Although most of us are still following the trend, we will not leave our hometown to find a new life like a small number of people. But life itself can surprise us, if you try to accept it. Like meeting new friends and encountering new things. The cinematic example is extreme, but chance encounters are somehow ever-present.
This encounter with Walter, the protagonist of the film, may seem rare, but in essence it happens often in our lives. How many people are not like Walter, immersed in the simple daily life, but feel overwhelmed by the busy every day. Empty life is supposed to be nothing to do, but it makes people exhausted physically and mentally. Over time, we have fallen into this rhythm, feeling exhausted every day, feeling that time is passing every day, but actually doing nothing. As Walter himself said: "I'm not busy, I'm just pretending to be busy." Decades of teaching the same class, decades of living the same tune. Inefficiency in doing nothing, coupled with immersed in the memory of his wife, enduring the loneliness of the evening scene of life. This kind of life is really lackluster, but this kind of life is the model that many people are "having fun".
Walter spends the rest of the day like this, teaching the fewest classes in the school while dressing himself up as the busiest person. "I want to write a book, you know." In fact, in a daze, endless memory. Even his clumsy learning of the piano is actually a kind of remembrance. He misses his wife as a pianist. It's just how difficult it is for him to learn a musical instrument when he is old and frail. Besides, the teacher also said that he lacks talent. In short, the days are spent day by day in the trivial and boring life, just get by. But an accident happened. He needed to return to his old New York house for work and found two strange intruders in his home. Whether out of pity or tired of loneliness, the life of Walter, who took in these two, started to ripple.
In fact, the film has a very political shell, because the two unexpected "visitors" are illegal immigrants. Whether it is a sudden turn of events in the future, or the kindness of the two illegal immigrants, Tarek and Zainab, are shown everywhere in the film. deep criticism. But I don't really want to dwell on this issue, because no matter how law-abiding Tarek and Zainab are, as Tarek himself said, he just wants to live a good life and play music; and no matter how loving and familiar with the West is Tarek's mother Mouna Culture, or how much her husband was persecuted in Syria for his speech, they were still illegal immigrants at the end of the day. For a developed country like the United States, to appease illegal immigrants merely based on so-called moral standards is tantamount to disregarding the law. What is the rule of law in such a society and country. Therefore, illegal immigrants must be deported. Whether they are good people or not is a reason to be forgiven. It is undoubtedly ridiculous to measure the law with moral standards.
But personally, Walter's life has really changed because of them, and it's only natural for him to try to help Tarek. I wonder if Tarek gave him more change because he taught himself to play African drums, or Tarek's mother Mouna more because she gave Walter the emotional solace he's never had since he lost his wife. Although the story inevitably leads to fruitlessness, for Walter, it is a glimpse of all this, although it has passed in a hurry.
I've often wondered why Walter didn't keep Mouna, they could solve a lot of problems if they combined. Maybe even though they comforted each other during that period of time together, neither Walter nor Mouna were sure of the extent of their feelings and where they would go in the future. Walter, who is already a wind and grass dew, can't even communicate with his biological son, how can he have the courage to spend the rest of his life with a woman who meets by chance. The truth is that no matter how warm and considerate it is, it is only a moment in life, and the things it can change are too limited. Finally, Walter can enjoy the fun of drumming at the subway station, but he may still be unable to avoid a life of slack and mediocrity.
Regardless of the criticism or satire, the "visitors of life" described in the movie will be encountered by everyone. For a hundred years of life, the so-called hand-in-hand companionship, whether relatives, friends or lovers, are only a handful, and most of them are hurried passers-by. Relatives and loved ones are valuable, and confidants have not been seen for a hundred years, but why are these life visitors who come and go? If the people you meet in life are a piece of music, those who have been together for a long time are the main melody, and those passing by are undoubtedly the series process of the music. There are very few things that a passerby can change, but it is these people who have come and gone that have changed a lot of our lives, and let us not only sink into the same things day after day.
In the movie Tarek tells Walter when he is teaching him how to play drums, that classical music is four beats, while African drums are three beats. This reminds me of what Yang Dechang said when explaining the title of "One One": "Jazz musicians always count 'a one and a two and a' in a low voice before improvising to set the rhythm... The tune of life should be like a A jazz piece." In fact, the tune of life is only three or four, life is rich, it should not have only one rhythm. Whether it is soothing or exciting, changing the tune of life at the right time will prevent us from indulging in the monotonous abyss and becoming more lonely and unable to extricate ourselves. Life is rich and profound.
The music of the movie is also very good. In addition to the soulful piano playing, the rhythmic performance of African drums instantly makes the story dynamic. The soundtrack of the movie was made by Jan AP Kaczmarek. Just like his works, like Finding Neverland or Total Eclipse, he is good at expressing fluctuating inner emotions in the pulse of the piano, creating a pure and thorough auditory effect. Strong classical atmosphere. In this original sound, there is also a strong sense of loneliness, which reflects the lonely and lackluster life of the protagonist. At the same time, the soundtrack also includes a percussion piece by Nigerian black musician Fela Anikulapo Kuti, which is an African drum piece from the album Tarek gave to Walter in the film.
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