A good impression of a film can start from the beginning: in the dark night of Paris, the breeze blows the white gauze curtains, and the paintings of cyclists flying to the tower spread from the window to the man’s hand, American artist Tommy living in Paris, At the moment of my son’s 13th birthday, I am ready to share with my family the secrets buried and sealed by myself. Riding a bicycle, Tommy rushed to the family waiting for him with the painting book, and to the starting point where his youth began to lose balance.
1 "As long as I can hear her breathing, I can breathe."
The death of his father caused Tommy’s 12-year-old world to lose balance between stretched maturity and indulgent absurdity. It also made Tommy afraid of things that he couldn’t see or grasp in his life, even the beautiful stories in the Bible. . So he confirmed the amount of his mother's tranquilizers, accompanied by his low-energy friend Paisi, and counted the banknotes earned from work-study in the butcher's shop. This was all Tom's poor sense of security.
2 "He is your brother, he stole the car because of you."
However, youth is always accompanied by restlessness and emptiness that cannot be seen clearly or grasped. When Tommy feels confused and embarrassed, Bonedet Oudili from the women's detention center descends into Tommy's world like a life mentor. Lead him to experience the romance of a boy and provoke the responsibility of an adult. However, life did not reward the boy for a loyal act, but swallowed everything that Tommy was holding tightly.
3 "Run."
Tommy, who was topping Pipas, was expelled from school and rejected by the girl he liked, while Tommy's mother swallowed a lot of tranquilizers and became a vegetable...On Tommy's 13th birthday, the shaky youth hadn't officially begun. It collapsed completely. Tommy cried and called Bonedette Odiri, and she gave him a cold response—"Run." "Where can I go?" "Anywhere, you are a man."
4 "Gift for 13 Years Old"
Tommy, who separated from his mother and Pipes in a decisive way, buried the collapsed youth and also bears the heartbreak of youth. From London to Paris, Tommy struggled hard and life gradually became clear. Tommy also had a beloved wife and son, but he always played an empty and impaired adult. Until the eve of his son's 13th birthday, Tommy finally decided to open his 13-year-old secret as a gift in front of his family. For Tommy, this is not just telling a secret, but the trust and courage that is willing to be honest with his family.
5 "A boy must leave before he comes back."
Encouraged by his wife, Tommy returned to New York. Tommy, who is full of happy memories, pieced together the past that was too late to say goodbye. Seeing Bonedet Oudili again, Tommy tells her that he has become a happy man who can face life directly without relying on others. Bonedette Oudili also told Tommy that he coldly drove away his pains. Pipes, who has become an uncle, also shares life changes with Tommy. Maybe life is the same for everyone. Before giving something, you have to swallow something. After facing the broken youth, Tommy finally got a complete life.
It can be complete after facing the broken. Do you have a past that is only open to yourself at this moment? At least, I have. And I still don’t have the courage to spread the brokenness, hope that one day, I can do it too...
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