For those who have gone through small detours, made small mistakes, and repented in time afterwards, everyone will always appear to be very tolerant. Even the mistakes they made before, feel that they are part of their human charm. For example, Zhang Ga in Xiong'an New District, JJ Baxter in Peach Apartment, and Romeo, a Romanian doctor who was struggling for his daughter's graduation exam.
Romeo is the returnee elite after the Romanian Democratic Revolution in 1991. As a doctor, he has a good income and social status. Because he never accepts red envelopes, he also enjoys a good reputation. But he doesn't like his life now. He feels that Romania in 2016 did not become the way he had imagined before returning from abroad. Everything is as bad as ever, and we still have to rely on ways to build relationships to get things done. Therefore, Romeo pinned his hopes on the next generation. He taught his daughter to be an upright person, and worked hard to train her to go abroad, so that she could live the kind of life that she should be able to live by herself.
In addition, there is marriage. Romeo's relationship with his wife has long since broken, and there is another lover who has been dating for more than a year. The wife knows this too well. It's just that the two have reached a tacit understanding, keeping the face of peace with their children, until their daughter has taken the vocational college exam and studied in the UK.
Everything seems to be developing towards Romeo's expectations. Now she only needs her daughter to perform normally in the graduation exam, and she can successfully get the opportunity to study in the UK.
However, a sudden change made Romeo's wishful thinking come to nothing. The daughter was raped and the exam status became very bad. After finishing the first exam, Romeo estimated that with this result, his daughter might not be able to go to the UK. Romeo's police friends were very enthusiastic after learning about this, and were willing to help him. Therefore, Romeo used his disdain to obtain benefits for the first time for his daughter. Through the layers of relationships and the exchange of interests, in the end, Romeo only needs to persuade her daughter to make a small mark on the examination paper in the next subjects, and then she can get the desired grades smoothly.
However, persuading my daughter to do this kind of thing does not conform to the moral principles I have instilled in my daughter all the time. But for the greater good of her daughter, these moral principles are obviously to be sacrificed.
We often hear similar sayings: in order to gain benefits, certain principles must be sacrificed; for the benefit of most people, the benefits of a small group of people must be sacrificed; for long-term benefits, the current benefits must be sacrificed; for the collective benefit, Personal interests must be sacrificed...
Many people agree with these statements. This is also why many people think Romeo's approach is excusable, especially considering that her daughter has suffered such a change.
The audience may forgive Romeo, but he himself is always worried about being afraid. After a few days, the prosecutor came to the door, implying that he knew about Romeo's insider trading with the mayor, and said that he could conceal it for him, but in exchange for Romeo's agreement to interrogate the sick mayor. Romeo thought it over and over, and finally decided to be an upright person. After all, for a person with a conscience, there is nothing more comforting than accepting punishment. Romeo agreed to the prosecutor's request, although he could escape the disaster, but the mayor's physical condition is indeed not suitable for interrogation. Romeo finally chose to stick to his professional ethics.
Similarly, after his daughter broke into dating her lover, Romeo quietly packed up and left the house, accepting the punishment of her derailment during the marriage. It's just that this punishment was earlier than he and his wife agreed.
Romeo is not a morally perfect person, but at least he has a bottom line. After all this, he no longer had any obsession with his daughter going to the UK.
For most people, reality will never be as good as ideals, but it will not be so bad that you can't stand it. Romania in 2016 certainly did not become Romeo's ideals, but it was definitely much better than the Ceausescu regime. At least, the government allows abortion. These changes are attributed to Romeo, but also to the police, the mayor, education officials, etc., as he asked for. Therefore, it is true to escape, but it is not the only choice, and it may not be the best choice.
At the end of the film, Romeo and his daughter made other choices. At her daughter's graduation ceremony, the image suddenly became brighter and softer. The daughter said that she was not sure she wanted to go to the UK. Romeo replied that she was sorry but respected her daughter's decision. After speaking, Romeo took a group photo for his daughter and her classmates.
Like their daughters, these young people probably don't know what is the best choice. But there is one thing that can be boldly imagined. By 2041, Romania may not let them regret their choice today.
Well, I hope you and I won't regret it either.
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