Don't let the problem of the original family become your problem.
Henry, a substitute teacher, works in a school that houses many troubled youths, and the students live in a world of insecurity and love.
These children, they have all the actions and thoughts that disgust us, they are superficial, but they are corrupt. They disrespect others, abuse themselves with cynicism, and disgust parents and teachers. And most of the reasons come from parents, who think it is good to provide shelter and food, like cats, dogs and dogs in cages. There is no slightest care and affection.
Henry, the teacher, knows how to calm the emotions of these violent students, and encourages them to have their own ideas and abandon their prejudices against the world.
He told everyone in class: "Your generation of young people, at this moment you are told that women are prostitutes, bitches, objects of exclusion, beating, bullying and humiliation. This is a 24-hour uninterrupted MLM-style spiritual slaughter! For the rest of our lives, we are subject to this erroneous conception, which is so strong that it blinds us to death.
So, in order to protect our minds and prevent this stupid idea from infiltrating our minds, we need to learn to read, to use it to activate our imagination, to cultivate it, to improve our self-awareness, and to forge our belief system. We all need to have such techniques, to resist, to preserve our pure spiritual world. "
The confused schoolgirl Meredith regarded him as a beacon of life, because in his body seemed to see a beam of light, and the faint light might illuminate her way forward in the future. So she unreservedly expressed her love to Henry, hoping to get his approval. Meredith has a high artistic talent from an early age, and is good at expressing people's sad and numb emotions through photography and painting. In the eyes of parents, it is full of negative energy. Accusing her of eccentricity doesn't forget to bash her fat body type.
But Meredith's embrace reminds Henry of his unforgettable past. His instinctive retreat struck a blow to the sensitive and fragile Meredith. And this scene happens to be bumped into by a female teacher who has a good feeling for Henry. She blamed Henry inexplicably. This made Henry extremely manic and missed a good opportunity to open up with Meredith.
And at school, he looked calm, and when he returned home, he cried bitterly in the face of his grandfather who had Alzheimer's disease in the hospital. He wasn't sure if his grandfather was his biological father. It is very likely that his mother was born to him by his grandfather's indecency. And eventually committed suicide by taking medication because of depression. Grandpa did not know that Henry knew the truth, and often expressed his thoughts for his mother in front of Henry. Henry could only echo softly. On the way home, the images of childhood burst into his mind, making Henry burst into tears.
That's when the girl Erica breaks into his life, and when Henry meets her, she's sitting on a bus with an old man in a meat business. In the end, instead of making money, he was slapped by the old man. After getting out of the car, Erica asked Henry why he saw it but didn't stop it. Henry didn't want to cross paths with the girl and hurried away. The second time I saw grandpa on the way home, I met this girl again. The skinny Erica asks Henry for money, saying that she hasn't eaten in a long time. Moved by compassion, Henry took her home and provided her with water and food.
Initially Erica thought Henry had taken her home just to have sex with her. Henry, seeing the scars on her inner thighs, appeared to have been sexually assaulted. So he medicated her and took her to the hospital to test for AIDS. Erica, who had never felt kindness, felt Henry's concern for herself, which made her dependent on Henry.
Henry was aware of Erica's dependence on him, and by nature he felt that it would be painful for him to continue. So he called in the social worker to take Erica, who begged him not to be taken away.
Soon, Melidice, overwhelmed, ate the poisoned cake she had made in front of Henry, vomiting blood and forgetting. Grandpa also died because of Henry's confession. So he goes to the care center and prepares to pick up Erica, and at the end of the film, they hug each other.
It seems that Henry's redemption of Erica, why not Erica redeeming Henry?
The whole film records a lot of painful and numb people, as a teacher's care for students is not understood, as students do not get the love of parents and thus do not restrain themselves. There are also many people who work hard for their families but have never been seen.
The many pains of life make us want to separate ourselves from reality and achieve "detachment". The truth, however, is that the ego cannot be separated from reality, and that complete free will and an independent self do not exist. It is only through the words, hugs, and emotions of others that we can truly feel our own weak and resilient connection to the world.
And Henry, as one of them, needs detachment from not establishing any connection with others. Because of his childhood shadows, he rejects emotional communication with others, so he chooses to be only a substitute teacher, who fills his empty soul with endless books.
The film ends with Henry sitting in a dilapidated classroom, reciting the collapse of Ellen Peter's House.
Henry can't change all the established facts, so is everything he does meaningless? No, I don't think so. Because none of us can solve a series of problems brought about by the eventual death of people, wealth, love, fame and fortune, etc. They cannot avoid the final march towards death. In the most limited individual, Henry finally had at least the courage to examine and face his past. This may be the director's annotation to "detachment".
When we were young, we were all selfish and ignorant, exaggerating the pain as an excuse for indulgence. Only know how to rely on but do not know self-help, only know how to take and do not know to cherish. Fighting, promiscuity, and thinking that you have seen through life, desperate is cool, in fact, superficial is outrageous. Child, when you begin to silently bear the weight that is placed on you, respect it and live in peace with it, you can really be called a capital person.