Some works of the same director inevitably make people connect. "There Will Be Blood" and "The Master" are essentially the same movies, both are the process of people's treatment of heart disease. Although Daniel and Freddie, the protagonists of the two films, have many diametrically opposite performances, they are one kind of people who are extremely at a loss and suffering in the crowd, so they need to treat their pain in different ways.
Daniel uses "surgery" and firmly pursues material wealth. He has a superhuman willpower. During the process, there was a moment when he wanted to pin his hopes on religious belief. However, the reality poured cold water on him. Pastor Eli was a magician who pretended to be a ghost. Those believers were ignorant and sympathetic. From then on, Daniel firmly drew a line from religious beliefs. But at the end, Daniel, who has achieved great success in wealth, is still in pain. The material does not give him the effect he expected. He still can't escape the pain caused by his peers, and in the process of "healing" Daniel has completely changed. Became the devil, and embarked on another road of no return.
Freddy and Daniel chose the exact opposite way, looking for spiritual relief. The characters of the two are also completely opposite. Daniel's willpower is super strong. For the purpose, no matter how much he hates things in his heart, he can endure and do it well. Occasional outbreaks are completely within his control. Freddy is different, everything comes from his temper, he can't control himself at all, and even the slightest resentment makes him unbearable and even violent. One suppresses nature, and the other releases nature, but in essence their natures are the same, but they are handled differently.
Freddie met his spiritual mentor by accident, and he quickly sympathized with the mentor, pinning his faith in the treatment of his "heart disease", and there was no other way. Of course, in the end Freddie's psychotherapy also ended in failure, and the method taught by his mentor became a little trick of flirting as a child. The tutor was also made suspicious of life by the student who studied hard but had no effect.
To sum up, PTA has blocked both material and faith paths. Money cannot make Daniel happy (money can make me happy), faith cannot improve Freddie's pain, and PTA has not given a cure.
The pain of Daniel and Freddy is a spiritual crisis that has existed in human beings since ancient times. At any time, there are always some people who seem out of place in the crowd and are extremely painful. In today's society, which is extremely rich in material, it has even become a very common disease, and there are indeed many people who cannot adapt to the crowd. Neither money nor faith can buy their true happiness.
Personally, I think it is impossible to take one path with a single extreme. Well-being is probably a delicate balance formed by material, belief, and other aspects. The composition of each person is different, and you need to find the degree by yourself, which is probably like the middle way that our ancestors said.
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