Before watching "Article 20", I believed the online saying that "the poor box office is because Zhao Liying stole the marketing limelight".
After watching "Article 20", I admitted that the claims of marketing deviation are not unreasonable, but the biggest problem with the film is not Zhao Liying, but its own quality is not good enough.
In order to cater to the Spring Festival, he chose to dilute the tragic feeling of the film’s theme by means of comedy, resulting in a serious gap between the film’s front and rear periods.
He failed to show the progress of the case in detail, but arranged for the tool to appear at the right time.
The social significance of the case is not discussed in depth, but a large paragraph of Lei Jiayin’s lines is passed at the end of the film, which is a blunt deduction.
The line between Mary and her son was meaningless and even slightly redundant. The family of three quarreled at every turn, directly answering my questions about why the movie was so long before watching it.
Zhao Liying’s roles are indeed few, but who can deny that she is one of the most outstanding characters in the entire movie?
Such a complete and dedicated portrayal of the character "Hao Xiuping", what happened to the marketing?
Zhao Liying’s Movie Road
2023 is the second time that Zhao Liying has ventured into the film industry.
This year, she filmed "The Road of Tigers and Wolves", "Article 20", "Qiao Yan’s Mind", and "Sauce Garden Lane".
Throughout the year, she was involved in various film crews and did not participate in any activities at the end of the year.
She dedicated herself to filming, no matter how many scenes, one or three.
After the success of "The Wind Blows Half Summer" and "Happiness to Wanjia", it can be seen that Zhao Liying is more ambitious and confident in her career.
This time, the movie script she chose was very different from the last time.
From 2016 to 2017, Zhao Liying also focused on filming many films.
Among them, "Riding the Wind and Waves", "The Formula of True Love for Women" and "Journey to the West Daughter Country" left a strong impression in her film history.
However, among the three films, the two leading films had extremely poor reputation, and the only one with good reputation, "Riding the Wind and Breaking the Waves", was only a cameo, which was not considered a real achievement according to the rules.
Such achievements have failed Zhao Liying to break into the film industry, and her acting skills have not been recognized.
It’s a pity, but it’s to be expected.
After all, Zhao Liying, who is used to acting in TV dramas, is not familiar with the rhythm and method of filming movies, and she, who was under the age of 30, is even more incapable of playing multi-level characters with ease.
Even in an uncontroversial movie like "Journey to the West in the Kingdom of Daughters," Zhao Liying’s thin body and aura could not support a role like "the king of the kingdom of daughters."
Some people say that Zhao Liying grew up quietly in a place that no one saw.
I feel that Zhao Liying has every step to follow, if you are willing to get to know her.
Marriage is crucial in Zhao Liying’s life, which makes her realize that everything depends on herself.
Since her comeback, in addition to "Youfei", which had to be filmed due to the platform’s favor, from "Who is the Murderer" to "The Wind Blows Half Summer", Zhao Liying has not been satisfied with the role she plays being completely imprisoned in an idol drama with no depth at all.
She practiced with TV dramas and slowly adjusted herself from Huadan to an omnipotent Tsing Yi.
The change of an actor is the most obvious in the industry.
In 2023, the movie script that Zhao Liying came into contact with had nothing to do with the so-called "bad movie".
She dared to give advice to Zhang Yimou, so that "Hao Xiuping", who had not many scenes, would be remembered by the audience to the greatest extent.
She ate with Chen Kexin, but chose to be invisible during the controversy over the rankings of "Sauce Garden Lane", just to save the role.
She finally got the female lead of the movie again, and stayed on the crew of "Qiao Yan’s Heart" for a few months, ceding all the limelight of the year-end event to other actresses.
Now, "Article 20" is the movie debut of the reborn Zhao Liying.
I think she has handed in a satisfactory answer.
Hao Xiuping who jumped
Before watching "Article 20," I was very worried that such a character would be out of place in the comedy elements carefully set up by Zhang Yimou, and I was even more worried that she would be too sensationalist and cause the audience to resent.
Fortunately, Zhao Liying’s performance is not abrupt, and her natural acting skills with a sense of breathing also allow the role of "Hao Xiuping" to successfully play her role as the finishing touch.
To say that Zhao Liying played the best part, I think it was the scene of the rooftop suicide.
When Hao Xiuping jumped off the rooftop cleanly, I was shocked.
Lu Lingling (Gao Ye) said: "How desperate is a woman to leave her husband facing the death penalty, her 5-year-old disabled daughter, and choose to die."
If Zhao Liying couldn’t grasp the degree of despair, Yu Lingling’s words wouldn’t be so deafening.
On the rooftop, Hao Xiuping’s emotions were pushed to the highest point. The bullies in the village had long bullied her family, hurt her body and mind, and her daughter was kidnapped. The case could not be advanced, and her husband was facing the death penalty.
Let a rural woman who can’t even speak and can only accumulate pain in her heart have no way to escape.
She was not stupid. She knew that only blood could arouse the remaining conscience in some people.
Her tears flowed endlessly, the increasing intensity of the sign language and the blue veins that popped up on her face collapsed.
Zhao Liying’s suggestion that "Hao Xiuping" should also be portrayed as a deaf-mute person was a stroke of genius. It was the lack of speech that allowed this character not to exaggerate suffering without a bottom line, but to infect the audience’s emotions from the inside out.
When she jumped neatly from a height, many audience members in the theater subconsciously exclaimed.
This is an exclamation of Hao Xiuping’s difficult fate and a recognition of Zhao Liying’s acting skills.
This shocking leap not only reversed Hao Xiuping’s predicament, but also shattered Zhao Liying and reorganized a brand new her.
I remember Zhao Liying once said in an interview: "If people don’t fight, what’s the point of living?"
From this sentence, Zhao Liying and Hao Xiuping have the same character base color.
They are tenacious, even if fate is like duckweed, they will work hard to grow a spine.
The little girl who was born in the countryside and graduated from technical secondary school has become a big star now.
When it comes to Zhao Liying, no one will remember her "dark history". The audience will remember her as Hua Qiangu, Chu Qiao, Lu Zhen, and Xu Banxia.
Now, Zhao Liying has another name, her name is "Hao Xiuping".
This is the best compliment for an actor.
