12.16.2010

柏德烈 一歲半

一部電影﹐應該是我首部接觸的瑞典電影。電影在夏天秋天取景﹐因而看不到北歐的冰天雪地。當然﹐我的窗外也有嚴寒的景緻﹐不必再假外求。

在網上閱過不少關於這部電影的正面評價﹐可說是冒名期待。好不容易等到電影推出了DVD﹐於是從亞瑪遜即時郵購﹐和《潛行凶間》同時寄到。昨天下班後閒來無時﹐拿出來一口氣看完﹐感覺很窩心。較之一些美國出產的獨立製作﹐編導演三方面而言﹐這部電影的視野和層次高出不之凡幾。電影中有一些地方頗能引起共鳴﹐但若說震撼力和即時經典的程度﹐卻又還沒有達到《斷臂山》﹑《囍宴》﹑《春光乍洩》﹑《Beautiful Thing》等作品的水平。可說是上中之作。電影劇種可以溫馨/溫情小品來形容。

故事圍繞著主角領養小孩子的一段曲折感人的旅程為主。電影的主角約朗是一名正直溫文的瑞典醫生。約朗和他的同性配偶士凡一心想領養一名嬰兒﹐為此他們不懼申請過程的繁複煎熬﹐一往無前。可惜因為他們同性配偶的關係﹐國外沒有任何地方批准他們領養的申請。約朗和士凡只好轉移目標應接受瑞典國內的孩子﹐對於他們來說﹐什麼樣的小孩子都值得他們疼愛。

日復一日﹐當他們感到希望渺茫的時候﹐社會福利署突然寄來一封信﹐機會從天而降﹐一名一歲半的小孩子柏德烈現可由他們撫養。約朗和士凡喜出望外﹐馬上答應。二人把客房重新裝修作育嬰室﹐滿心雀躍地等待小男孩加入他們溫暖的家庭。

詎料小孩子來到當天﹐敲門的不是社會福利署的工作人員和尚在襁褓的小孩﹐而是一名十五歲的金髮少年。初時約朗和士凡不為意﹐只當柏德烈還沒到來﹐後來才曉得柏德烈是十五(15)歲而不是一歲半(1﹐5)。柏德烈非但不是一名天真可愛的小男孩﹐相反是一名犯有刑事罪名﹑滿嘴粗言穢語﹑對約朗士凡二人不存絲毫善意的問題少年。故事就在雙方的失望下展開﹐約朗夾在士凡和柏德烈兩者之間﹐左右為難。

劇情聽來彷彿有點刻意﹐然而演員投入﹐人物的喜怒哀樂﹐感人而可信。除非觀眾如草木無情﹐不難站在約朗的立場﹐為他載浮載沉於數段複雜的人際漩渦﹐暗暗關懷。

其中一段情境﹐我覺得編導演的配合﹐溫馨有趣。約朗和士凡因柏德烈的關係﹐感情陷入危機。士凡無法忍受柏德烈﹐憤然離去。約朗苦悶寂寞﹐士凡的前妻安慰約朗說﹐士凡是個不折不扣的混蛋﹐總有一天他會醒覺回來的。然後士凡的前妻又問﹐他們之間會不會有第三者介入﹖約朗想了片刻道﹐不會吧﹐至少他覺得士凡沒有。士凡的前妻說﹐那就好了﹐當她和士凡在一起的時候﹐士凡和別人鬼混了半年﹐她才發現。約朗詫異道﹐有這回事﹐第三者是誰﹖士凡的前妻笑說﹐傻子﹐那就是你囉。然後二人毫無芥蒂地一笑﹐當中很多悲酸﹐都如橋下的急流﹐早已掠過。我覺得這些小情境﹐可圈可點﹐遍佈整部電影。

喜歡主角約朗處事的成熟和打落門牙和血吞﹐最後守得雲開見月明﹐不是荷里活方程式﹐歸根究底還是拜EQ所賜。

2 comments:

shangri_la said...

> 劇情聽來彷彿有點刻意

I haven’t watched the movie but with my advancing years, adoption has become more and more a thought in my consciousness and a story about adoption is worth telling. What the movie describes is actually not that far-fetched – children up for adoption usually aren’t exactly the Dickensian orphans one might hope, even if they are really one and a half year old. They usually come from dysfunctional families where one or both parents are drug addicts and so are likely born with medical issues. For older children they are often emotionally troubled and, like your movie, with criminal history. People who intent to adopt simply because they want to start a family this might be too much a price to pay (remember the controversy a few months ago about the Tennessean woman who sent her adopted son back to Russia by boarding him alone on a plane to Moscow?) but the alternative will be what? Look at the surrogate mother debate going on in Hong Kong these days and I do think people who oppose that do have a point… Gay marriage seems to be such a cause célèbre these days but I imagine in ten or fifteen years gay adoption will be the hot button.

Well I should off my soapbox now. By the way, you have never watched the movie "Mitt liv som hund"/"My Life as a Dog"/《狗臉的歲月》? It was a pretty popular Swedish movie in Hong Kong even 25 years back

best actor said...

shangri_la:

the plot was not far-fetched, just a little contrived. that being said, a few moments were quite touching. this is a movie worth checking out. i agree that in fifteen years, adoption by gay couples would no longer raise an eyebrow.

《狗臉的歲月》? heard about it, never had a chance to watch. :o)

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