To the Rescue | 碧落黃泉

Goal 參與目標
Script refining, Funds, Co-producer
完善劇本、籌集資金、聯合監製

Logline 故事摘要
Anping, who inherited his grandfather’s psychic abilities, has always been unable to see his mother’s spirit. With the help of a drowned girl and his grandfather, he travels through hell to rescue his trapped mother.
繼承爺爺的通靈能力的小說家安平一直無法看見母親的靈魂，在溺斃的少女和爺爺的幫助下，穿越地獄救出被困的母親。

Synopsis 故事大綱
After a childhood incident, Anping inherited his grandfather’s psychic ability but could never see his mother’s spirit. While searching for his friend’s sister, who jumped off a cliff, Anping meets the half-human, half-ghost spirit of Yu Yi on a train. Despite Yu Yi’s refusal to acknowledge her death, Anping discovers her connection to his mother’s disappearance and his grandfather’s ability to cross between worlds using the “Candle Shadow Art”. When Anping fails to find any clues in his old home, a demon with a grudge against Anping’s grandfather appears, claiming to possess the “Candle Shadow Art”. In an effort to rescue his mother and Yu Yi, Anping uses the technique to enter the underworld but ends up being captured by the demon. Anping’s grandfather appears, sacrificing his spirit to save his grandson and bring back Anping’s lost mother. Anping learns that his mother was lost in the underworld due to her addiction to magic and was possessed by the demon. In the end, Anping’s grandfather and the demon perish, but walked to the deepest part of the underworld’s ocean and returned to the human world.

一場童年變故，安平遺傳爺爺安仲良的通靈能力，卻一直無法看見母親孫寧世的靈魂。受好友啟明請托，安平尋找啟明妹妹、跳海自殺的余頤期間，在電車上遇見由水底回來的余頤，她不願承認自己已死，而安平發現余頤半人半鬼，連結到母親的下落，及爺爺留下的、能穿梭陰陽兩界的「燭陰術」。安平在舊居遍尋不獲，卻引來與安仲良有宿怨的魔神現身，聲稱擁有「燭陰術」，為了母親與余頤，安平施術前往陰間，卻隨即被魔神抓住。安仲良現身，用靈魂為本錢，贏回了安平，及困陰間多年的孫寧世。母子重逢，安平知道孫寧世昔日沉溺過去，用法術到陰間卻迷失其中，被魔神奪舍，安仲良與魔神同歸於盡。兩人來到陰間最深處的大海，走到最深處而回到人間。

Director’s Statement 導演闡述
Why do some people willingly abandon a bright future and choose to dwell in the past? Where do these attachments come from and how can they be resolved? Ghosts represent the departed, and if there were a way to freely enter and leave the underworld, people could be reunited with their loved ones. However, there are always trade-offs, and the effort to traverse between worlds may lead to even greater regret.
To the Rescue is a story about attachment and redemption. One person’s attachment ultimately saves another who is trapped in the underworld due to their own attachment. Regret and guilt can make one obsessed with the irretrievable past, but is this obsession also a refusal to let go?
Drawing inspiration from the story of Mu Lian saving his mother in Buddhist lore, as well as the phrase from the poem Chang Hen Ge, which can be interpreted as a central image of searching for and rescuing one’s mother, this story centres around a mother and son.

為甚麼有人可以甘心放棄美好光明的將來，選擇徘徊過去？人的執著從何而起，可以怎樣排解？鬼代表消失掉的人，要是有方法可以令人自由出入地獄，他們便可以重遇已逝的親人。然而有得必有失，花光力氣穿梭陰陽，最後很可能換來更大遺憾。  
《碧落黃泉》是一個關於執著與救贖的故事，一個人的執著，拯救了另一個因為執著而困在地獄的人。遺憾與內疚令人迷戀於不可再復的往昔，但是執迷不悟，會不會同時也是執迷不悔？ 於是以母子故事為題，參考《目蓮救母》裡目蓮下地獄救母、《鄭伯克段於鄢》中鄭莊公對母親的恨乃至說出「不及黃泉，無相見也」。又因為《長恨歌》的「上窮碧落下黃泉，兩處茫茫皆不見」也可以解成尋親救母的核心意象，便以此為題。 

CHAN Tsz Wan 陳子雲
Social and cultural columnist, CHAN graduated from the Department of Humanities and Creative Writing at Hong Kong Baptist University. His poems and prose were published in various art magazines, while film critics were published in Taiwan and Hong Kong media. Member of the 5th Asian Cinema Observers of Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and primary selection jury of the 26th ifva Open Category.

專題記者。畢業於香港浸會大學人文及創作系，於各文藝雜誌發表創作。長期專注電影評論，散見台灣及香港媒體。金馬影展第五屆「亞洲電影觀察團」成員、第二十六屆香港ifva公開組評審（初選）。

LUI Yee Pan Ian 呂以彬
Graduated from the School of Communication at Hong Kong Baptist University in 2017, LUI’s directional work for graduation of Higher Diploma, Grandpa Online (2015) was shown at 1st Ground Up Student Film Festival, Jahorina Film Festival in Bosnia, Lublin Film Festival in Poland, Caminhos Film Festival in Portugal. The Hongkongers (2019) have selected for film festivals including Filmschool Fest Munich & San Diego Asian Film Festival.

2017年畢業於香港浸會大學傳理學院，主修電影、副修新聞。現為自由影視工作者。2015年憑高級文憑時執導之畢業作品《Grand 巴打》入選首屆香港平地學生電影節、波斯尼亞Jahorina Film Festival等影展。2019至2020年，再憑短片《鄉．港人》入選台灣金穗影展、美國聖地牙哥亞洲電影節、德國Filmschool Fest Munich、馬來西亞亞庇國際電影節等影展。

LAU Kok Rui, Ray 劉國瑞
Hong Kong-based Malaysian writer-director, LAU has participated in the 11th Golden Horse Film Academy and “Master Class in Film Directing” by Hong Kong Film Directors’ Guild. His shorts were selected by various film festivals and his debut feature film The Sunny Side of the Street has been awarded Best Original Screenplay and the Best New Director of the 59th Golden Horse Award.

定居於香港的馬來西亞導演及編劇。曾參與第十一屆金馬電影學院及香港電影導演會的「電影導演教室」。劇情短片曾入選多個國際影展，首部劇情長片《白日青春》，榮獲第59屆金馬獎最佳新導演及最佳原著劇本。

Film Unit / Production Company 影像單位 / 製作公司
Lionrock Film Company 獅石映畫