I don't know if this movie is a "death education" in the strict sense, it's not as positive and heartwarming as "Bucket List". The classical and dark main colors, coupled with Depp's own punk and gloomy temperament, make the whole film have a strong world-weary color. Richard smoked marijuana, drank, and had sex after learning of his death. This was not "being himself", but self-imposed exile, the last madness before death. The film is more like a representation of a mental state of middle-class intellectuals. People like Richard are middle-aged, with stable jobs, good upbringing, and seemingly peaceful families. For him, life is basically impossible to get better. Family and career can no longer give him surprises, but can only give him heavy shackles, so he longs for exile. Death was just the catalyst for his determination to let go of all the baggage, to strip away his delicate, well-behaved exterior, to say what he wanted to say, to do what he wanted to do—I'm afraid he already wanted to do it in his heart.
View more about The Professor reviews