Taiwanese-Burmese filmmaker Midi Z’s 2019 film caused a stir and received critical acclaim Nina Wua book about the exploitation of women in the entertainment industry, and was released during the global #MeToo movement, a belated public reckoning with powerful men guilty of sexual violence and misconduct.
Z new film selected for the main competition section of this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival, invisible sisterAt least superficially, have similar themes Nina Wu ——That is, the habitual abuse of women in the entertainment industry and the test of women on the margins of society.
Adapted from Zhang Yueran’s book invisible sisterThis film tells the story of two sisters, one officially named Qiao Yan at birth, and the other named Qiao Yan, but they live in an illegal twilight world, always facing the threat of discovery. After switching identities when they were young, the sisters lived completely different lives in two different countries. The real Qiao Yan lives on the edge of poverty in Myanmar, while the imaginary Qiao Yan becomes a famous actress in China. Fate inevitably brings them back together.
Zhao Liying in “The Invisible Sister”.
Shanghai Linmeng’s photos
The film stars Zhao Liying (Legend of Shen Li, Chu Qiao’s story about Ming Lan, Legend of Lu Zhen and Flower and Wildflower Tour), a famous Chinese television actor who is transitioning into feature films. The cast also includes Huang Jue, Xin Zhilei and Chinese rapper Gem.
invisible sister The film is produced by Shanghai-based Linmeng Pictures as part of the company’s push into feature films with international appeal. After being released in Tokyo, the film will be screened at the Singapore International Film Festival in December.
During the Tokyo Film Festival, hollywood reporter Talked to Z and Zhao invisible sisterthe challenges of making a mainstream commercial film with artistic credentials and universal themes.
yes invisible sister What was your first mainstream Chinese film?
MIDI Z Yes, that’s correct. Compared to my past films, this was the first mainstream film I did. This is the most commercial film in terms of production budget and scale of production. All my previous films were smaller and had fewer people on the set, but this film had over 300 people on the set. Ultimately, the core of the story and the core of the entire work is very Chinese. This is about the Chinese people. It’s about family. This is a value that Chinese people attach great importance to.
Do you face any specific challenges working on a larger scale as a director? Have your processes changed at all?
MIDI Z I think the most important part [for me as a director] It’s communication, especially with actors. In a story, in a production, the chemistry and performance of the actors is actually more important than the story itself, because the actors are the ones telling the story. So in the two months before filming, there was actually a lot of communication between the actors and I, and the actors often met to rehearse and go over the story together to get chemistry and prepare for the story. It was very valuable and it really helped me tell the story through the actors’ performances.
Zhao Liying and Huang Jue in ‘The Unseen Sister.’
Shanghai Linmeng’s photos
So in the movie, two languages are used, Mandarin and Yunnanese. Why choose to use two different dialects?
MIDI Z Just because of this story. This is because of the setting of the characters. The character is traveling from Yunnan to Beijing.
As an actor, Zhao, can you speak Yunnan dialect? If not, is this really a real challenge?
ZHAO LIYING No, I can’t speak. We spent about a month before production working specifically on the dialect, going over all the Yunnanese lines in the script so that we could be more comfortable during the production process. This is how we overcome the difficulties of using different dialects.
As an outsider, is the use of multiple Mandarin dialects unusual for mainstream Chinese films?
MIDI Z The use of different dialects is becoming more common now because there are many different people traveling between different cities in China and there are more opportunities to be exposed to dialects. For example, in Sichuan dialect and Guizhou dialect, the content is becoming more and more common, which I think is very good.
watch invisible sisterI feel that the emotion of the film, and perhaps the audience, will be more international, especially the themes and ideas that the film touches on. Is that fair to say?
MIDI Z After all, this is a very, very Chinese movie. When we think about the Chinese nature of this film, there are two distinct parts to it. The first part is the core of the story itself – the values of the story are very Chinese. It’s about the individual and their family, and how the needs and desires of the individual conflict with the needs and desires of the family and what the consequences are. And then when we get to the second part of it, which is the outside of the story, which is what we see visually—the landscape, the location. Its aesthetics, like all product design, the architecture we see. The snow is very heavy, and it has a very poetic aesthetic style, very Chinese style.
And the themes are universal themes. My films are a true expression of people’s lives. In order to speak to an audience, you really have to understand what they are going through in their lives. This movie is really about women and what they go through in society, the difficulties they face and their struggles. They fight against anything that suppresses them, their desire and yearning for freedom and a better life.
Zhao Liying in “The Invisible Sister”.
Shanghai Linmeng’s photos
Teacher Zhao, for the character Qiao Yan you play, she is a very complex person, and she is also an outstanding actress like you in real life. What attracted you to this project? Have you also experienced the fame and industry pressure that Qiao Yan has endured?
ZHAO LIYING I chose this role, I chose this project, because I really wanted to challenge myself. What really attracted me to this project was Midi’s style and the very unique narrative style Midi brings to his films and stories. To be honest, the actor’s role is actually just a setting for the character in the story. It has nothing to do with a character in this scene. It’s really about the whole, like the overall story, the structure, the style, the narrative that really appeals to me.
As for whether the character is relatable…obviously, the story is pretty dramatic. Of course, I can understand that to a certain extent, but of course, these are very dramatic experiences that the characters are going through. This doesn’t really happen in real life. overall pressure, suppression [Qiao Yan] The faces at work, I can definitely relate to that specific thing. There’s a scene where my character is in the hospital filming a scene where she gets stabbed by a needle, and that really touched me.
Xin Zhilei in “The Invisible Sister”.
Photos of Shanghai Lin Meng
midi, invisible sister There are some visual similarities to your last film Nina WuThe entertainment industry is portrayed in a rather negative light as there are actresses in lead roles who are taken advantage of by the men around them. Why do you care about stories about women being abused?
MIDI Z I grew up in a predominantly female household. I grew up under the protection of my mother and sisters. They are both wonderful women. My interactions with my family influenced my considerations when telling stories and designing characters. This understanding of my mother’s and sister’s lives also affects me whenever I write and create female characters. exist invisible sister“Qiao Yan” truly shows this kind of woman who is already very successful according to today’s society’s standards. She is famous and rich, but she still faces such difficulties. This condition can really affect anyone.
