《艋舺》:回味殘存的青春記憶
年少輕狂時，我們事事都樂於嘗試。因爲覺得自己一無所有而不懼怕失去。也正因如此，我們有時會在不知不覺中走上一條不歸路。
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.
這正是臺灣著名導演鈕承澤的最新力作《艋舺》的劇情梗概。電影片名“艋舺”取自臺北一個古老城區的名字。20世紀90年代前，艋舺都以不法行爲著稱。電影以20世紀80年代爲背景，講述了在兄弟會、小混混橫行的社會，5個黑道少年之間的友誼、衝突和背叛的故事。
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.
這樣的劇情或多或少會讓我們回想起紅極一時的香港影片《古惑仔》。劇中，類似街鬥、出入妓院、粗口、歃血爲盟等場景都是必不可少的。雖然影片中有不少小混混出現，但《艋舺》卻並非一部警匪片。它是一部真實記錄年輕人生活的影片，上映1個月就創下了4000萬元的臺灣電影票房奇蹟。
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).
主人公蚊子（趙又廷飾）年紀輕輕誤入歧途，意外踏入黑道。起初，他不理解爲什麼人們總是打打殺殺，總是隻識義氣，不問公平與意義。
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.
而另一位主人公和尚（阮經天飾）則是個“有思想的鬥士”，但卻最終背叛了組織。因此，該影片註定會有一個悲情、血腥但卻不失美麗的結局。電影進展到尾聲，蚊子在死前終於看到了自己夢寐以求的櫻花--和尚的血飛濺在空氣中，像綻放的櫻花般爛漫。
Another main character, Monk (Ethan Juan，阮經天), 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.
《艋舺》精彩劇照 兄弟情不只是打出來的
影片將一羣小混混細微的情感描寫得淋漓盡致。除了向觀衆展現小混混的形象，影片更深度挖掘了5個年輕人在認識到世界的殘酷後義氣、友誼和兄弟情誼觀念所發生的轉變。
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.
近年來，青年電影在臺灣大受歡迎。有人說，臺灣電影正在復興，當地幾部電影的票房都很可觀，社會反響良好。除了《艋舺》，《海角七號》、《聽說》、《囧男孩》和《九降風》都很有名。它們中的大多數都是青年題材影片，後兩者尤其如此。
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.
“一直以來，年輕人題材的影片在當地都很受歡迎，” 《囧男孩》和《艋舺》的監製李烈在接受Yahoo Taiwan採訪時表示。她還說，觀衆很喜歡這類電影，因爲他們能輕易抓住並感受這些角色以及他們的故事，很多情節都曾在日本動漫中出現過。
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.
“適合的劇本加上全明星陣容很容易吸引那些迷戀動漫情節的青少年來買票，”李烈說，“而另一方面，對成年人來說，這類電影能激起他們的懷舊氛圍--畢竟這些故事都源自現實生活。”
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."
換言之，正是青春期的困惑以及現實生活中所遭受的種種壓力賦予了青年期特殊的意義。
In other words, it's the adolescent confusion and the exposure to the real world that make youthful days so special.
正如《艋舺》片尾的旁白所說，“風往哪個方向吹，草就要往哪個方向倒。年輕的時候，我也曾經以爲自己是風。可是最後遍體鱗傷，我才知道我們原來都只是草。
” 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."
將來，即便我們擺脫了年輕時的無畏和魯莽，相信昔日的記憶也定會深紮在我們的內心深處。
There can come a day when the fearlessness and recklessness of youth fade away, but the memory can live forever.
