《七月与安生》：灵魂的AB面

For the last couple of years, young adult romance films, adapted from online fiction by mainland producers/directors, have become a *synonym for poor quality. Soulmate (《七月与安生》), which hit cinemas on Sept 15, however, is trying to change all this. 过去的几年里，由中国大陆的制片方或导演改编自网络小说的青春电影，似乎已经成为烂片的代名词。然而，9月15日上映的电影《七月与安生》却试图改变这一现状。

Soulmate is based on best-selling coming-of-age story of the same name by novelist Li Jie, who’s better known by her pen name Anni Baobei. It revolves around the relationship between two girls, *rebellious and *erratic Li Ansheng (Zhou Dongyu) and disciplined goody two-shoes Lin Qiyue (Ma Sichun). They have been best friends since they were 13 but their friendship is put to the test when a man bursts into their lives and changes everything. 电影《七月与安生》由同名畅销成长小说改编而成，原著作者励婕有个更加广为人知的笔名——“安妮宝贝”。故事的两位主人公分别是叛逆而又反复无常的女孩李安生(周冬雨饰)和循规蹈矩的乖乖女林七月(马思纯饰)，剧情围绕着两人的关系展开。自13岁起，两人便是挚友。但当一个男人闯入她们的生命，并将一切都打乱了时，她们的友谊也面临着严峻的考验。

As of Sept 19, the film has *garnered a very respectable 7.7 points out of 10 at review site Douban.com, which is by far the highest score a domestic film has managed this year. 截至9月19日，这部影片已在影评网站豆瓣网上获得了7.7分(满分10分)的高分，是今年目前为止国产电影的所获得的最高分。

The *premise of a love triangle sounds like just another tired Chinese youth film. But Soulmate decides to *ditch the done-to-death plotlines, instead of focusing on something that it hopes will offer better resonance with its target audience. 三角恋的设定听起来似乎又是一部无聊的国内青春电影。但是《七月与安生》却决定抛下老掉牙的故事情节，转而关注能够引起观众共鸣的元素。

The movie centers around the two girls’ intense friendship with one another. While Li’s works are famous for being filled with *rhetorical flourishes, the film is brimming with small details which help bring the story to life and make it more relatable to a female audience. 电影主要讲述了两个女孩彼此间亲密的友谊。安妮宝贝的作品以通篇华丽的辞藻而闻名，然而这部影片却处处从细节着手，生动地呈现了整个故事，让女性观众深有感触。

Ansheng and Qiyue sleep in the same bed, take a bath in the same tub, they are even familiar with each other’s bra size. They know each other inside out and are willing to do anything for one another. But at the same time they find themselves forced to choose between what matters the most – their long-standing friendship or their newly found romance. The man whom the two girls fall in love with acts more like a *catalyst for the *deterioration and restoration of their friendship. 安生与七月同睡一张床，同在一个浴缸洗澡，甚至连对方的胸围都知道得一清二楚。她们对彼此从内到外都十分了解，愿意为对方做任何事情。但同时，她们发现自己也不得不在长久的友谊和刚萌芽的恋情之间做出选择。两个女孩同时爱上的那个男生，更像是破坏和重塑她们友谊的催化剂。

Producer Peter Chan (陈可辛) calls Derek Tsang (曾国祥) “a director who best understands females,” and whoever has watched the film would agree. 电影的制片人陈可辛称导演曾国祥是“最了解女性的导演”，相信看完这部电影的人都会同意这一观点。

More than simply trying to move the audience with *nuanced *sentiments, Soulmate is also thought provoking. Ansheng and Qiyue live completely *intertwined lives–they are the same person’s left hand and right hand–as one online commenter puts it – but they still yearn for a deeper love outside of their friendship. The original novel which the movie is based upon ends seemingly positively: The “good” girl settles down into a “good” life with her first love. But the film totally twists the pair’s stories. The beautifully composed closing scene of the film shows viewers a more complex side to Ansheng and Qiyue and even provokes viewers to question themselves, asking: Who actually are we and who do we want to be? 《七月与安生》不光以细腻的情感打动了观众，它还是一部引人深思的影片。安生和七月的生活彼此相互交错——就像网上的一则评论所说的那样，她们就像是同一个人的左右手——但在两人的友谊之外，她们都渴求着一份深沉的爱。原著小说的结局似乎颇为圆满：“好女孩”和她的初恋在一起，过上了“幸福美满”的生活。但电影却完全颠覆了这个故事。电影中，经过精心设计的最后一幕向观众展现了安生与七月更为复杂的另一面，甚至引发了观众自身的思考：我们究竟是谁?我们想成为什么样的人?