In regard to love, remember that British author Margaret Dulles once said, “At eighteen, we are all old.
The phrase may seem absurd to many, but in the novel “Thumping Heart” by American children’s author Wendelyn Vandella Annan, the phrase is true to its name.
It is a simple and lovely story of a love affair that transcends age boundaries from the point of view of two children, and it has been on the bestseller lists since its release, touching countless readers around the world.
With such an outstanding market performance, it is not surprising that the novel was bought by Hollywood for film adaptation.
In 2010, the film version of “Thumping” was released, directed by Rob Reiner, who is in his late sixties and has been a Hollywood celebrity for decades.
The film was well received by audiences around the world and received an unprecedented number of accolades from critics in the same breath, sparking memories and reflections on teenage romance.
Most importantly, the film’s production cost, including the post-production publicity, was only $14 million, which was a fraction of the cost of Hollywood’s special effects and action blockbusters that cost hundreds of millions of dollars at the same time.
In a new era where Hollywood increasingly relies on special effects and huge scenes to win, “Thumping Heart” returns to the golden age of Hollywood, which focused on the plot of the movie itself and carefully polished the production model.
Under the direction of Master Rainer, “Eager Hearts” does not choose the usual single-line narrative structure of Hollywood romance movies, but instead follows the narrative pattern of the original novel in a different way, using a double parallel narrative structure.
The two narrative threads of the movie are formed by the perspectives of the male and female protagonists, which alternate parallel narratives, making the simple and straightforward storyline under the respective perspectives of the two protagonists show a completely different sense of perception and charm.
At the same time, the narrative structure of this superficial intersection, overlapping and bifurcation greatly enhances the narrative efficiency that the traditional single-line narrative could not match, which on the one hand creates the aesthetics of time and space of the cycle, and on the other hand greatly promotes the continuous development of the story plot.
This makes the film a great reference and consideration for the later development of similar youth love films.
The film begins with the protagonist, Julie Baker, who, throughout her years growing up in a small town, believes three things unwaveringly and religiously: that the trees (especially the sycamore tree, which has special meaning for her) are holy, that the chickens in her backyard lay the most hygienic eggs, and that one day she will kiss the boy of her destiny, the beloved Bryce Loski.
However, dreams are always out of reach and facts are always incredibly cruel. Julie and Bryce hadn’t spoken a word to each other since that lightning moment in the second grade when they locked eyes, and Bryce even thought that Julie was a freak – why else would she think of raising chickens and sitting under a tree as fun?
The separation between the first half of the story and the second half is the sawing of the sycamore tree.
Julie had always believed that the tree was sacred, but she was unable to stop people from harming the tree.
In her desperation, she saw Bryce, whom she had long admired, and appealed to him to join her in guarding the tree, but received no response. Bryce boarded a school bus and left, but the tree could not escape the fate of being cut down.
Julie changed her past affection for Bryce and began to reevaluate whether the boy was worthy of her trust.
As the saying goes, life is precious, but love is worth more. If you want to be free, you can throw away both. Love is a rare and precious thing, but what is the point of love if you have to sacrifice your dignity and individuality to love someone?
When she saw Bryce throwing away the eggs he had given her, she thought of the profound words her father had said to her, and she lost interest in the boy.
I can’t help but think of the famous quote by American children’s author Robert McCammon in his immortal masterpiece, “It’s like shooting an arrow. You’re sure you’re going to hit the target, and you’re sure you’re going to hit it 100%, but the arrow is blown away by a sudden gust of wind before it even hits the heart. ……”
But through his grandfather’s accidental knowledge of the misfortune that almost befell him when he was born, Bryce gained a deeper understanding of Julie’s family’s misfortune.
Through Julie’s family, Bryce enters her world step by step, and gradually discovers the girl’s distinctive qualities and charms. ……
When the movie was released, it triggered firstly thoughts and discussions about love in the adult world, and secondly, the differences in family education between East and West.
If the story of Julie and Bryce had happened in China, we would have no doubt that they would have been pulled aside by their parents and teachers to be taught a good lesson before they had a chance to make eye contact.
In today’s test-based education system is becoming more and more perfect, Chinese society’s attitude towards teenagers’ emotions has not changed at all, and early love is still seen as a beast that hinders teenagers’ physical and mental health, and is detrimental to their academic performance.
We should think about whether our education should be more comprehensive and humane, not only focus on students’ academic performance, but also pay attention to their emotional education, to maintain a good emotional intelligence in modern society, no less than the role of profound knowledge.
The family is the child’s safe haven, or another school, and if what we learn at school is knowledge and theory, what we learn at home is values. What do we want for ourselves? What price can you pay for chasing your dreams? What is the significance and role of knowing self-esteem and self-love in the process of growth?
Through the lens of Bryce and Julie’s relationship, we can see that a large part of the movie is ostensibly about two adolescent children getting to know and love each other, but it is really about the role of family in the development of adolescents and how boys and girls should interact normally.
Bryce’s family (mainly his father’s approach to life) was a major factor in his prejudice against Julie and his lack of interest in life. Julie’s parents’ upbringing, on the other hand, created a different kind of perseverance and determination.
The existence of the tree in the movie symbolizes the love between the two of them. As much as she loves Bryce, Julie also has a deep affection for the sycamore tree, and she likes to climb it and look into the distance (and looks forward to seeing Bryce in front of her, looking into the distance with her), forgetting all the worldly clouds.
But then someone wanted to cut down the tree, and the sawing of the tree symbolized that Bryce was no longer the perfect boy in Julie’s heart. As Julie’s father says in the film, after listening to his daughter’s cries, “It’s time …….”
The tree, a symbol of first love, which Julie grew up with, is now a painting, forever a part of Julie’s development.
It is here that Bryce, who had no interest in Julie in the first half of the film, begins to come to his senses. Especially in the middle of the night when his grandfather says, “Some people become shallow and mediocre.
One day you’ll meet someone as gorgeous as a rainbow, and the rest of us are just clouds in a hurry. It made him start to reflect on what he had been doing to Julie all along.
While looking at this formerly unattractive girl in a new light, Bryce became fascinated and smelled the beginnings of love.
Once full of indifference to life and nature, under the influence of Julie and his grandfather’s behavior, he had his own “change of heart”.
At this stage, Julie’s attitude towards Bryce changes dramatically as she becomes more mature and rational about love, while Bryce gradually falls in love and self-recrimination. Through the simple perspective of the two children, the director seems to ask the audience: if children know how precious and hard love is, how can we in real life casually deal with our own emotional problems?
In the end, after many setbacks and trials, Bryce and Julie are finally brought together. At the end of the film, the two of them plant a new sapling together, a scene that symbolizes the sprouting of a love that no longer exists.
Before watching Thumping, I was skeptical as to why a simple movie about pure love could garner such enthusiasm and praise. But when I came to the end of the story and looked back on the development of the film, I realized that it was not just a romance film about young love, but also a reflection on youth and growing up.
In the film, Julie and Bryce experience the bitterness and sweetness of their youthful acquaintance before finally understanding what love is. In today’s era where relationships between people are becoming cheaper and more utilitarian, the search for and reflection on love between the two child protagonists in the film is even more valuable.
For director Robert Reiner, the film is also a pivotal work in his career. 2007, when he was already in his late teens, Robert Reiner expressed his ultimate thoughts on the value of life and the purpose of life with The Bucket List, which aroused widespread discussion and thought.
Three years later, Rob Reiner expressed his concern for youth and growing up again with Thumping. He once expressed his thoughts on the film in an interview, saying that he believed that everyone at the age of twelve or thirteen has their own doubts about many things in life.
At such a stage, if you can meet a character like a mentor who is always with you as you grow up, then your life will be brighter than ever before.
Many people who have watched “Thumping Heart” will also be caught up in the memories of the past. Whether it’s a young boy or girl still in the throes of youth, or an adult who is already a parent, they may have had such a gorgeous and silly youth as in the movie, and they may have had the “true love” of their lives.
But as time passes by, we may end up with a partner who is no longer the same person, which is a regret we can’t go back to.
What we need to understand is that trying to live in the present is the best way to remember the original relationship.
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