I envied this guy while watching. I was thinking about how I could achieve this life and the sacrifices required, and it occurred to me that he's basically an middle aged Japanese NEET.
Do any of you NEETs feel content with the little things in life? Or do you wish for something more?
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>neet
isnt this film quite literally about his job?
yeah. but everyone looks down on him for his job and he barely has enough money to live, so he's basically a NEET with less free time
He has enough money to do whatever he wants, this movie is just Wenders fetishizing a lifestyle of abstaining from digital technology. He doesn't need a TV, or a computer, or a smartphone because reading before bed and listening to shitty American soul and art rock on tape is enough to fill his soul.
>He doesn't need a TV, or a computer, or a smartphone
i want that
Just throw them out then and buy a flip phone. You probably realize deep down you'll get bored of it pretty fast.
but i need them for my corporate job
then leave your job and find one that doesn't need it.
this is why it's hard. i went to university and have all this experience built up and a path towards being able to afford a house, car, family etc. but to have this man's life means throwing that away, even if reading instead of humoring middle managers might be infinitely better.
it's not actually as simple as it seems
>it's not actually as simple as it seems
It actually is that simple. You have highlighted how simple it is when you said "to have this mans life means throwing that away". How hard is throwing away a piece of paper? very easy. What's difficult is giving up your desires, ambitions, and in some cases, delusions, which is the thing stopping you from "throwing it away". The older you get, the more you realize none of that stuff really matters. He who has less, has the most. Quite literally Biblical.
throwing away a piece of paper is not the same as throwing away relationships. if you're married and working towards building a life it's not straight forward to abandon that and deal with the social implications and consequences for others. of course if you're single without any real commitments you can do anything
You didn't mention you were married, so I didn't know. So your wife wants you to live a life that is more complicated than what you want? Seems to me you should discuss this with her. You can have a family and live an exceedingly simple life. Some of the greatest men on earth were raised in families that lived exceedingly simple lives.
Then just use them for your corporate job. My job requires a smartphone for work to do scheduling but that's really all I use my phone for.
The real power comes through moderation. You don't need to abandon tech, you just need to see that it doesn't control you. Easier said than done, sure. But it isn't as hard as you think if you are watchful of your tech use.
>so he's basically a NEET with less free time
>NEET
>"Not employed, educating, or training"
>Is employed
The absolute state of /chud/tards.
yeah. i guess i should have clarified he is more culturally a neet
He is the furthest thing from a NEET. NEET is Cinemaphile speak for a socially awkward, lazy shut-in. Hirayama is none of those things.
>He doesn't need a TV, or a computer, or a smartphone because reading before bed and listening to shitty American soul and art rock on tape is enough to fill his soul.
I think it's funny that you can romanticize this lifestyle and it's totally valid but I don't think this can exist in North America, this guy wouldn't be able to afford a place to live
>I don't think this can exist in North America, this guy wouldn't be able to afford a place to live
He definitely would. The full-time dishwasher at my job makes minimum wage and he can afford his own studio apartment in a major city (Washington DC).
The movie highlights the power of simplicity in the modern world. How a seemingly impoverished and meager lifestyle shines bright in the darkness. How the one who puts others before himself is the most distinguished. This was probably my favorite movie of last year.
i would be happy with a modest offline lifestyle as long as I would return home to a loving SO
but that seems impossible. anyone who would be interesting to spend time with would also be too ambitious for a humble lifestyle.
not having a SO is why his life was so peaceful. if he had a woman whining all day telling him to get rid of his plants or that he needs to get another job so they can move in to a better place his life would not work
being alone is so boring and soulcrushing though all these things like books don't talk back
He wasn't alone. He had regular social interaction through his job and lifestyle at in the world. Being home alone was only one small part of his life.
what the other guy said. he was definitely afraid to get too close to people though. think a lot of people can relate to wanting to keep their distance anyway. it's a lot of work to keep relationships going, which some people don't care about
more than anything this film inspires me to move to Japan with a backpack full of cassettes and I'll live like a king
>Janny.
>Janny, Japan!
>sits at the same spot at the same restaurant and orders the same meal every day
This seems to be the only reason he even needs to work, and it's a very comfy use of a paycheck tbh
Wenders was asked to make a documentary about those newly public fancy design toilets. He thought it was too boring and asked to make a movie instead. So he came up with this movie. I don't assume Wenders had neither developed a deep lore nor some superficial background for the main character besides his sister and her daughter. If you want to speculate then he is a man with a tragic history (dead family) and this job is his mental safe space to escape the pain from losing his wife and maybe kids. This could be implied by the relationship he has with his sister and their dialogue & the boxes he stored in his house make at least one room inaccessible.
the answer more likely is that his dad was abusive. they mention it pretty explicitly. probably stunted him socially.