It turns out that David Lynch can make such a warm movie in addition to the weird and chaotic movie. The acting skills of the two veteran actors are very good, especially the actor who played his younger brother Lyle, who appeared for less than three minutes, but contributed an impressive performance. His facial expressions in the close-up shots, his emotions were controlled. Naturally, it is possible to get a best male supporting statuette.
The spoiler of this movie can be finished in one sentence. It is the story of a stubborn old man driving a trailer converted from a lawnmower across continents to see his younger brother. However, under the lens of David Lynch, But it became a very offbeat road movie, an older version of On the Road.
Through the conversations Mr. Street had with people during his travels, the film roughly explained his life experiences: when he was young, he and his younger brother worked on his parents' farm; when he was young, he participated in World War II and accidentally killed his comrade when he was a sniper; His wife has experienced twelve births and five child deaths; his daughter is not mentally sound, and has been deprived of custody of her grandson because of a fire at home; he himself has a stroke but has no money for treatment... With such a rough experience An elderly man who always smiles on the journey, he brings care and warmth to strangers with the heart of a past person. He lends a helping hand to an unwed pregnant girl who ran away from home. He leans on crutches and asks the female driver who killed a deer if she needs help. He comforts two brothers who are always quarrelling and a World War II veteran who also suffers from PTSD.
Mr. Street is a patriot. During the journey, he looked at the countryside and mountains of his hometown by the roadside, and he always showed a sincere and happy smile. This smile belonged to a person who once fought for this land, because he It bleeds, so love it all the more. Now the soldier is dying and has long since returned to the field, and the farm where he worked half his life has become the world of large-scale machinery. The soldiers and farmers have become people who are no longer needed by the country, just like the 66-year-old lawn mower he drives. Like the machine, although the performance is still enough to travel through mountains and mountains, it can only be sold as a cheap second-hand item.
When a person is old, poor and weak, past experiences are forgotten, and survival skills are outdated, what is left of him? This movie gives the answer, that is - family and dignity.
When Mr. Street called his brother Lyle's name outside his door, the younger brother, who had not seen him for decades, immediately recognized his brother's voice. The two met in front of the house without hugs and tears, as if they had met yesterday. Facing each other under the eaves, when his brother Lyle asked with surprise and admiration, "You came to see me on this thing (the lawnmower)," Mr. Street replied with a little pride: " Yes", the two seem to be back in childhood when they invented toys together.
Mr. Streeter went out every day in decent form, wearing an old plaid shirt and sackcloth trousers, a khaki cowboy hat, and a wallet with a thick chain on a belt around his waist. His beard and hair always looked neat, and he looked like an old cowboy with his stiff body smoking a cigarillo. He would accept the kindness of strangers, but at the same time carefully reject pity, and he was always a little nostalgic when talking to people, but never felt sorry for himself. Although he is an old man, he is a self-respecting person who also loves others. His obsession with the destination makes people from being amused at the beginning to being awe-inspiring later.
In Lin Mu Dazhuo's "The Original Mind of a Zen Master", there is such a passage: "Have a soft heart (a soft and natural heart), a calm thinking (soft and stable thinking), and be mindful (a focused and prepared state of mind) And the mind is free from hindrance (accepting everything as it is).”
Mr. Street can face his aging and illness calmly, he is full of love for his daughter, he admits his mistakes, and therefore wants to make amends in the last days of his life. He is a real tough guy who has experienced many traumas in his life. In him, I can see the original intention and mindfulness of Zen practitioners.
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