The Hidden Front in 《Secret Files》: A couple's daily life guarding the library

-Secret Files-The story is set in Shanghai in the 1930s and 1940s.On the surface, Xu Shuting and Shen Yulin are just an ordinary couple in the alley, but there are a number of files hidden in the house that need to be guarded with their lives.The tension of the film is not rushed to be written as a chase and a firefight, but seeps out bit by bit from the footsteps outside the door, the landlord's questioning, and the neighbor's sudden stop in the eyes.The more peaceful the days seem, the more it tests whether two people can hide their secrets deeper.

The real-life prototype of this story is related to the storage experience of the Central Library.Tens of thousands of important files were tossed and preserved under the white terror, and many underground workers took over the task of safekeeping.The movie condenses the experiences of these people into the characters, giving each piece of paper a concrete weight.They must avoid searches, as well as moisture, moving, and changes in people's hearts; the custodians must act cautiously, but also put themselves into the corners of the city that are most easily ignored.

Spy movies often have clear mission lines and high-intensity conflicts, but "Secret Files" leaves more scenes for waiting.Xu Shuting and Shen Yulin need to play ordinary people well, be measured in their daily speech, and keep their emotions in their hearts.The two had lost a child, and the pain never really left them; the work in front of them made it impossible for them to comfort each other in the way an ordinary couple would.Those unspoken words, together with the action of taking apart the wall panels and putting them back in the files late at night, form the tightest part of the relationship between the characters.

Zheng Dasheng preserved the hustle and bustle of Shikumen life for the film.The gossips among the tenants, the quarrels in dialect, and the people coming and going in the yard gave the opening a bit of a business atmosphere.The danger is not far away, it is hidden in the cracks of this bustle.As the audience follows the characters to discern the purpose of each visit, they will gradually understand that the security underground workers want to obtain often comes from making everyone feel that they are insignificant.

The blank space in the film also serves the character's situation.The past of the couple has not been clarified once. The whereabouts of the children and why they moved away from their old home are all slowly revealed through sporadic scenes and dialogues.Information is put behind, but emotions arrive first.When the audience puts the clues together, they will see the price they each bear in silence.

From protecting the library to guarding the family, 《Secret Files》finds an expression for the spy war theme that is closer to life.It puts the hero into a small room, long waits and daily life that may be exposed at any time.Really difficult moments are not always accompanied by loud noises; some people choose to hide their names and leave their missions in unnoticed little things.