Similar to this, Wim Wenders' 2005 work "Don't Knock on the Door" also tells the story of a prodigal son who has been away from home for 30 years. It is also 30 years away from home. If Duoduo's return in "Paradise Cinema" is an emotional responsibility for the old lovers, then the protagonist in "Don't Knock on the Door", his return is somewhat The color of escape and helplessness.
Howard is an outdated Western movie star, he has a life of corruption and self-defeating. My hair is gray, but I still consume myself with alcohol and drugs. It's difficult to connect Howard in life with the heroes of the West. Behind these appearances is a fact that Howard is unwilling to accept but has to accept-he is old and the glory is no longer. With this sense of helplessness and frustration, Howard escaped from the movie set he was shooting. He thought of his mother in his hometown. He is determined to put down his movie star status and return to his hometown in the name of his son.
Howard's hometown is a typical American western town, quiet and orderly. Howard met his mother and his former girlfriend, and unexpectedly learned that he also had a son and daughter. Although Howard tried to approach them in his own way in order to get their acceptance and understanding, he still couldn't bridge the emotional gap with these people. The 30 years that lay between Howard and everyone is not only a blank in time, but also a blank in emotion and experience. Young people are few years old, and tired birds always return to their nests. A former prodigal son finally had a tiring day. When he really wanted to stop, he found that everything was much harder than he thought. At the end of the film, a detective sent by the insurance company found Howard, who followed him back to the set with handcuffs. A story of the prodigal son returning home finally ended with the prodigal son leaving again. If Howard’s departure 30 years ago was a passionate adventure with romanticism and a yearning for the colorful world, then this time’s departure was an inevitable act of helplessness. After all, he is no longer an ignorant boy, after all, he can't go back to the past, he must live in his world with responsibility.
"Don't Knock on the Door" screenwriter and starring Sam Sharp is an old partner of Wim Wenders for many years. His seasoned performance adds a lot of color to the film, and at the same time conveys the content of his script more accurately. As the director, Wim Wenders still focused the camera on the American West and highways that he was familiar and obsessed with. This road is not only Howard's road home, but also the inner road of a prodigal son. It is inevitable that people will have a day of "old age and no one to rely on." The most embarrassing thing in the world is the twilight of heroes and the white heads of beauties. When I was young, the scenery was endless. When I walked through most of my life arbitrarily, my passion was exhausted, my heart became calm, and I yearned for a practical and ordinary family life, but I found it was so difficult to look back. Wandering and adventure are destined to be only the themes of a certain stage of life, even the prodigal son, there is still a day to look back. In the real world, only sons, husbands, and husbands need him to play roles, not the heroes of Western movies. The reconciliation that Howard expected was not easily achieved, and the road to reconciliation with his family and his past is destined to be longer than the road he has traveled.
Society often has such changes: once non-mainstream people, after a long experience and self-recognition, after various things are constantly enriched and tempered, their values begin to gradually return to the mainstream value system of the society . The rebellion of the past began to become an attitude that replaced the previous radical thoughts and behaviors. Just like the French students of 68 years, after the baptism of that struggle, many of them still inherited the legacy of that year and participated in social life in a new way even after many years. This is also the positive side of that sport.
Howard finally returned. First, he returned to his family life, and then returned to his social responsibility. For a young prodigal son, Howard finally no longer confronted, but chose a position that everyone liked and reconstructed his identity.
In a sense, this choice is the product of compromise. A "on the road" type of prodigal, finally chose a life he once opposed and lived in disapproval, which is somewhat sad. Maybe time is gone, and it's hard to get over it. Three hundred and sixty-five miles away, from juvenile to white head. When it comes to the day of the white head, the passionate fire in my heart will eventually be extinguished by the warmth.
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