Brad, who is in his 40s, is a husband, father and entrepreneur. He has a stable family, his wife works in the government, his son is about to enter college, and he has a career. Everything seems ordinary, but also happy.
In the words of the beautiful girl who played the flute in the second half of the play, "To be honest, you've got enough."
But he was not satisfied with this, because he saw that the former college classmates around him were all living wonderfully, from obscurity to the pinnacle of life. Some frequently appeared on TV programs and published their own books; some lived affluent lives. , there are private jets, surrounded by wives and daughters; some sell the company after doing a big business, and go to the island to live another relaxed, luxurious and happy "retirement" life...
All of this was like thorns in Brad's eyes, piercing his heart from time to time. He couldn't sleep at night, reminding himself that nothing was accomplished, reminding himself that he was a loser.
He attributes the people he sees often around him as "second-class people".
When he was flying with his son at the airport, he kept flashing these people and things in his mind, and his mood was very unstable. When talking to the staff at the ticket gate for a short time, because their tickets were economy class, they could not take the "fast lane" , When he was unable to leave by all means, Brad made a seemingly impulsive move and went to apply for a ticket upgrade after discussing with his son. But it backfired. Because their tickets were purchased online at a discount, and they couldn't handle the upgrade business, Brad looked frustrated, and his inner suffering must have gotten worse.
Whether it was the words "Paradise on Earth" that he saw later, the people in his memories, and the way he imagined other people's lives to be prosperous, they were tormenting this middle-aged uncle. After arriving in Boston, he recalled his college days, "University I love the world, and the world loves me too, since when did we stop loving each other?" He even began to blame the people around him, suspecting that his wife's "easy gratification" led to his failure to achieve anything.
Heaven on earth has changed, and in Brad's mind at this time, it should be called "Purgatory on Earth".
When his son missed the interview time at his alma mater, he tried his best to fight for it and found someone from the admissions office, but to no avail, his inner anger surged into his heart, and he blamed his son for forgetting the interview time, because this Shi's father put all his bets on the outstanding son, as if he could come back from now on.
He met his son's good friend, the girl who studied vocal music in college, and the two chatted a lot. He told the youthful girl, "Money is the most important thing. Like you, I once had lofty ideals. But it's all shit". (to the effect)
Horrible contradictory thoughts followed. He tried hard to stay awake and calm himself, knowing that his thoughts were wrong, but he was still struggling with his inner turmoil.
Then, in his own imagination, he thought of his son's admission to Harvard. From the beginning, he was complacent and became worried. He thought that his son had become a celebrity and dominated the limelight everywhere. If his son was much better than himself, What do you do yourself? Isn't it more failure? For a moment, he told himself that he could not let his son surpass him.
He understands that his thinking is wrong and should not be like this.
After returning to normal, he contacted the college classmate who was now a celebrity, and learned that he had missed the party, missed the teacher's funeral, and couldn't fit into that circle anymore. In order for his son to enter a prestigious school, he saw his classmates who he was very jealous and even hated a little bit, the condescending appearance of the classmates, the flattering flattery of the waitress, and the scene where the crowd took photos with the classmates in the restaurant, and he finally couldn't bear it. Leaving the venue in the middle of the stay is ashamed and shameless.
He hurried to listen to the concert with his son. At the concert, two female students who had met with him and his son were among them. Looking at the son beside him and feeling the atmosphere of the scene, his inner entanglement began to change. Begin to return to the original life - "I may love these girls, but I can't have them; I love the world, but I can't have it."
Yes, only the people and things around you can love and possess.
He clenched his son's hand and burst into tears in the concert hall.
At the end of the film, in the hotel room, the son asks about his father's condition, and Brad says that he just has some doubts and thinks he is afraid of being called a failure by others.
The son's words are also a highlight of the whole film, he said, "Dad, in fact, others only think about themselves, they may not care about what others are like, if you want to listen to opinions, you should listen to me, because I will miss you..."
"I love you."
The whole film was very tangled, as if I saw myself in my 40s, and even when I was just approaching 30, I began to feel that many things were out of my control, many people stopped contacting, and the circle became smaller and smaller. The people around me began to become more and more selfish, as if I had always been alone.
"The world of adults is never easy." In a limited life, whether you choose to do things you didn't dare to do before, or choose to be an ordinary person, or still have the dreams of your youth, As long as you are struggling, you all hope that you can see the people around you who really care about you and everything you can have, instead of looking too far away and unable to take it back.
The rule of happiness is to know your abilities and manage your desires.
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