Text "Sticky Book Monster"
When it comes to inspirational movies, I believe that the first thing that many people think of will be "Forrest Gump", or "When Happiness Comes Knocking", but in my opinion, the "inspiration" expressed in "Smelling and Knowing Women" is more real than the first two.
It's a film that allows people to rebuild hope on the ruins.
Poster of "Smell the Woman"
In 1993, the famous second generation of "Godfather" actor Al Pacino won the Oscar of the year for his perfect performance in "Smelling The Woman".
It was through Al Pacino that I learned how powerful a top actor's charisma can be. That very iconic "ha" is simply addictive.
This is a movie that every man should watch and it will teach you how to live.
Why do I say that "Forrest Gump" and "When Happiness Comes Knocking" are not as inspirational as "Smelling Women"?
I once wrote an article saying that Forrest Gump is not really an inspirational movie, but a great, epic "main theme movie". Of course, that article caused a lot of controversy.
A large part of the people say that Forrest Gump is not inspirational? Are you kidding!
As long as you work hard to live, silly people will also have silly blessings, which is inspirational!
But does the cruel life really give fools a foolish blessing?
Stills from Forrest Gump
Then there's "When Happiness Knocks," it's inspirational, it's an adrenaline-pumping movie that takes you off all the games on your phone and goes to work.
A downcast salesman, the wife ran away, took her son, ate a meal without a meal, did not even have a place to sleep at night, and finally through unremitting efforts, finally met a nobleman, was appreciated, and from then on, he changed his destiny.
Of course, this is an extremely good movie. But as far as the theme of inspiration is concerned, it is just a bowl of thick chicken soup, not universal significance.
The vast majority of people have worked hard all their lives and are still mediocre. There are not many people who really go from having nothing to shining. Looking around, it is full of ordinary people struggling in the mire.
Before you learn to beat someone, you must first learn to be beaten. Instead of learning how to succeed, learn how to face failure, which is the norm of life. That's why I said "Smell the Woman" is more real.
In the film, Al Pacino plays a lieutenant colonel who is a retired soldier who is blinded in both eyes because of the non-compliance of a military exercise. He was well-behaved and eccentric, retaining the habit of giving orders as a soldier.
Charlie, on the other hand, in order to earn money for a ticket home for the holidays, accepted a job caring for the lieutenant colonel on weekends.
Stills from "Smell the Woman"
Charlie thought he was just taking care of him at home, but the lieutenant colonel forcibly took Charlie to New York. They didn't get along well, going to New York was something outside of Charlie's plans, and the lieutenant colonel was so rude and rude that he always liked to talk about women, as if women were the only indispensable thing in life.
The lieutenant colonel, who has lost his vision, has an extremely keen sense of smell. He can accurately identify the brand of perfume, and thus infer the appearance of women, and he often takes pleasure in making up for the lack of beautiful women he can't see.
He would also put on the most decent suit and take Charlie to the best hotels and to the most exclusive restaurants. Charlie even mistakenly believed that he was an invisible rich man, when in fact, the money was saved for his disability benefits.
The reason why he came to New York to squander unscrupulously was because he wanted to end his life after enjoying the prosperity of the world.
He took Charlie to visit his brother, who lived in New York, and he passionately told Charlie how surprised his brother would be at his sudden appearance and how hospitable he would be.
But the truth is completely opposite, the brother's family is extremely disgusted by the arrival of the lieutenant colonel, but the lieutenant colonel still regards himself as a guest of honor, sits in the chairman's position, and speaks meat in front of the juniors.
The nephew couldn't resist, sneering at how the lieutenant colonel had been promoted repeatedly, and in the end he was still a lieutenant colonel. How to play with grenades during exercises that blind them. How to bring disaster to the family.
The party broke up, and it was only then that Charlie saw the other side of the lieutenant colonel.
Beneath his rude exterior lies an extremely fragile heart. His kindness, his gentleness, all the brilliance of other humanity, is deeply buried in the darkness that blindness brings.
Fancy hotels, luxury cars, champagne beauties, and ridiculous parties, the day is over.
The next day, Charlie found the lieutenant colonel languishing on his bed, and the radiance of yesterday had disappeared, replaced by a haggard old man.
Charlie knew that the Lieutenant Colonel had lost hope in life. Yesterday's revelry was the final indulgence.
Charlie decided to stop the lieutenant colonel's suicide, and he thought of taking a ride. In this way, they drove a Ferrari on the street test drive. The lieutenant colonel galloped down the empty street, turning under Charlie's guidance.
The lieutenant colonel himself did not think that he could hold the steering wheel again in his lifetime. However, this carnival did not ignite the hope of the lieutenant colonel, his life was still not bright, and the more crazy he was, the more depressed he became.
The lieutenant colonel still chooses to commit suicide, and he pays Charlie to buy cigars, while he puts on his military uniform and loads the bullets in his room.
Charlie notices the abnormality and rushes back to the room to see that The Lieutenant colonel is preparing to commit suicide. He tried to stop the lieutenant colonel, who painfully told Charlie that he was living in a darkness, that everything had been messed up by him, that no one had liked him, that no one would be sad about his death, and that he could not find a second path to liberation except death.
Charlie told him: Who can do everything well, whose life is not a mess?
Lieutenant Colonel: Give me a reason to live.
CHARLIE: You'll jump tango, you'll drive Ferraris.
Lieutenant Colonel: So what should I do next?
Charlie: Even if the steps are messed up, just keep jumping.
This sentence is exactly what the lieutenant colonel said, what is so difficult about tango, and what about the chaotic steps?
Just keep jumping.
Yeah, tango is the simplest dance, it doesn't matter if it will or won't, whether it's wrong or not.
Why not life? It's not that complicated. What about the mess? What if you can't do anything well? Just keep living.
As Yu Hua said in "Alive", living is not for anything, only for living itself.
Live well, even if you live in darkness, even if you are trapped in the mud of algae, even if you fall into a bottomless cliff, so what?
Life doesn't end because of suffering, grief, anger, frustration, decadence, it doesn't change the way life looks. Only life itself can dissolve the suffering of life, as long as you live, with hope and light, even if the light is out of reach.
Live well and pursue integrity, not glory. To pursue the light, not the future. To pursue the soul, not the matter.
Do this, you want, will come in no time.