《艋舺》带你回味残存的青春记忆

We want to try a little of everything when we're young. We always think we've got nothing to lose. Then, sometimes, before we know it, we're already on a path where there's no turning back.

年少轻狂时，我们事事都乐于尝试。因为觉得自己一无所有而不惧怕失去。也正因如此，我们有时会在不知不觉中走上一条不归路。

That's what Monga, the latest film by Taiwanese director Doze Niu, is about. The title refers to one of Taipei's oldest areas. It was quite well-known for its iniquity before a cleanup in the 1990s. The film is bathed in nostalgia for a time (the mid-1980s) when brotherhood, small mafias and the seedy backstreets of the area were poignant "symbols". It tells a story of friendship, conflict and betrayal among a group of five teenage gangsters.

这正是台湾著名导演钮承泽的最新力作《艋舺》的剧情梗概。电影片名“艋舺”取自台北一个古老城区的名字。20世纪90年代前，艋舺都以不法行为著称。电影以20世纪80年代为背景，讲述了在兄弟会、小混混横行的社会，5个黑道少年之间的友谊、冲突和背叛的故事。

It may, more or less, remind us of the Hong Kong classic Teddyboy series, where things like street fights, visits to brothels, and a swearing of brotherhood ceremony are indispensable. But, while Monga has lots of gangsters, it's not a gangster film. It's an honest film about being young, and already something of a box office miracle for a Taiwanese film (40 million yuan, a month after its release).

这样的剧情或多或少会让我们回想起红极一时的香港影片《古惑仔》。剧中，类似街斗、出入妓院、粗口、歃血为盟等场景都是必不可少的。虽然影片中有不少小混混出现，但《艋舺》却并非一部警匪片。它是一部真实记录年轻人生活的影片，上映1个月就创下了4000万元的台湾电影票房奇迹。

The lead character Mosquito (Mark Chao) "goes astray" and accidentally enters the world of gangsters at a young age. At first he can't understand why people just keep fighting, even killing each other, and why loyalty always comes first, rather than justice or meaning.

主人公蚊子(赵又廷饰)年纪轻轻误入歧途，意外踏入黑道。起初，他不理解为什么人们总是打打杀杀，总是只识义气，不问公平与意义。

Another main character, Monk (Ethan Juan，阮经天)， is "a fighter with a brain" who betrays his group later. So, the film's doomed to have a sad, bloody ending-also a beautiful one. Right before Mosquito dies in the end, blood in the air becomes fluttering cherry blossoms, which he's always dreamed of seeing.

而另一位主人公和尚(阮经天饰)则是个“有思想的斗士”，但却最终背叛了组织。因此，该影片注定会有一个悲情、血腥但却不失美丽的结局。电影进展到尾声，蚊子在死前终于看到了自己梦寐以求的樱花--和尚的血飞溅在空气中，像绽放的樱花般烂漫。

A film like this shows all the subtle emotions and sentiments of a group of gangsters. And, instead of just showing audiences what gangsterdom is like, Monga digs deeper into how meanings of loyalty, friendship and brotherhood shift for the five young gangsters, as they come to see how cruel the world can be.

影片将一群小混混细微的情感描写得淋漓尽致。除了向观众展现小混混的形象，影片更深度挖掘了5个年轻人在认识到世界的残酷后义气、友谊和兄弟情谊观念所发生的转变。

Youth films have become popular in Taiwan in recent years. Some say that Taiwanese films are undergoing a revival lately, with several local productions doing big at the box office, and receiving good reviews. In addition to Monga, there're Cape No 7 , Hear Me , ORZBoyz and Winds of September. Most of them are about young people, especially the latter two.

近年来，青年电影在台湾大受欢迎。有人说，台湾电影正在复兴，当地几部电影的票房都很可观，社会反响良好。除了《艋舺》，《海角七号》、《听说》、《囧男孩》和《九降风》都很有名。它们中的大多数都是青年题材影片，后两者尤其如此。

"Stories about youth have always been a favorite of local film makers," Lee Lieh, producer of ORZBoyz and Monga, told Yahoo Taiwan. She said audiences love this type of film because they can identify easily and feel connected to the characters and their stories, many of which appeared earlier in Japanese anime form.

“一直以来，年轻人题材的影片在当地都很受欢迎，” 《囧男孩》和《艋舺》的监制李烈在接受Yahoo Taiwan采访时表示。她还说，观众很喜欢这类电影，因为他们能轻易抓住并感受这些角色以及他们的故事，很多情节都曾在日本动漫中出现过。

"An adapted script and all-star cast will always get teenagers who fantasize about a comic book life to buy tickets," Lee said. "And for today's adults, those film can cause a certain nostalgia because the stories are true to life."

“适合的剧本加上全明星阵容很容易吸引那些迷恋动漫情节的青少年来买票，”李烈说，“而另一方面，对成年人来说，这类电影能激起他们的怀旧氛围--毕竟这些故事都源自现实生活。”

In other words, it's the adolescent confusion and the exposure to the real world that make youthful days so special.

换言之，正是青春期的困惑以及现实生活中所遭受的种种压力赋予了青年期特殊的意义。

As a voice-over near the end of Monga has it, "The grass flutters in the same direction as the wind blows. When we're young, we always think that we're the wind. But after we're beaten black and blue, that's when we know we're just the grass."

正如《艋舺》片尾的旁白所说，“风往哪个方向吹，草就要往哪个方向倒。年轻的时候，我也曾经以为自己是风。可是最后遍体鳞伤，我才知道我们原来都只是草。”

There can come a day when the fearlessness and recklessness of youth fade away, but the memory can live forever.

将来，即便我们摆脱了年轻时的无畏和鲁莽，相信昔日的记忆也定会深扎在我们的内心深处。