People say that the most beautiful time is on the road.
In movies, there is also a category of movies that are always on the way.
Their protagonists always embark on a journey alone or with a car. Walking and searching are the eternal themes of the film, and getting on the road is the beginning.
This is a road movie.
Road movie (commonly known as road movie, Road Movie) is a type of movie that developed earlier in the art of film. Its usual story mode is: after experiencing setbacks in life, the protagonist goes on the road or escapes reality or seeks answers. After the event, slowly began to change.
In 1969, a small-budget film called "Easy Rider" appeared in Hollywood and sold like crazy, earning a mythical $25 million at the cost of $400,000.
All American youths are captivated by the two free-spirited hippie teenagers in the film; since then, the road movie has become a unique existence in the following fifty years.
▲ The hippie protagonist in "Easy Rider"
In the era when road films were popular, even the great director Spielberg also participated. His work "Rampage and Escape" is a road movie based on real news events.
The film tells the story of a prisoner's wife, who was dissatisfied with the social welfare agency forcing her child to be adopted, so she assisted her husband to escape from prison, and in the process also took a policeman hostage to find the child.
Although the introduction looks very bloody, the film won the Best Screenplay Award at Cannes that year.
▲ "Rampage and Escape"
Of course, what makes everyone more familiar must be the road works of the 1980s, such as David Lynch's "Wild at Heart" in 1990 (Nicholas Cage had not yet received a bad film at that time) ;
In the 1991 ancient feminist film "The End of the Wild Flower" , the two heroines drove together to freedom;
There is also the 9.1-point tearjerker " Perfect World" in 1993, which is so classic that people can't get tired of it. ( strongly Amway)
▲ "Perfect World" is based on real events. It tells the story of a fugitive who escaped from prison and kidnapped a little boy to run away, but the two developed a father-son relationship on the road. (Unfortunately it is a Bad Ending)
Even though the road movie is somewhat declining, we can still see its shadow in many movies.
The American drama "The Force of Evil" , although it is often characterized as a brotherly drama, is actually a variant of a road movie. The two brothers drive their own Chevrolet to find the truth and find themselves.
The same British drama "Go to the World of His X" is also, two teenagers and girls each with their own concerns, run away from home together and start an unknown road journey...
The greatest charm of road films lies in the meanings sought during the journey, reflecting life on the road. It makes you understand that life is not only about life, but also poetry and distance.
Today, I would like to recommend a high-scoring classic Canadian road film to you to find the true meaning of Kangkang's life——
the last week
ONE WEEK
The story begins with the ordinary life of the hero Ben Taylor , who, like all of us, is just an ordinary person.
When he was a child, Ben dreamed of becoming a singer, but because the picture of his beautiful buttocks of his music teacher was discovered, he was retaliated by the teacher and lost the election.
The young music dream was stifled in the cradle like this.
When he grew up, Ben wanted to become a writer. His first work was a slightly legendary autobiography, but unfortunately he could not find a publisher to publish it.
So now Ben is just an ordinary teacher.
Although he sometimes has some unrealistic daydreams, he still lives his life according to the rules. Some time ago, he proposed to his long-term girlfriend.
Ben's life seems to be very happy, but life has played a cruel joke on him. The doctor told him that he had cancer and the chance of cure was only a small 10%, and if the treatment failed, he would only have a few years to live at most.
After knowing that his life was not much left, Ben fell into questioning and thinking about the meaning of life. Is he struggling to survive for his family? Or spend the last time for your dreams?
After a cup of coffee, he decided to embark on the journey alone.
During the journey, he was also confused and wanted to turn back.
He thought of a book he had read in which the hero was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but after spending all his savings, he realized that it was a misdiagnosis. What if I was misdiagnosed?
He has his family and his fiancée. They are all waiting for him to go back. Thinking of this, he decides to go home.
On the way home, he met two young men.
They had no professional gear and no money and decided to ride from Newfoundland to Vancouver just for a bet on a case of beer. No matter what difficulties they encountered during the journey, they all actively faced them and never thought of giving up.
Such them deeply moved Ben. What does he have to do with the madness of going across the country just for a case of beer?
Ben again decided to go west.
During this lonely journey, he thought a lot more.
He began to constantly question his own life, his lover , and he remembered that when he got engaged to his fiancée Samantha, he had troubled her with his lack of faith.
He was afraid that a certain compromise from Samantha to him was what he was most satisfied with, and he was afraid that the two might not be true love.
Confused, he met a hotel neighbor who also suffered from cancer . The man married at the age of 17, and now 25 years later, he still loves his wife.
I can't help but ask, how do you know that she is your true love?
He said: If you ask yourself that, then it is not.
In fact, when Ben asked this question, he already had the answer in his heart.
He moved on, taking pictures with many well-known landmarks.
Met the ice hockey player guarding the trophy and kissed the trophy, hoping to bring him good luck;
I met a woman who was alone on a farm , rode a horse I had never ridden before, and saw a magnificent scenery I had never seen before;
I also met a woman who also embarked on a journey alone , and had a dewy love...
The film begins by asking, when you have the last week left in your life, what is the thing you most want to do?
Ben gave his own answer.
• • •
Ben's life, in fact, like most of our lives, follows the rules and is flat.
And he himself is a submissive person, but unlike his family and his fiancée, Ben has a beast in his heart.
It allows Ben to daydream with impassioned students in lethargic classrooms; it allows Ben to write his own novel and want to realize his dream, but ordinary life shackles its power.
The end song of life, the notice of death, let Ben release the beast in his heart.
Instead of being instilled with various drugs in pain, it is better to go out and travel to find the most real world once, and get rid of yourself in the meaning of others.
In road films, the protagonists always meet all kinds of people with different life backgrounds and life experiences.
Generally speaking, these people have certain symbols, and the protagonist re-examines himself and gradually changes himself by interacting with these people or observing the lives of these people. This is the most interesting part of the road movie.
A mature road film can turn a passer-by who appears in just a few minutes into a flesh-and-blood character.
For example, the cancer uncle in this film, his dialogue with the male protagonist is only about 5 minutes, but we can see a middle-aged man who overcomes cancer and is loyal to love but also trapped in love.
Another important point of view in the film is the scenery along the way in Canada. The male protagonist Ben's motorcycle rides on the winding mountain road, and the guitar ballads sound at the right time, which is really a different kind of enjoyment.
The charming scenery, the tortuous road, and the joys, sorrows and sorrows of various characters are like a condensed life.
Modern life makes us gradually lose ourselves. Everyone has given up some things for various reasons, childhood dreams and longing for life. We are more and more afraid to face what we really want.
And the ultimate meaning of the film "The Last Week" is to reflect on ourselves through the lives of others, and tell each of us not to live in the construction of others.
As said at the end of the film, "struggle, seek, pursue, never compromise" , we must get rid of the shackles of life and return to our true colors.
- Some pictures in this article are from Renren video -
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