Ben Jin Director/Playwright
MFA of Film directing at Beijing Film Academy
Bachelor of Industrial Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology
Professional Japanese chiropractor
Synopsis
A thief stole a phone from a passenger on a bus, while the bus was hijacked. However, the hijacker didn’t come for money, only wanted his lost cell phone back. While the passengers were handing over their phones, the thief decided not to turn himself in yet. With layers of misunderstanding, the whole bus faced a life crisis. Gradually, the thief somewhat felt the hijacker a little familiar. Will the passengers find a way out? What story is behind the hijacker’s lost cell phone?
Why is the name ‘Coconut Bus ‘ chosen for the film? Is there any meaning behind it?
Ben Jin：The inspiration itself comes from Coconut Juice, which is my favorite brand. I think it should be added to the title. The location of the movie itself is the bus, and with the elements of the bus, it becomes ‘ Coconut Bus’.
Including the bus, its entire shape is square and regular, and it is also a set of rules. The general method of creating a closed space movie is to recreate an order in a closed space, and Lao Zhu is the controller of this order. This type of story tells the protagonist how to break the order and save himself, which is actually such a story.
What do you think is the biggest difference between Beihai coconut and other coconut juices?
Ben Jin：The advertising slogan in Beihai Coconut Juice, including what Lao Zhu has been saying, is to drink Beihai Coconut Juice and become a pure and innocent person. This actually symbolizes: being a pure and simple person. As for the North Sea, because the general impression is that the sea comes either from the east or from the south, naming it the North Sea adds some idealistic meaning to it, because there is no sea in the north.
Why would the filming venue be fixed on a bus? Is the source of inspiration a pre existing story or a scene seen first?
Ben Jin：I have a venue before telling stories, and I want to take photos on the bus first. Because at that time, my graduate plan was to do a project on typed narrative in enclosed spaces. Because when it comes to making films with a strong sense of genre and relatively controllable costs, creating enclosed spaces is a better choice. Enclosed spaces can save costs, but there can also be strong dramatic conflicts.
Does the image of ‘sea’ have any special meaning?
Ben Jin：The image of “sea” is actually in the imagination of Lao Zhu and Tan Tan, because neither of them has been to the seaside. For Tan Tan, because his father has been to the so-called seaside since childhood, there is a longing for family relationships, and his feelings for his father are very complex; At the same time, it is also a yearning for a better future life for oneself. For Lao Zhu, he has been working as a customer service representative for Beihai Coconut Juice for so many years, but he has never actually been to the seaside. Every time the sound of the sea comes out on the phone, it is actually played by Lao Zhu on a cassette. For Lao Zhu, it can be said that it is a longing for a better life, or a personal ideal or destination.
Of course, there are also budget reasons. Choosing to live in the cold northern regions is also to create a contrast, as these people live in the harsh inland regions. I want to compare their living conditions with their imagination, so I use the seaside as an image.
Why would you want to include some rather psychedelic elements, such as religious fragments?
Ben Jin：From a creative perspective, the countdown to the clock section is quite an externalization of the thief’s inner self, as he is actually facing a classic tram problem. Therefore, this section is to demonstrate his struggle with choice.
The inspiration for filming comes from the dance of Kacha. Kacha dance is a unique dance of a people in Bali. The dance they performed is from an ancient Indian book called “Moroyana”. It tells the story of the monkey god Hanuman fighting against the demon king, and performs the struggle between justice and evil. I particularly like that dance, which is used to depict a struggle of thieves at that time. I will really like some primitive things because they can particularly reflect some of the primitive nature and sense of humanity.
What does the emergence of small cars represent?
Ben Jin：According to the creative method of this enclosed space movie, these small cars are called intruders or intruders. The role of these intruders is often: they themselves do not belong to this spatial order, and their sudden entry will give hope to those who are oppressed on the bus or in this enclosed space, but in reality, this is a false hope. Its function is equivalent to driving the plot, and then making everyone completely abandon their dependence on others and the outside world, and turn to self rescue.
Do telephone booths have any other special meanings? Has this phone booth become a sustenance for some kind of emotion?
Ben Jin：For Tan Tan, as a character, he was actually mixed up in society at a young age and had no one to manage him. Lao Zhu at the phone booth replaced the role of a father, and he was the only person who could patiently communicate with him. Therefore, including why the phone booth was designed like this, it is actually a bit detached from reality. Because the phone booth we imagine is a real phone booth, not so flashy. In the film, some beautification is done. For the thief, the phone booth is colorful, and he has at least imagination in the phone booth. He can chat with Lao Zhu about the seaside, which is another hidden image. For thieves, the phone booth is still a closed space, and all memories happen inside the phone booth. The phone booth was just his childhood sustenance and imagination, although he later grew up knowing it was nonsense.
Which character do you like to design the most? Where did you get the inspiration?
Ben Jin：My favorite person may still be Lao Zhu. Previously, I said there was a bus before telling the story. During that time, the news about Coconut Juice from Coconut Tree brand was quite popular because there was a human customer service. I was also curious, so I called and chatted for a long time. That person particularly moved me, which was a very interesting thing. A beverage brand was very stubborn and set up a 24-hour human phone to serve customers well, Lonely and bored people in the city call customer service just to find someone to chat with, and then I have this imagination. If this person stays on this phone for so many years, it is equivalent to that the phone has completely integrated into their life and cannot be separated. If I take off this phone, what will it become? Going down this line of thought, we have the image and character of Lao Zhu.
It can be said that Lao Zhu himself is such a person, but he finds it difficult to find his own living space in this society. He always follows his own way of thinking and is the controller of this order. However, in this society, he is a complete failure. But I particularly like people like Lao Zhu who are very stubborn, persistent, and persistent. Although these people have many, many, and many shortcomings, they are admirable. Perhaps it is related to Herzog’s movies, because the protagonists in his movies are often full of unrealistic stubbornness and go crazy to do things, which is particularly charming because such people are rare and few people can achieve this level.
Did you encounter any interesting things during the filming process?
Ben Jin：My favorite person may still be Lao Zhu. Previously, I said there was a bus before telling the story. During that time, the news about Coconut Juice from Coconut Tree brand was quite popular because there was a human customer service. I was also curious, so I called and chatted for a long time. That person particularly moved me, which was a very interesting thing. A beverage brand was very stubborn and set up a 24-hour human phone to serve customers well, Lonely and bored people in the city call customer service just to find someone to chat with, and then I have this imagination. If this person stays on this phone for so many years, it is equivalent to that the phone has completely integrated into their life and cannot be separated. If I take off this phone, what will it become? Going down this line of thought, we have the image and character of Lao Zhu.
It can be said that Lao Zhu himself is such a person, but he finds it difficult to find his own living space in this society. He always follows his own way of thinking and is the controller of this order. However, in this society, he is a complete failure. But I particularly like people like Lao Zhu who are very stubborn, persistent, and persistent. Although these people have many, many, and many shortcomings, they are admirable. Perhaps it is related to Herzog’s movies, because the protagonists in his movies are often full of unrealistic stubbornness and go crazy to do things, which is particularly charming because such people are rare and few people can achieve this level.
What is your favorite director or film type?
Ben Jin：My favorite genre is actually historical biographies or epics. Perhaps my favorite ones are movies with historical themes, such as ‘Gladiator’and ‘The Last Duel”‘by Ridley Scott, including the new film ‘Napoleon’ that Ridley Scott is about to appear in, similar to ‘Kingdom of Heaven’, and ‘Brave Heart’. These are also films with similar themes that I most want to make, I particularly like this year’s ‘Chang’an’. My favorite director is Herzog. Herzog is quite like my movie mentor. He made me feel the power of this movie. After watching his ‘Fitzcarraldo’, I was deeply shocked. The story behind it, his film obsession, and so on all had an impact on my film creation.
I think we in China actually lack this type of theme. Our genre is particularly single, and the current market is all about so-called topic movies, which follow a model of realism+topic. However, although these things are good, they really cannot achieve true cultural output.
What is the understanding of ‘behave opposite the way one thinks’and ‘behave exactly the way one thinks’?
Ben Jin：This phrase actually comes from Chinese chopsticks. The head of our chopsticks is round, and the bottom is square. This actually represents our Chinese philosophy, the philosophy of dealing with people and society, which is ‘behave opposite the way one thinks’. I think about this, but it is a habit of our Chinese nation to always talk around the bend.
This film is actually dedicated to people like Lao Zhu who are ‘behave exactly the way he thinks’. All the people in this car, except for Lao Zhu, have different thoughts and actions. They will use their own ways to find ways to achieve their goals, but they are not straight forward, always around the bend, and as a result, things become more and more complex. But when Lao Zhu came up, he indicated that he was looking for a phone and that he was the one who could control the order on the bus.
Let’s share some messages with teenagers who are interested in movies
Ben Jin：Let’s borrow a quote from my favorite director Herzog: “Movies are movies, life is life.” Be sure to separate. This is my motivation for everyone. I want to make good movies myself, but don’t forget about life. Because people are essentially meant to live, you still need to live your own life well. Although ideals are important and everyone can contribute a lot to them, don’t let your own life be ruined. We young creators must pay attention to finding a balance in their filming, giving up whatever is necessary and insisting on what is necessary.