《七月與安生》：靈魂的AB面

For the last couple of years, young adult romance films, adapted from online fiction by mainland producers/directors, have become a *synonym for poor quality. Soulmate (《七月與安生》), which hit cinemas on Sept 15, however, is trying to change all this. 過去的幾年里，由中國大陸的制片方或?qū)а莞木幾跃W(wǎng)絡小說的青春電影，似乎已經(jīng)成為爛片的代名詞。然而，9月15日上映的電影《七月與安生》卻試圖改變這一現(xiàn)狀。

Soulmate is based on best-selling coming-of-age story of the same name by novelist Li Jie, who’s better known by her pen name Anni Baobei. It revolves around the relationship between two girls, *rebellious and *erratic Li Ansheng (Zhou Dongyu) and disciplined goody two-shoes Lin Qiyue (Ma Sichun). They have been best friends since they were 13 but their friendship is put to the test when a man bursts into their lives and changes everything. 電影《七月與安生》由同名暢銷成長小說改編而成，原著作者勵婕有個更加廣為人知的筆名——“安妮寶貝”。故事的兩位主人公分別是叛逆而又反復無常的女孩李安生(周冬雨飾)和循規(guī)蹈矩的乖乖女林七月(馬思純飾)，劇情圍繞著兩人的關系展開。自13歲起，兩人便是摯友。但當一個男人闖入她們的生命，并將一切都打亂了時，她們的友誼也面臨著嚴峻的考驗。

As of Sept 19, the film has *garnered a very respectable 7.7 points out of 10 at review site Douban.com, which is by far the highest score a domestic film has managed this year. 截至9月19日，這部影片已在影評網(wǎng)站豆瓣網(wǎng)上獲得了7.7分(滿分10分)的高分，是今年目前為止國產(chǎn)電影的所獲得的最高分。

The *premise of a love triangle sounds like just another tired Chinese youth film. But Soulmate decides to *ditch the done-to-death plotlines, instead of focusing on something that it hopes will offer better resonance with its target audience. 三角戀的設定聽起來似乎又是一部無聊的國內(nèi)青春電影。但是《七月與安生》卻決定拋下老掉牙的故事情節(jié)，轉(zhuǎn)而關注能夠引起觀眾共鳴的元素。

The movie centers around the two girls’ intense friendship with one another. While Li’s works are famous for being filled with *rhetorical flourishes, the film is brimming with small details which help bring the story to life and make it more relatable to a female audience. 電影主要講述了兩個女孩彼此間親密的友誼。安妮寶貝的作品以通篇華麗的辭藻而聞名，然而這部影片卻處處從細節(jié)著手，生動地呈現(xiàn)了整個故事，讓女性觀眾深有感觸。

Ansheng and Qiyue sleep in the same bed, take a bath in the same tub, they are even familiar with each other’s bra size. They know each other inside out and are willing to do anything for one another. But at the same time they find themselves forced to choose between what matters the most – their long-standing friendship or their newly found romance. The man whom the two girls fall in love with acts more like a *catalyst for the *deterioration and restoration of their friendship. 安生與七月同睡一張床，同在一個浴缸洗澡，甚至連對方的胸圍都知道得一清二楚。她們對彼此從內(nèi)到外都十分了解，愿意為對方做任何事情。但同時，她們發(fā)現(xiàn)自己也不得不在長久的友誼和剛萌芽的戀情之間做出選擇。兩個女孩同時愛上的那個男生，更像是破壞和重塑她們友誼的催化劑。

Producer Peter Chan (陳可辛) calls Derek Tsang (曾國祥) “a director who best understands females,” and whoever has watched the film would agree. 電影的制片人陳可辛稱導演曾國祥是“最了解女性的導演”，相信看完這部電影的人都會同意這一觀點。

More than simply trying to move the audience with *nuanced *sentiments, Soulmate is also thought provoking. Ansheng and Qiyue live completely *intertwined lives–they are the same person’s left hand and right hand–as one online commenter puts it – but they still yearn for a deeper love outside of their friendship. The original novel which the movie is based upon ends seemingly positively: The “good” girl settles down into a “good” life with her first love. But the film totally twists the pair’s stories. The beautifully composed closing scene of the film shows viewers a more complex side to Ansheng and Qiyue and even provokes viewers to question themselves, asking: Who actually are we and who do we want to be? 《七月與安生》不光以細膩的情感打動了觀眾，它還是一部引人深思的影片。安生和七月的生活彼此相互交錯——就像網(wǎng)上的一則評論所說的那樣，她們就像是同一個人的左右手——但在兩人的友誼之外，她們都渴求著一份深沉的愛。原著小說的結局似乎頗為圓滿：“好女孩”和她的初戀在一起，過上了“幸福美滿”的生活。但電影卻完全顛覆了這個故事。電影中，經(jīng)過精心設計的最后一幕向觀眾展現(xiàn)了安生與七月更為復雜的另一面，甚至引發(fā)了觀眾自身的思考：我們究竟是誰?我們想成為什么樣的人?