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.

年少輕狂時(shí)，我們事事都樂(lè)于嘗試。因?yàn)橛X得自己一無(wú)所有而不懼怕失去。也正因如此，我們有時(shí)會(huì)在不知不覺中走上一條不歸路。


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.

這正是臺(tái)灣著名導(dǎo)演鈕承澤的最新力作《艋舺》的劇情梗概。電影片名“艋舺”取自臺(tái)北一個(gè)古老城區(qū)的名字。20世紀(jì)90年代前，艋舺都以不法行為著稱。電影以20世紀(jì)80年代為背景，講述了在兄弟會(huì)、小混混橫行的社會(huì)，5個(gè)黑道少年之間的友誼、沖突和背叛的故事。


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).

這樣的劇情或多或少會(huì)讓我們回想起紅極一時(shí)的香港影片《古惑仔》。劇中，類似街斗、出入妓院、粗口、歃血為盟等場(chǎng)景都是必不可少的。雖然影片中有不少小混混出現(xiàn)，但《艋舺》卻并非一部警匪片。它是一部真實(shí)記錄年輕人生活的影片，上映1個(gè)月就創(chuàng)下了4000萬(wàn)元的臺(tái)灣電影票房奇跡。


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(趙又廷飾)年紀(jì)輕輕誤入歧途，意外踏入黑道。起初，他不理解為什么人們總是打打殺殺，總是只識(shí)義氣，不問(wèn)公平與意義。


Another main character, Monk (Ethan Juan，阮經(jīng)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(阮經(jīng)天飾)則是個(gè)“有思想的斗士”，但卻最終背叛了組織。因此，該影片注定會(huì)有一個(gè)悲情、血腥但卻不失美麗的結(jié)局。電影進(jìn)展到尾聲，蚊子在死前終于看到了自己夢(mèng)寐以求的櫻花--和尚的血飛濺在空氣中，像綻放的櫻花般爛漫。

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.

影片將一群小混混細(xì)微的情感描寫得淋漓盡致。除了向觀眾展現(xiàn)小混混的形象，影片更深度挖掘了5個(gè)年輕人在認(rèn)識(shí)到世界的殘酷后義氣、友誼和兄弟情誼觀念所發(fā)生的轉(zhuǎn)變。


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.

近年來(lái)，青年電影在臺(tái)灣大受歡迎。有人說(shuō)，臺(tái)灣電影正在復(fù)興，當(dāng)?shù)貛撞侩娪暗钠狈慷己芸捎^，社會(huì)反響良好。除了《艋舺》，《海角七號(hào)》、《聽說(shuō)》、《囧男孩》和《九降風(fēng)》都很有名。它們中的大多數(shù)都是青年題材影片，后兩者尤其如此。


"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.

“一直以來(lái)，年輕人題材的影片在當(dāng)?shù)囟己苁軞g迎，” 《囧男孩》和《艋舺》的監(jiān)制李烈在接受Yahoo Taiwan采訪時(shí)表示。她還說(shuō)，觀眾很喜歡這類電影，因?yàn)樗麄兡茌p易抓住并感受這些角色以及他們的故事，很多情節(jié)都曾在日本動(dòng)漫中出現(xiàn)過(guò)。


"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."

“適合的劇本加上全明星陣容很容易吸引那些迷戀動(dòng)漫情節(jié)的青少年來(lái)買票，”李烈說(shuō)，“而另一方面，對(duì)成年人來(lái)說(shuō)，這類電影能激起他們的懷舊氛圍--畢竟這些故事都源自現(xiàn)實(shí)生活?！?/div>

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

換言之，正是青春期的困惑以及現(xiàn)實(shí)生活中所遭受的種種壓力賦予了青年期特殊的意義。

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》片尾的旁白所說(shuō)，“風(fēng)往哪個(gè)方向吹，草就要往哪個(gè)方向倒。年輕的時(shí)候，我也曾經(jīng)以為自己是風(fēng)?？墒亲詈蟊轶w鱗傷，我才知道我們?cè)瓉?lái)都只是草。”


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

將來(lái)，即便我們擺脫了年輕時(shí)的無(wú)畏和魯莽，相信昔日的記憶也定會(huì)深扎在我們的內(nèi)心深處。

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