台北電影節

轉型正義電影《夜晚尤其是》影評:西班牙故事另一種迷人的樣子 Review of “ Foremost by Night”

2024 年台北電影節「國際新導演競賽獎」今年邁入舉辦 20 週年里程碑。國新導演是未來世界影壇的大師,新銳導演常能為觀眾與創作者帶來看待世界的嶄新視角、並有著穿透既有人文陋規的創作能量,是最敢於挑戰文明傲慢與威權打壓的影視圈活水發言者。

Taipei Film Festival “International New Director Competition Award” reaches the milestone of its 20th anniversary in 2024. Emerging directors have so much potential in the future. They bring audiences and creators a new perspective on the world, and have the creative energy to penetrate the existing bad norms of human culture. They are the ones who dare to challenge the arrogance and authoritarian suppression of civilization.

今年共入選的 10 部入圍電影中,入圍片《夜晚尤其是》是來自於西班牙聖賽巴斯提安影展選片人維克多・伊利亞特(Víctor IRIARTE)選而優則導、首部執導的劇情長片。此片便是帶有揭露歷史醜聞的故事題材、也挑戰了倫理道德界線的一部具有控訴性的藝術電影。

One of the 10 nominated films this year “Foremost by Night”( Sobre todo de noche ) by Víctor IRIARTE, which is an accusatory art film that exposes historical scandals and challenges ethical and moral boundaries.

《夜晚尤其是》以西班牙佛朗哥政權時期「嬰兒失竊社會現象」為題,描述失去孩子的母親,在得知孩子未死後,不但找到小孩與養母、更策動了報復行動。小蝦米對抗大鯨魚的故事雖不稀奇,但以多類型篇章敘事法、加上旁觀視角的呢喃式敘事就讓《夜晚尤其是》在眾聲喧嘩中獨樹一格出來。我不會說這是帶有女性特質的轉型正義電影,而是身而為人所該具備的美好性格特質,以此提點著當權勢力試圖泯滅過往錯事時的不卑不亢態度本該是如此。

This movie is based on the “phenomenon of stolen babies” during the Franco regime in Spain. It describes a mother who lost her baby. After learning that the child was alive, she found the child and the adoptive mother. And she planed an act of revenge.

The story of “a David versus Goliath spectacle” is not unusual, the multi-type chapter narrative method and the whispering narrative from the perspective of the bystander make “Foremost by Nigh” unique among the crowd.

When we praise femininity, we should regard this beautiful personality trait as “the spiritual foundation that all human beings should possess.” This transformational justice film uses this kind of protagonist to fight against the forces of power and historical mistakes. Her neither humble nor overbearing attitude has become the charming personality of this film.

難以想像, 1990 之前,西班牙共計有三十萬名嬰兒,就這樣被處理掉、母嬰從此分離。

電影裡在法院工作的速記員媽媽薇拉,在「查無紀錄」的茫茫大海中,終於找到了寇拉和艾格的文件。三人相認後的互動過程,沒往任何八點檔的方向去走,女主角就連復仇之前都只是優雅地宣示、並帶著殉道式的虔誠,那是超越了被仇恨蒙蔽後的激情控訴流彈、以及「你錯我對」的情緒性指責。

It is unimaginable that before 1990, 300,000 babies in Spain were separated from their mothers.

The biological mother in the movie finally found her child and the child’s adoptive mother. The interaction between the three of them did not go in any dramatic direction. Even talking about revenge, this character just declared it elegantly and with a martyr-like piety, which was beyond the passion after being blinded by hatred. 

反之,電影時刻保持冷靜的自覺,不輕易讓自己與觀眾掉入復仇劇的陷阱漩渦,取代以更多的三方(受害者)自述與情境鋪陳,娓娓道來這道歷史傷痕在人民身上所造成的永恆性創傷,更加顯化出兩種母親與孩子的生命失落缺角,引領觀眾思考:誰該來為他們所受到的傷害負責?《夜晚尤其是》選擇以聰明的方式來演這齣復仇劇,一如片中傍著水湖波瀾不驚的談話,沒有血腥,只有聖母像畫作般真鎮靜的決心。

The film always maintains a calm consciousness and does not easily let itself and the audience fall into the trap of a revenge drama. The film narrates the eternal trauma caused by this historical scar on the people, leading the audience to think: Who should be responsible for the harm they suffered? This clever revenge drama is no gore, her determination like a painting “Portrait of the Virgin”.

片中就連偷錢偷文件的秘密計畫執行結果也充滿懸念,那懸念就像這部電影,是個無從考究卻被傳說著的真實故事,只剩下片尾夜晚裡的囈語:「沒有人看見我們,但我們一直都在,像幽靈一樣,像幽靈一樣互相陪伴。親愛的孩子,永遠都別忘記我們,總有一天,我們會再回來。」幾句詩句一樣的告白,這便是轉型正義故事需要被接力傳誦下去,直到當權政府的誠實承認、道歉、反省與改進的終極意義。

Even the outcome of the secret revenge plan in the film is full of suspense. All that is left is the murmur at night at the end of the film: “No one saw us, but we are always there, like ghosts. Dear child, never forget us, one day, we will come back again.”

A confession like a few verses, this is the ultimate meaning of the story of transformational justice that needs to be relayed and passed on until the government in power honestly admits, apologizes, ponders and improves.

《夜晚尤其是》歷經了威尼斯影展、倫敦影展與芝加哥影展的參展巡演,也獲得歐美影評人與多個影展導演獎、包括巴利亞多利德國際電影節費比西獎等。這回電影來到了亞洲,帶來了帶有實驗片、歷史口述性質紀錄片與劇情電影相融合的影像形式,將這些人物在歷史上曾經輕易被消失的故事,重新慎重地說出來。本片並不是常見的轉型電影樣貌的呈現,尤其相對於亞洲諸如韓國、台灣,或更愛說教一些的日本電影,都顯得太輕描淡寫了。但也就是這樣難得一見的清流風格,讓我們重新認識了西班牙電影的更多可能性,那是有別於布紐爾、阿莫多瓦或卡洛斯索拉的超現實、濃烈與激昂等重口味的存在,告訴我們西班牙人的故事與愛恨情仇,西班牙電影,其實還有別種迷人的樣子。

Such a rare clean-style film allows us to re-understand more possibilities of Spanish films, which are different from the surreal, intense and passionate tastes of Luis Buñuel, Almodóvar or Carlos Saura. The existence of the movie tells us: Spanish movies actually have another charming look.

 

維克多・伊利亞特 Víctor IRIARTE

1976年出生於西班牙畢爾包,導演暨影展節目策展人。2005年成立自己的電影公司Cajaconcosasdentro,作品常與表演藝術家合作,2015年起任聖賽巴斯提安影展選片人,《夜晚尤其是》為其首部劇情長片。

born in Bilbao, Spain in 1976, is an artist, filmmaker, and film programmer. Foremost by Night is his first feature fiction film.