ARTS / FILM
Review: Blockbuster ‘Decoded’ pays tribute to Chinese unsung heroes
What is a country like? In the upcoming Chinese movie Decoded, Professor Liseiwicz, played by Hollywood veteran John Cusack, and the adoptive father of the lead role Rong Jinzhen gave two answers.
The movie, the latest work from Chinese director Chen Sicheng, examines the relationship between the country and the individual, and the relationship between a small family and a big one, through Rong's experience.
Rong, a talented mathematician, has devoted all his life to code deciphering. In the movie, he never talks about patriotism and protecting his family in words, but his feelings for his family and country, and his patriotism are self-evident and deeply rooted in the hearts of the audience.
The film is a Chinese blockbuster comparable to US blockbusters. It pays tribute to a Chinese hero, a little-known member of the first-generation of codebreakers in China.
Rong's story is based on Chinese writer Mai Jia's novel of the same name. As his first novel, Decoded "holds a special place in my heart," Mai told media at a preview event for the film.
After watching the movie, he expressed his satisfaction with the adaptation and said it is "the closest to my original work out of the 13 movie and TV adaptations of my novels."
All are closely connected with the efforts of director Chen and the entire cast.
"Everyone is a unique code, and life is a process of decoding," Chen said, noting that he was deeply moved by the theme of the story and so made it the central focus of the film.
Veteran actors like Chen Daoming, Daniel Wu and Yu Feihong contributed their talents to enriching the various roles in the film.
The biggest surprise comes from young actor Liu Haoran, who achieved one of his best performances in his acting career by becoming Rong Jinzhen, a genius who is somewhat autistic and sensitive, but also simple and straightforward.
Liu not only emphasizes the character's alienation from the world, but also expresses his inner calmness and purity. In particular, Liu shows Rong's curiosity and nervousness in a strange environment, his shyness and happiness around familiar and close people, his full devotion and anxiety when decoding, as well as his relief and clarity after being relieved... He is a person living among us who has devoted his life to decoding as "it saves many people's lives."
Days are used in the movie to record time. Rong's more than 11,000 days is equivalent to more than 30 years old. The 75 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China is equivalent to more than 27,000 days.
It is due to numerous young people, who like Rong spent more than 10,000 days building our motherland, that China has achieved all it has.
The increasingly mature Chinese film industry helped Chen create the visual effects he planned. When it comes to complex codes, Rong seeks inspiration for decoding from dreams. These dreams not only allow him to find the path to the answer, but are also the embodiment of his subconscious, which guides him to decode life's code. There are 10 dreams presented in the film. Dreams such as a huge Ferris wheel, wheat fields, and red sand beaches have a strong visual impact, and also help the film present multiple elements that are sometimes science fiction, sometimes fantasy, and sometimes thriller.
Decoded will give Chinese films a new status, a new look, and a new future.
Chen Sicheng attends a preview event for the upcoming Chinese movie Decoded. Photo: Courtesy of Chinese ticketing platform Maoyan
In the eyes of Westerners like Liseiwicz, Rong's adoptive father, a country is just the plants, trees, wind and others around them; while in the Chinese context, it has a more and higher-dimensional meaning such as language, people, culture and sovereignty.The movie, the latest work from Chinese director Chen Sicheng, examines the relationship between the country and the individual, and the relationship between a small family and a big one, through Rong's experience.
Rong, a talented mathematician, has devoted all his life to code deciphering. In the movie, he never talks about patriotism and protecting his family in words, but his feelings for his family and country, and his patriotism are self-evident and deeply rooted in the hearts of the audience.
The film is a Chinese blockbuster comparable to US blockbusters. It pays tribute to a Chinese hero, a little-known member of the first-generation of codebreakers in China.
Rong's story is based on Chinese writer Mai Jia's novel of the same name. As his first novel, Decoded "holds a special place in my heart," Mai told media at a preview event for the film.
After watching the movie, he expressed his satisfaction with the adaptation and said it is "the closest to my original work out of the 13 movie and TV adaptations of my novels."
All are closely connected with the efforts of director Chen and the entire cast.
"Everyone is a unique code, and life is a process of decoding," Chen said, noting that he was deeply moved by the theme of the story and so made it the central focus of the film.
Veteran actors like Chen Daoming, Daniel Wu and Yu Feihong contributed their talents to enriching the various roles in the film.
The biggest surprise comes from young actor Liu Haoran, who achieved one of his best performances in his acting career by becoming Rong Jinzhen, a genius who is somewhat autistic and sensitive, but also simple and straightforward.
Liu not only emphasizes the character's alienation from the world, but also expresses his inner calmness and purity. In particular, Liu shows Rong's curiosity and nervousness in a strange environment, his shyness and happiness around familiar and close people, his full devotion and anxiety when decoding, as well as his relief and clarity after being relieved... He is a person living among us who has devoted his life to decoding as "it saves many people's lives."
Days are used in the movie to record time. Rong's more than 11,000 days is equivalent to more than 30 years old. The 75 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China is equivalent to more than 27,000 days.
It is due to numerous young people, who like Rong spent more than 10,000 days building our motherland, that China has achieved all it has.
The increasingly mature Chinese film industry helped Chen create the visual effects he planned. When it comes to complex codes, Rong seeks inspiration for decoding from dreams. These dreams not only allow him to find the path to the answer, but are also the embodiment of his subconscious, which guides him to decode life's code. There are 10 dreams presented in the film. Dreams such as a huge Ferris wheel, wheat fields, and red sand beaches have a strong visual impact, and also help the film present multiple elements that are sometimes science fiction, sometimes fantasy, and sometimes thriller.
Decoded will give Chinese films a new status, a new look, and a new future.
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