogue with Liu Bowen: Don't consume suffering, use movies to warm people's hearts
Variety: What kind of theme does the story of the film convey?
Bowen Liu: This is a story about home, growth and dignity. In the patient's home, everyone wants to live with dignity. Accountant Mao's mother was reluctant to lie in the intensive care unit and use instruments to maintain her life before she died. For her, quality of life is more important than being alive. The open-minded old man is the same, he feels that death is not terrible, what is terrible is waiting for death. Another example is Sanqing, he has always hoped to be respected by his family and recognized by his father. These characters all have a longing for "home", and they feel warmth and strength in the temporary family of Rifle Hotel. Chinese have an inseparable emotion for home in their bones, and the team did not deliberately do it, but in the process of script creation, the theme of "home" naturally appeared.
Variety: Why did you choose a light comedy style?
Liu Bowen: We don't want to bring a heavy psychological burden to the audience, and we don't want to consume suffering and earn the audience's tears. Therefore, the creative team chose a way to lift weights lightly, hoping that the audience could easily enter and gain full of positive energy after watching it.
In terms of hotel scene design and picture performance, we adopted the method of expressive realism, integrating the characteristics of "cancer hotel", but did not fully pursue realism. The film is neither a fairy tale nor a non-fiction, so although it contains various social phenomena, the expression is sincere and gentle, and it is more focused on conveying upward power.
Variety: Tell us about the origin of the title?
Bowen Liu: First of all, we came up with "Life Hotel" in English, which is very close to the theme of the movie. When choosing a Chinese name, "Laifu" is pronounced similarly to "Life", and the Chinese "Laifu" means happiness and auspiciousness, which is in line with the emotional expression of the film. Of course, "Grand Hotel" is a kind of self-deprecation, it is actually a small hotel, but there is great love brewing in it, so the title of the film is "Rifle Hotel".
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