漫畫家兼導演濱口竜介的 All of a Sudden 是一項關於彼此關懷的奇妙作品

(SeaPRwire) –   你無法匆忙看完是枝裕和（Ryusuke Hamaguchi）的電影。這些畫面需要你慢慢沉浸其中；隨著故事展開，你將與它們一同呼吸、生活於其中。這在坎城影展競賽單元上映的《All of a Sudden》中尤其如此。是枝裕和的《駕駛我的車》（Drive My Car）曾獲得2022年奧斯卡最佳國際影片獎，儘管時長達三小時，卻似乎引起不少觀眾共鳴——這部關於一位寡居演員與被指派為他開車至長崎執導工作的年輕女性建立深厚關係的電影，或許正是疫情後期人們普遍感到倦怠時的完美慰藉。2023年他推出更具挑戰性的作品《惡不存在》（Evil Does Not Exist），講述一名單親父親為保護自己與女兒視為家園的森林區域而對抗計劃在此設立的「豪華露營」場址。該片中有一場冗長的鎮民會議戲碼，但正是這種情節正是是枝裕和駕馭得爐火純青之處。他能讓平凡細節顯得詩意盎然，彷彿能放緩心跳節奏。

《All of a Sudden》同樣體現了這樣的風格。這是是枝裕和首部法語片，由 exceptional 法國比利時演員維琪·艾芙莉（Virginie Efira）主演，她在片中飾演瑪莉-露（Marie-Lou），一名位於巴黎郊區療養院的老年照護機構主管。她正經歷嚴重的職業倦怠。她致力於實踐一種名為「人文主義照護」（Humanitude）的理念，強調透過培養特殊溝通技巧及協助患者起身行走，讓每位長者都能被妥善照料並受到尊重。然而，無論是訓練過程還是實際執行皆耗費大量時間與金錢，而她所經營的機構本就面臨資源短缺問題。她的團隊成員紛紛離職，其他人則對她的理念抱持抗拒態度，直言強化個別患者的關注度會拖慢整體作業效率，進而加重全體員工負擔。

機緣巧合下——更準確地說，是出於善意與同理心的結果——瑪莉-露邂逅了 elderly actor 老演員五郎（Kyozo Nagatsuka）、其 teenage grandson Tomoki（Kodai Kurosaki），以及 experimental-theater director Mari（Tao Okamoto）。Mari 向瑪莉-露遞上一份她所執導戲劇的海報，劇中探討如何以更富同理心的方式應對精神疾病等基本人生課題。瑪莉-露深受觸動，演出結束後立刻主動與 Mari 展開深入對話。兩人之間建立起一種超越友誼的深刻連結：彷彿彼此都在對方身上尋找、撫慰內心深處的不安。後來瑪莉-露得知 Mari 罹患癌症，生命垂危，這份友誼因而更加迫切珍貴。

瑪莉與 Mari 之間的親屬情誼是一種非 eroticism 的精神親密關係：兩人都熱衷於長時間討論資本主義與生育率下滑等議題，甚至配合白板圖表進行說明——這可能需要 viewers 耐心觀看。某種程度上，《All of a Sudden》更像是一部充滿溫情的 advocacy 行動，而非單純的電影作品。瑪莉-露所經營的療養院規模龐大，擁有 lush 且 cheerful 的庭園環境。 patients 們皆衣著整齊，享有 ample 戶外活動時間，家屬也 frequent 探訪。有些病人雖 silent 卻能微笑大笑； others 完全不發一語，卻 seemingly 毫無不悅。他們都從瑪莉-露的照護方式中受益，而當 Mari 病情嚴重後仍選擇入住該機構時，情況更是明顯改善。她在此主持 slightly unorthodox yet effective 工作坊，協助 patients 學習移動、呼吸、放鬆及 better relate to one another。其中一幕 gentle comic 場景令人印象深刻：一群 seniors 與 caregivers 躺在草坪上互相按摩雙腳。若 whole thing 看起來過於 idealized 而不真實，值得注意 film was largely shot on the premises of a real care facility，且 many residents participated in the production. The core strength of 《All of a Sudden》在於它表達 optimism 的立場：我們 why can’t make things better for the elderly and everyone else, especially those requiring special care? After all, eventually that will be most of us. There are no simple solutions, but cultivating compassion is a good beginning.

然而再次提醒：《All of a Sudden》節奏緩慢—— runtime 長達 three hours and 16 minutes——某些 ideas and themes 重複出現，部分内容 possibly unnecessary. (The script was loosely adapted from a book of collected letters exchanged by two academics, Maho Isono and Makiko Miyano, who shared observations about illness and the need for human connection.) Around the movie’s 180-minute mark, a silky white cat named Leo appears on the scene, and this sudden burst of unpredictable energy might feel like a blessing. Still, there are good reasons to stick with 《All of a Sudden》. Shot by Alan Guichaoua, the film is so beautifully lit that it’s practically an act of wonder: in one scene, as two characters bid one another goodbye for perhaps the last time, the sunset tracery of leaves against a wall serve as a visual benediction. As Mari, Okamoto is an alert yet serene presence. But Efira carries the movie. How do you capture the soul of a stressed-out administrator? In 《All of a Sudden》, there’s something careworn about Efira’s lunar beauty. Marie-Lou is tired, and though she cares deeply for the residents of her facility, she’s running out of glow power. But something precious is restored to her the moment she meets Mari; we see a gentle lightning flash in her eyes as she recognizes a soul that may as well be her twin. To live with, and in, 《All of a Sudden》 is to match heartbeats with these two women for a few hours. There are worse ways to spend your time.