What kind of place is that? In the movie "Foreigners Hotel", Evelyn said: "Where else in the world is as full of sensory stimulation as here? Those who are familiar with this country can go about their own business. But those who are new to the world are simply Unstoppable. The tumultuous noises and colors, the heat, the commotion, the rush of people everywhere... At first you will feel caught off guard, but slowly you will find that it is like a wave, fighting against it only It will make you bruised and bruised, and only if you throw yourself in, you can flow out from the other end." The seven old people who came to the Marigold Hotel in Jaipur, India from the UK, have all experienced the vicissitudes of life and are dying. Some of them came to India to look for an affair, some came to India for surgery, some were preparing to die here with unspeakable secrets, some were trying to find their lives after losing their husbands, and some were trying to solve an increasingly rigid marriage. The problem... Seven elderly people with different departure goals, some couldn't bear the journey and finally "turned left" back to the UK, some finally untied their knots and went home safely, and some ended up here The magical kingdom has miraculously "brought back to life".
Although the seven old people in the film have different travel goals, they all show the same mental state: eager to be needed, eager to be valued, and eager to live anew. They each tried to change in their own way, and some people quickly adapted to their completely different environment from the UK, threw themselves into it, and began to discover the rich treasures of life. Some people are stubborn and always harbor negative emotions, never willing to accept the new environment they are in with a relaxed and positive perspective. Therefore, the same trip to India, under the same roof, has a completely different chemistry.
Joan in the film, her image and the others in the play form a strong contrast. She has various complaints about India: dirty food, loud noise, stale air... She stays in her room all day and would rather spend hours naming the animals in the room than go out the door Take a look, because she doesn't think there's anything to see outside. It is rare to go out once, but also to track his "favorite object". Her husband could be happy with the smiles of the children outside, and she just thought bitterly that it was because they were asking him for money. On the train returning from the burnt scene of her "favorite object", chattering about her "happy life" about to turn left back to England, she just went through a friend's funeral, but she didn't even respect a minute of silence do not know. Look, you say let such a person go out and see the world, what do you expect her to see? How do you expect her post-travel life to change? But fortunately, the trip to India that she hated made her realize the essential reason for her and her husband's marital problems, and that's why she left behind her kind-hearted man before leaving India with all she could to catch the plane. And loyal husband.
This reminds me of a Zhejiang boy HH who traveled around Southeast Asia with a backpack when I was in Pai. When we first met, we thought he was almost the same as the locals: dark complexion, loose and casual dress, casual tone and gesture... The first night we all sat together and had a great chat, listening to him share A two-month journey story from Nanning, via Vietnam and then to Thailand. He accidentally mentioned his "lonely but happy" feeling when he was alone in Mui Ne looking at the sea and the desert, which resonated deeply with me, so I made an appointment to continue chatting the next night. On the second night, a group of five of us chatted casually at a slightly noisy street bar in Pai. I don’t know if it was because he thought I understood him better, or because he thought I was good-natured and good at listening. So that night, he almost told me a lot of stories before he left. He said that before he went abroad, he could be locked in his room alone for many days without going out, nor was he looking for a job at home, and now almost even his mother doesn't know where he is. When he spoke, he was still casual, but his brows were always furrowed, and I noticed that he was full of resentment, as if the world owed him something. I asked him where the next stop was, and he said let's go to Bangkok. If there is a special ticket, go to India. In fact, I really want to tell him: "HH, you should go home, find a job, settle the mother-son relationship, and start life again." He seems to be walking, but he is actually escaping his own life. Maybe this is not wrong, but he went out to see so many worlds, but he did not realize his own shortcomings during the journey. Although he is no different from the Thai people in appearance, he has not learned a little bit about the Thai people's "happy philosophy" about life...
Back to the film itself, I am aiming at myself" The film I watched only for "Indian Complex", although it tells the story of a journey in India, but it can hardly hide the film's theme of focusing on "life of the elderly".
Imagine that one day, we will all grow old naturally, with gray hair, inconvenient legs and feet, or even more serious, and the wife is no longer there. If we get Alzheimer’s again, we will be despised by people because of intellectual problems or slowness of movement all day long. To be able to sit on the balcony and watch the sun rise and set with dull eyes... When one day, we are all old and labeled as "old people", what should we do?
Maybe we can be like the Chinese pair of sixty-year-old backpackers, over 60 years old, with decent physical strength, selling houses to travel around the world, and walking around the world, not only to gain knowledge, but also to fall in love during the journey. Or like the kind-hearted old man in the Korean movie "I Love You", his wife suffered from Alzheimer's disease and did not want to burden the children, so they chose to commit suicide together. Or like Robert De Niro's "Journey to Heaven", after the death of his wife, the distance between him and the children is getting farther and farther, and there are reasons why he could not be present for the family reunion that was originally promised, so he dragged his bags, a Man travels alone to visit his four children. Or like the group of old-timers in "Flying Over the Nursing Home", they are still looking for pure happiness at the last moment of their lives. Or like the aging life sporadically presented in some movies: cold, lonely, alienated, silent, no longer needed, respected by others, the body is cold and lonely like moss in the corner, no one wants to touch it again.. ....
Fortunately, the other six positive and sunny old people in the play have given us a good reference and inspiration. Going out to see the world is not just for young people, nor is it just a privilege for young people to find new love and new life. Even if they take risks, the old people in the play are actively trying and changing! Tang Lina, who came to India to treat her legs, had the most negative emotions in the whole play at first, but when she was infected by the simplicity and simplicity of the Indian servants, she opened her heart and revealed her unspeakable secrets: she was also a maid, but because of her age After being abandoned, I feel that I am not needed and do nothing. This person who was not very likable in the play at first, on the contrary, became an important figure in retaining and running the Marigold Hotel. In the play, Judge Graeley, who has a higher status in the UK, had a "broken back love affair" in India 40 years ago. After the incident was revealed, the other actor Manna and his family were humiliated. For 40 years, he has deeply regretted this incident. After returning to India, he opened up to new friends and found Manna. He learns that Manna doesn't hate him and never forgets him, living a peaceful but happy life. He always thought that he would humiliate Manna's life for the rest of his life, but in the end he realized that the person who was imprisoned by his mind was himself. After learning this truth, he died peacefully in the hanging chair, looking calm and serene. Knowing he didn't have much time left, he went to India with a doctor's certificate, where he eventually died, his ashes scattered where he and the man he had loved all his life had dated. In the movie, Evelyn, who lost her husband, went to India. In order to repay her husband's debts during his lifetime, she couldn't even afford the cheap rent. She was positive, optimistic, considerate, and worked hard to find a job. Actively enlighten others, and finally, harvested the love with Mr. Douglas, and the two stayed in India together. There are also two other old people in the film who did not accept their old age and came to India to find "Twilight Love", and finally got a "new life" there. They are a group of elderly people who are willing to take risks. They are also a group of people who are eager to change and live a new life. They go all out to start a new life every day, in order to hope that tomorrow's life can be changed, not static.
Seeing this, I remembered my favorite teacher Zhang during my graduate studies. She came to Bangkok for a meeting last weekend and I headed to Bangkok to have a round with her. The teacher set out from Chicago, traveled to four countries and five cities in two days and slept for six hours. She said that her husband joked that she was as energetic as a "neuropathy". We talked from 8:00 pm to 3:00 am when we met, and the next day was another day of brainstorming, talking about politics, talking about society, talking about our own journeys and life, and finally we could return to our communication studies. It is very rare for me to see a woman around 50 years old, who is so free and easy and candid, keeps her spirits alive, and is always as fresh and curious about everything as a child. And I didn't feel oppressed because of my status as an elder and a scholar. In front of her, I could easily say anything. The teacher also kept asking me for advice on the new words on the Internet that appeared out of nowhere. This kind of relationship is also a teacher and a friend. Since I have never had good feelings for Bangkok, I was wondering where to take my teacher for a stroll. I heard her say that the toilets at the airport are very interesting when transferring at the airport in Tokyo, because she thinks that toilet culture is also a symbol of local culture, so she also studied for a long time and took a lot of photos. So the next day, I took my teacher to the famous terminal 21 in Bangkok. Each floor of the square is named after the city, and the toilets on each floor are very stylish and distinctive. I was also afraid that she would be disappointed. Unexpectedly, the teacher liked it very much. I asked passersby for directions at random on the road, and she kept exclaiming that it was fun and followed the whole process, and said with a smile: "The way the Thais give directions is so fun, the words are not clear and vague, and even the body language is rich. It is an exaggeration. It is completely different from European and American countries. When I have time, I will compare and study the guiding culture around the world. Also, the characteristics of haircuts in each country are different, I think it can be done. A comparative study..." She said that she has a project to go to Africa next year, and if possible, she also hopes to have a project that will allow her to go to Brazil... I haven't seen you for a year. , The teacher's white hair and wrinkles have added a lot, but the childlike innocent and excited look is still bright. A person like a teacher who is always full of freshness and curiosity about life and always sees herself as a "student of life", she can not only live a life "on the road", but also The "post-travel life" that may be dull and tasteless comes alive. Because this kind of person not only adapts to life, but also transcends life, she is experiencing a new world every day. Time may have deepened the wrinkles on her face, but it has made her soul more charming.
Back to the theme, the movie "Foreigners Hotel" adheres to the director's consistent style: multi-line narrative, absolutely warm and healing. Although the development of the story is too smooth, some are slightly stereotyped, and even the ending is too hasty and sudden. But when you see on the screen, those old actors and young handsome Indians who are absolutely familiar to you even though you can't name them, watch them compete with each other in their acting skills, listen to those nonsense British humor that makes you laugh, and a An absolutely heartwarming little story, what more could you ask for? Even the elderly are so aggressively trying to change and embrace a new life that we have nothing to fear.
Oh, by the way, I almost forgot, this story also happened in India where I am fascinated! So what kind of country is that? The male protagonist in the movie "Finding Kim Jong Wook" also raised the same question about India as I did: "What kind of place is that? "I love the light, the color, the smile, and the fact that people in this country see life as a privilege, not a right, and it taught me A lot of things." Zhaozi in the movie "Butterfly Swimming in the Ganges", after a trip to India, she found that travel is to open up and greet the most beautiful smile in the world. And life can't follow the flow, to be the best version of yourself at the moment. After returning to China, her outlook on life and world outlook changed completely.
At the end of writing, I remembered that on December 15th, when I took Teacher Zhang to the Bangkok weekend market to hang out, we accidentally walked into a small shop selling handmade products, all kinds of handmade bags, handmade shoes, handmade mats. , handmade clothes... The colors of the goods inside are extremely gorgeous! After my teacher and I got in, we looked left and right. Suddenly, the teacher turned his head and said to me: "By the way, Der Spiegel, you should go to India, where the colors, culture, beliefs, and the smell of curry in the air, you should not be disappointed." I knew With a smile, he remembered his persistent "Indian complex". What kind of place is that? I believe that one day, I will definitely go and find out in person!
The end!
Li Xiaohao on December 22 at 23:10
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