风花雪月

四川西北部的一个小村庄里，90岁的阳爷爷是阳氏风水世家第九代传人。这个家族的男性成员大都继承了这门手艺，他们最主要的工作是为乡亲们主持葬礼。以他们为线索，影片串联起多起死亡：白发人送黑发人的中国式悲剧，为丧葬费用互相扯皮的儿女，先后死去的恩爱夫妻。而阳家自身，在迎来两个重孙子的同时，阳爷爷不得不亲手埋葬了他罹患癌症的儿子。《风花雪月》是他们举行葬礼礼拜佛祖时的香赞。在雪灾和地震先后袭来的2008年，这个家族故事折射着佛祖所说的八苦：生、老、病、死、爱别离、怨憎会、求不得、五阴炽盛。
Synopsis：
There is a small village in the northwest of Sichuan province. Mr. Yang, the ninety years old grandfather, is the ninth generation successor of Yang's geomantic family. The men in this family have almost carried on the geomantic craft. They mainly preside over funerals for the villagers. The documentary focuses on this family, recording several deaths: the Chinese-type tragedy of　“the young perish, and the old linger”; the sons and daughters who wrangled over the funeral expenses with each other; an affectionate couple who died one after another. Meanwhile, in Yang's family, Mr. Yang celebrated the birth of his two great-grandchildren and at the same time had to bury his son, who died of cancer. The name of the film, Wind Flower Snow Moon, is actually the name of the coronach that the geomancers sing when they worship Buddha in the funeral. In the year of 2008, which is attacked successively by severe snowstorm and earthquake, the family had to suffer Eight Pains defined by Buddha, namely, Birth, Caducity, Illness, Death, Departure with the Beloved, Encounter with the Hated, Dissatisfactory and Rampancy of Five Yins.

这个纪录片拍摄的是我自己家人的生老病死。它首先是一个家庭录像。如果本片有超出家庭录像的意义，那是因为人类的生命本质上是共通的。
如果没有考上大学，我理所当然会继承爷爷的手艺，成为一个替人查勘宅基、择定吉期、主持葬礼、降妖伏魔的风水先生。我出生在这个家庭里，却没有体验过别人眼中的神秘，也不认为家人从事的是“封建迷信活动”。我一直对继承爷爷的手艺怀有恐惧，因为那意味着同形形色色的死亡打交道。
本片拍摄了多起死亡事件，但死亡并不是我特别关心的。这些死亡背后折射的，是中国人对待活着的态度。
我希望影片的镜头语言和结构能够表现出我对我的家族中人与人关系的体验。
每个人都希望自己留下的是美好的影像，我也不例外。这使理想化成为拍摄家庭录像时不可避免的问题。但是，假如存在纯粹客观的纪录，那么它一定是不道德的。

Director’s Statement：
The documentary is about the birth, caducity, illness and death happening in my family. It is but a home video. If there is something beyond home video, it is perhaps because of the common sense in humanity.
If I failed to enter university, I would naturally carry on my grandfather's craft and become a geomancer who help people determine the location of a house or tomb that is believed to have an influence on the fortune of a family, select auspicious days, preside over a funeral, subdue demons and monsters. Although I was born in this family, the geomancy which is mysterious to others has never been mysterious to me, and also I have never considered that my family is engaged in the feudal and superstitious activities. I have always feared carrying on my grandfather's craft because it means that I have to deal with various deaths.
The documentary has shot a number of deaths. However, what I particularly concerned about is not death. These deaths reflect the Chinese people's attitude towards life.
I hope that the scene language and the film structure can express the relationship in my family which I experienced.
People are wishing what they left is lovely impressions and I, as well, without exceptions. However, if there was a completely objective documentation, it must be immoral.

第一届华美学生影像展评委会奖

fanhallfilm, 张三四