相对于侧重因果率、必然率,讲究一致性、完整性的传统叙事,电影《无问西东》在时空上打破因果线性,变得错乱混杂,甚至完全颠倒。结构上打破完整性统一性,变得碎片化、零散化,具有明显的实验性先锋性,影片的四个段落相对独立,其中的因果关系不明显,需要观众仔细梳理。与《无问西东》相类似的非线性叙事、拼贴式的多段式结构的电影,往往有着明显的后现代色彩,往往表现人生的偶然、无常、荒谬,其作品意义指向往往偏解构、偏反讽,或情调上偏灰暗、偏悲观,而同样叙事实验性比较强、比较前卫的《无问西东》,却并不指向意义的消解,并不指向反讽、滑稽、解构、悲观,而是指向诗性的建构、意义的建构,指向温暖与诗意,还可以说得更明确些,指向主旋律,关于青春、诗意、真心、大学精神、牺牲精神等等。这也正是《无问西东》的独特性所在,它形式上很前卫,但观念上却并不边缘化、非主流,它用非常规的叙事时空、叙事结构,表现“光芒主题”,呈现传统的诗意、诗性。相对于多数实验性强的先锋电影,过于另类、边缘、非主流;多数主流电影、诗性成份浓厚的电影,形式上却又保守、呆板。而《无问西东》将先锋前卫与主流诗性辩证统一,将前卫的艺术形式与主流价值嫁接,便特别体现出它的价值与意义来,也就体现出研究《无问西东》的价值与意义来。同时《无问西东》在形式探索中的诗性建构,丰富了中国“诗电影”的表达方法,为中国诗电影的谱系增添了光彩的一笔。这也是《无问西东》又一特别的价值所在,也是本篇论文研究又一价值所在。
Compared with the traditional narrative mode that emphasizes causal probabilistic and probabilistic certainty, and focuses on consistency and completeness, the movie Forever Young broke the linearity of causality in time and space, and became inverted and disordered, as well as broke the integrity and unity in structure, and became broken and fragmented, showing obvious experimental and pioneering nature. The four sections of the film are relatively independent, and the causal relationship among them is not obvious, which requires the audience to sort them out carefully. For movies with non-linear narratives and collage-like multi-section structures similar to Forever Young, generally they show a clear postmodern tone, and often aim to express the accident, impermanence and absurdity of life. The meaning and main thrust of such works tend to be deconstructed and ironic, or tend to be gloomy and pessimistic in sentiment. As for Forever Young, although it is also relatively experimental and avant-garde in the narrative, it leads neither to the dissolution of meanings, nor to irony, comicality, deconstruction, or pessimism, but points to the construction of poetic and meanings, and progresses to warmth and poetry. Or to be more specific, it leads to the main theme and involves various factors such as youth, poetry, sincerity, university spirit, and sacrifice spirit. That is also the unique feature of Forever Young, which is avant-garde in form, but not marginalized and non-mainstream in concept. Through the use of unconventional narrative time and space and narrative structure, it presents the "radiant theme" and expresses the traditional poetic mood and poetic characteristics.