Theatrical Release

"Life was like a box of chocolate. You never know what you're gonna get," says Forrest Gump to a lady sits next to him. When I watched the movie for 378th time, this time as if he said it to me directly; his words never been true these days. Well, apparently, Forrest Gump has dozens of knowledge to share. Don't believe me? To anyone who refused to accept proper burial of medical workers died during pandemic, he says, "Stupid is as stupid does." To anyone who grinds their teeth upon learning that there are people still have the guts to leverage personal advantage over common objective, he says, "Sometimes there aren't just enough rocks." Want for more? To anyone pretends that WFH is the new normal, I'd imagine Forrest says to them, "What's normal anyways?" PS: this only works when you've seen the movie.

I'm not going to write anything close to a piece of career advice nor self-development or plastered philosophical/motivational quotes. My minds are not with me lately and I have my own fair share of stress stressing when it comes to reading news that all despair, sorrow and heart-breaking. Beside, you can get that from anyone anywhere, for free. Or so it seems.

What I'm about to tell you is how I've been recently resorting to my comfort couch, replaying movies and while digging deep to my butter-glazed popcorn, I was surprised how those movies are remained relevant to whatever is happening to us. At least, to my assumption. So this piece is clearly subjective in nature and you don't get to criticize me. No sir! But you can add it to your must-replay list. Or nothing. Whatever.

SPOILER ALERT: may contain ending of the movies! If you don't mind, read on.

1. Meet Joe Black (1998): ladies will dig this because you'll see Brad Pitt's prime and mysteriously provocative. But it's Bill Parrish (perfectly played by Sir Anthony Hopkins) whose charismatic and appeal I wish to display here. During his final departure following the Grim Reaper's footstep, I like how Bill console everyone without their knowledge that this is the last time they will ever be seeing him again. "And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and equals, they departed this life." Though the circumstances may have been an awful lot different, but when disease and demise are so close and seem everywhere nowadays, pandemic or not, I can only picture the bold of everyone dying from this terrible virus had the opportunity to look at death in the face with calm and grace. Then say, "And that's life. What can I tell you."
2. Shawshank Redemption (1994): I kid you not, this one will make you get busy living, or get busy dying. The story tells Andy (not from the animated wooden toy, I remind you) who sent to jail for a murder he didn't commit. Jail, I said? Sound strikingly familiar? Why, yes! Aren't we all, at this point? Locked in our houses, wandering from room-to-room, have limited time to have outdoor activity and a menu nothing but carb and egg and if you're lucky, maybe take it with a little grain of salt (literally)? During his time, Andy got -what all of us collectively agreed to call it 'support system'- a group of inmates and even a loyal friend who follows his step. Andy's hopeful to break free and he gives meaning while at it. However, when he crawled through a river of excrement and came out clean on the other side, all by himself, it gives a new meaning to me that we all alone (with or without support) dealing with this s*** and do our utmost to come out clean. Beside, every man has his breaking point.
3. Life of Pi (2012): it is human nature to question our faith when so many difficult things happening around us and there are no easy answers. This movie speaks almost in therapeutic ways with so many advises far better than what politicians and public-figures have given to us recently (duh!). Piscine Molitor Patel, named after a swimming pool in Paris, is an ordinary young man whose grit and curiosity teaches me how to see faith during hard times. He said, "Faith is a house with many rooms. And doubt is plenty, on every floor." All of the sudden, it makes sense: the misery, struggle and sorrow. Pi's grappling on the edge of life-boat and facing the fieriest storm is the image of our battle too. Maybe it's being removed from a job (again), or losing loved ones, or giving up people's hope on you. We've all been there. Like Pi said, contend and less patronizing, "After all, you cannot know the strength of your faith until it is tested." How about that?
4. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013): the setting was at the dawn of printed-copy of LIFE magazine and the management decided to trim the organisation. As if the situation was not dire enough for Walter Mitty who also being released from the company he worked for decades, he lost the negatives #25 to develop which in turn would be the last cover, or as the photographer who took the picture amusingly claimed as 'the quintessence'. So began his journey of finding the photo's negative and turns out, finding his quintessence (and romance) instead. From hopping to a chopper in Greenland to skateboarding down a volcano in Iceland and climbing the Himalayas, Walter's transforming himself as a day-dreaming average Joe to a dozen more of winks at e-Harmony. He even keeps his feet stay on ground, loves his family and does not brag on where he went. Walter's story may resonant to some of us, I think, who's still mourning for job loss at home and asking repeatedly to self, "What is my quintessence and how do I find it?" (If) you found the answers, remember this when you build your CV while listening Arcade Fire's Wake Up.
5. Lord of The Rings - The Fellowship of The Ring (2001): I only mentioned this movie because of what else? That a fantasy tale of bunch of innocence fellowship facing a seemingly hard-to-fight invisible, yet all-around lurking and deathly powerful sinister somehow reminds me with today's unseen war against a virus brutally wreak havoc? OF COURSE NOT! This merely an escape-door I enjoy to use so often for three-hours long. But why adds it to the list, though? Because whoever mentioned Persian adage "This too shall pass," on their self-help article to refer the emotional toll this pandemic has taken us, I can't help but to picture otherwise scene when brave and self-less Gandalf sacrificing himself against ancient evil Balrog from taking the lives of the fellowship. Maybe, instead of saying that repeatedly, almost like a mantra to its own, we should scream "You shall not PASS!" albeit selflessly sacrificing our own personal gain, who often appears not as Balrog, but as Boromir. What a fantasy, huh?

I believe we are all now in a situation where Mike Tyson's famously quote, "Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth." It hurts, I understand. If that happens and all ears are shut to hear your lament, open the catalogue of your old-time favorite movies. Who knows what wisdom lies beneath?