Before watching this movie, I didn't know what it was about, let alone its original work. I only knew that the director was Sean Penn, but in the process of watching it, I could feel that it was a real thing, because this life was so wonderful and the reality was so strong that even a genius like Charlie Kaufman couldn't make it up.
The story is about a 20-year-old young man who abandoned his loved ones, stayed away from society, and threw himself into the embrace of nature. There are many articles about the story, so I won't go into details, but talk about my feelings.
This kind of movie is the reason why I love watching movies (including books). People's experiences are so limited, ordinary and monotonous, but movie can bring endless experiences, which are funny, bizarre, sad and melancholy, and make ordinary people often play various extraordinary roles and feel different lives, just like living a few more lives. As I grew older, I realized that I was just a "mortal", just one of the people, and that feeling of loss often made me helpless.
When I was a child, I always thought that people and things around me existed for myself, without worries, worries, insomnia and falling asleep. Now I sometimes imagine that people around me are actors arranged by God, just like "The Truman Show".
I yearn for Alex's life, abandon my identity, abandon my fetters, return to nature, experience the infinity of life, do what I want to do most regardless of anyone's feelings, and live for myself completely. But I don't have his free and easy, I can't abandon my parents, it is not easy for them to raise me. I can't abandon my friends, because as Alex finally wrote, "Happiness only real when shared". I can't abandon my job. I can't survive without a stable material life.
In fact, I still live for others, at least to a great extent. In order to show my taste, I will put the most profound books in the most conspicuous place on the shelf. I will play five stars for the Rules of the Game on Douban, although I can't understand it. Although I don't buy famous brands just to show off (there are so many people around, I look down on them), I sometimes cover up famous brands. What's the difference between me and them? I care about other people's opinions.
In the end, I should live more for myself-enjoy myself in the spiritual sea of books and movie. Or for the recognition of others, spend more time (in my opinion, it is a waste of life) in social occasions such as rushing to the wine market and playing mahjong, in order to seek higher positions, more money and more attention? It is impossible for a state-owned enterprise in the north to be an official. College students who entered the unit in the same year often set up a table to play mahjong in the dormitory on weekends, and always invited me to enter the office. When I lied that I wouldn't, they said, "Which director doesn't play mahjong? If you want to be a director, you must play mahjong. I smiled and said, "I would rather be improper". Our director drinks wine three times a day, and high blood pressure and diabetes are already in his upper body, so he still keeps raising his glasses. Most of the "friends" meet at the wine table, which I have personal experience, but I can always hide from the wine bureau, and I only drink a bottle of beer when I go, never drink more.
If this question is put before me before taking part in the work, the answer is undoubtedly the former. But the reality is cruel-I want to earn more money and spend my savings on living a better life for my parents who buy a house and realizing my dad's car dream. I want to have a higher status, so that my achievements are affirmed, my existence is concerned, and my opinions are valued. Never want to be mixed up, and they have no face to attend the homecoming. I don't want to soar and lose the friendship of the last batch of pure friends and classmates.
The reality is boring. My mother just got angry because she stopped drinking water for two days during the Chinese New Year, which swept away her New Year's fun. In fact, she only went to other buildings to have water for two days, and her life went as usual. I also have a lot of male and female friends who want to break up because of some trivial things.
Is this necessary? When in this world, there are people in northern Shaanxi who have not learned and have no water to drink. Some people in Africa are born with AIDS, but they can only look at the world helplessly every day and let flies crawl on his face. What are these things? Shouldn't we think more about how to help them and spend less time talking about eggs? I want to be Bill Gates, not because he is rich, but because he wants to donate all his money to others, and he has greater ability to improve the world.
I thought of a question: If your child were Alex, what would you do? Most of the parents of our generation of people in their 20s have had enough of the hardships of life, and they all want their children to be "people". They don't understand Alex's behavior, but only regard him as a naive madman. I hope to raise my child more openly and freely, give him many good books and let him choose what he likes to read. Let him play basketball, swim, climb mountains, and even learn guitar with him (also make up for my shortcomings).
Take him to the poor countryside and let him know that there are still many people living very hard in this world. Encourage him to make friends with his girlfriend from an early age ... until he feels ashamed to mix with his father, I will let him choose his own path. But I don't want him to be like Alex. After all, his parents are always conservative in the face of children's problems. I don't want him to enter the entertainment industry, the risk is too great and the people are ugly. I don't want him to be gay. Although I don't think there is anything wrong, I'm afraid he can't bear the pressure of social discrimination.
This movie is adapted from the original book with the same name. Some people think that movie is not as good as a book. I don't know, because I haven't read the original book, and I don't want to argue about which book is better than movie. I think if I read books first, I will feel more about books, because repeated experiences are boring.
It doesn't really matter how Alex ended up. I don't care if he goes back to ordinary people's life, or recognizes the old man as his grandfather, or if it is the ending in the movie, what I care about is his experience in the process, which I can only dream of.