2003 Sun Dance Film Festival Best Feature Film One of the
2003 American Film Institute's Top Ten Films
Cannes Film Festival International Film Critics Fabici Award Special tribute to
the hero of the film Ha Verbeck is a comic book writer. He works as an archivist in a hospital. He leads a tedious and monotonous life every day. One day he suddenly hopes to change all of this, hoping that his life will not be so uselessly wasted. So he started to draw comics, drawing all the people and things around him, and drawing interesting things in ordinary life. The name of the comic book is "American Splendor".
The film is adapted from real people and real events. The comic book created by cartoonists in life based on their own lives is the prototype of this movie. However, the prototype is actually not important. Just as the protagonist complained in the movie, in such a small city, there are three people who have the same name as him. The name is like this, and destiny is no exception. Such ordinary subtlety is annoying but from time to time there are some bright spots that allow us to continue a life full of expectations, flooding every corner of this world.
The reason why I like this movie is that I like the protagonist's attitude towards life that is not optimistic but not willing to be mediocre. In order to survive and be responsible, each of us must do a lot of things that we are not interested or even bored with. This is where it is difficult for us to be positive and optimistic. However, we should be full of vision and enthusiasm for the remaining time in life. As I always thought before, a person should have at least one hobby in order to confirm the meaning of life.
A few details in the movie are very interesting. At the very beginning, some boys dressed up as heroes in the movie to receive gifts, but little Harvey appeared in his true colors. He said, I am an ordinary little ha from the neighbor next door. Wei, why can't you receive a gift? He does not desire to play a heroic role that does not belong to him.
The turning point of the protagonist’s attitude in life occurred in a supermarket. When he was queuing to pay, he unfortunately lined up behind an old Jewish woman. He watched her bargaining for six cups from RMB 2 to RMB 1.5. He was behind. Waiting hopelessly, he suddenly felt how unbearable such a life was, how could life be wasted like this. He dropped the shopping cart and walked out of the supermarket proudly. He decided that his life should be changed, so he started to draw cartoons.
At the end, Harvey said that this is not a sunny and happy ending. He needs to constantly struggle to support the family alone, and life is a mess. In the end, perhaps no one can escape a defeat, but the purpose of life may be the small victories in the process.
Also worth mentioning is the interesting combination of live action and comic scenes in the movie, giving people a refreshing feeling. The film does not have a tense plot, it is just a description of Harvey Baker's life, plus the personal appearance of the prototype writer interspersed in it, and it even feels like a documentary. But it’s not boring. After all, a man who has drawn comics about his life for twenty years has enough ability to let you feel the fun in such an ordinary life. In the end, I also hope that each of us can learn from ourselves. Find fun in ordinary life.
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