His isolated life is a defense mechanism against the things he has lost or cannot have, due to being so isolated. He longs for a lover (the barmaid) yet knows instinctually that nobody would reciprocate that feeling. He loves his niece, but is ashamed to let her see his way of living. So in his small world he is closed off from everything that could hurt him, and that makes every day perfect.
I forgot how when his sister came to pick his sister up, she was so shocked at how he had been living that neither could look the other in the eye. In my mind the end of the film was only the precursor to a severe mental breakdown.
This is a weird take to me. I'm a romantic homosexual though so I actively seek out shit that will be nice enough to make me cry. I guess the bit I don't understand is why people with this take seem to think that he wants [insert other lifestyle] or that what he's doing in life is some kind of frustrated cope. I guess what I want to know is do you guys think if someone lived like that it would be impossible for them to genuinely enjoy it. Like is the lifestyle some kind of stereotypical cope I haven't heard of or is there some reason you think he in particular is coping and whatever lifestyle he has doesn't matter?
>I'm a romantic homosexual
Clearly, because your life clearly has no semblance to this in any way. With no irony intended, this IS my life. I get texts from my family once per year for holidays. I walk to work. I spend my evenings alone. I'm not uncontent, but there is no happiness.
let's start from the fact that humans inherently need deep (emphasis on deep) interpersonal relationships, be it with family, friends or partners, and he was avoiding all of them
also he wasn't "enlightened" or a ubermensch or whatever cause he clearly had unsolved issues with his family and he clearly can't communicate well with other people, he can't do what he actually want to do (not in a "Falling Down" kinda way)
I don't think his family relationships are shallow or their problems are really something entirely soluble, let alone just by him. It's not like his family dynamic is terrible either. His sister just has different values. He clearly likes her and her kid. He knows her phone number by heart.
I'm not seeing the communication problem you are seeing. He's one of the regulars in a couple different places, and keeps having deep intimate conversations with people who actually don't have people they can talk to.
>don't think his family relationships are shallow
no but he was avoiding any kind of involvement until his nephew showed up (his only hope imo)
and deep intimate conversations are completely different from whole deep relationships
being regular in some places means shit, he just goes there and stays silent as always, you call that having deep relationships?
4 weeks ago
Anonymous
I think this is again about what kind of social engagement you would need. His sister sticks to social convention, and I don't think they would like to hang out in the same places. I think she's probably into different music too. They still coordinate to get the niece home, so whatever their former dysfunction, what we see is pretty functional relationships. I don't think she would have updated him about their dad if he was with it so easily, and it's pretty clear he thinks it's cute she can't understand he likes his house.
I'm not saying I would be satisfied with his life either. But what either of us would like is not necessarily what the character would like. Talking to other regulars at a bar would be way too much social shit for me to keep up with comfortably, but for you it wouldn't be enough.
4 weeks ago
Anonymous
>what we see is pretty functional relationships
no, two functional adults, the relationship wasn't there. two people can have different values and still be in good terms, it was clear the only thing that made them reconcile a little bit was her kid
you said he had no problems with communication because he's a regular at some places, but he doesn't communicate at all there
also the convo he had with the dude with cancer looked like an exception rather than the rule
4 weeks ago
Anonymous
He's in a functional relationship with her. They can hand off a runaway teenager without tears or much argument in under ten minutes. That takes the kind of united front you need with a shitty dad. I don't think he stopped seeing the father and didn't tell the sister she didn't have to. I think they've already sorted out their relationship, and they don't need to see each other for Sunday dinners for it to work.
He's quiet, but he's also clearly had enough conversations with all these people they have catchphrases or a specific history for him and a fondness for him where he is a regular. I said he's good at communicating because people who need to talk gravitate towards him like he's a crisis line. It's because he's quiet and thinks about what he wants to say and means it. Communication isn't just saying a lot of words. He doesn't need to chat up the girl to get kissed: he just needs to listen to the song like she asked. He doesn't need to say anything to the pushy coworker to get the tape back either, all you need is an open hand.
To be honest, if he talked more than he listened, then I'd think the zen obsession with shadows and trees and shit was cope because it's not in line with the character to give him the amount of dialogue you seem to want to give him for him to have deep relationships or communication skills.
4 weeks ago
Anonymous
>They can hand off a runaway teenager without tears or much argument in under ten minutes
that's because he can barely speak his mind and, as i already said, they're two functional adults. there's still no sign of a good relationship
people talk to him like they talk to a dog, cause he's always silent, submissive and looks trustworthy, he doesn't solve shit just by staying silent like some enlightened buddha
For me it looked like he was trying to hold it back, trying to make every day perfect by doing repetitive rituals and enjoying music. But it was all just barely holding back a much deeper sadness and shame, as shown when he met his sister briefly.
>can go to a park without seeing any obnoxious brown people >can leave his bike unchained anywhere >can use a comfy vending machine
It is perfect compared to the west
>can go to a park without seeing any obnoxious brown people
Did you miss the part where a sheboon asks him "AYO YELLO MAN, HOW DA FRICK I USE THIS TOILET?"
I forgot how when his sister came to pick his sister up, she was so shocked at how he had been living that neither could look the other in the eye. In my mind the end of the film was only the precursor to a severe mental breakdown.
>when his sister came
This may be taking the projection too far, but I imagine he alienated his family by a suicide attempt, and now lives in a transient state between life and death in the slums.
Tokyo is the biggest city in the world but also built of many small isolated clusters. If you visit the same local small business places everyday the people will get to know your face even if your anti social. I assume the same happens in America but it’s less walkable and most franchised fast food places so the random teenager serving you will not remember you driving up in your car to grab food and drive off. Tokyo is more small town America then small town America is at this point.
The movie hit me like a brick because I'm in an eerily similar situation.
Working a quiet but humiliating job with your head held high, almost entirely alone with your thoughts, can and will give you moments of zen where you can genuinely smile at the world around you and the simple joy of being a part of it.
Until you realize you're not really a part of that world, you're a slave who will go home exhausted to his shoebox apartment.
If the contentedness you get from that attitude is real (which from personal experience, it is), is it really cope? I feel like the scene with the terminal cancer guy asks the same question. "At least you have your health" sounds like a boomer platitude but I think most people don't realize how badly life can frick you in the ass for no reason.
Brutal fricking movie, just talking about it makes me want to watch it again
His isolated life is a defense mechanism against the things he has lost or cannot have, due to being so isolated. He longs for a lover (the barmaid) yet knows instinctually that nobody would reciprocate that feeling. He loves his niece, but is ashamed to let her see his way of living. So in his small world he is closed off from everything that could hurt him, and that makes every day perfect.
based and probably literally me in the future
[...]
This is a weird take to me. I'm a romantic homosexual though so I actively seek out shit that will be nice enough to make me cry. I guess the bit I don't understand is why people with this take seem to think that he wants [insert other lifestyle] or that what he's doing in life is some kind of frustrated cope. I guess what I want to know is do you guys think if someone lived like that it would be impossible for them to genuinely enjoy it. Like is the lifestyle some kind of stereotypical cope I haven't heard of or is there some reason you think he in particular is coping and whatever lifestyle he has doesn't matter?
anons are definitely projecting a bit. There was some hint at family trauma with the way the dad treated them, and the sister is wealthy and her shock at learning about his job and where he lives suggests he could be not living this way, possibly family wealth.
So I think he chose this life because he feels he's not equipped to cope with a "normal" life. Doing the same things every day and having a simple boring job is comfortable and nonthreatening. But we see in the third act that it's an illusion, the world around him changes (quiet diner becomes busy, coworker quitting) and any minor accident throws his routine and his comfort off.
All that sudden change is compounded with the confrontation with the reality of death he has with the ex-husband. I feel like he misses the life he forsake, but also appreciates he sacrificed it for a life of enjoying the little things as he just learned some people lose even that, hence smiling in the sunlight to the sound of "its a new day".
Idk about the sudden alcoholism lmao. The romantic interest was a little shoehorned and just felt like a forced grand character growth finale. Anons were probably expecting that grand finale, I was expecting the opposite.
Are there really only 2 movies that put the wagie life into a positive light?
It's actually fricked up if you think about it. Statistically the average person watching a movie will be someone with a boring job. Society is built upon these jobs. Yet Hollywood depicts these jobs as literal hell. A character being a waiter is shown as rock bottom and something they are trying to escape by becoming an actor or writer or whatever. Even a cozy office job is used to show the character is a spineless loser. That's a bad message to send considering only 1% of people ever make it because most of us just lack the talent for something greater. We need more movies like this that make you appreciate what you have instead of making you feel contempt for reality.
>most people who aspire to make art absolutely hate working at normie jobs because of their narcissism >the art reflects the values of those who create it. >I'm not just talking about israelites here.
I completely agree with narcissistic hollywood writers here.
Waiter = rock bottom
Office wagie = spineless loser
I don't care if we need these people for civilization to function, it's still true. Frick them. You're a pussy if you accept this as your life and deserve to be spit on.
>Idk about the sudden alcoholism lmao
I think in his mind it was one of those 'I'm at my lowest, this is what they do in the movies, right?' kinda deal. He certainly didn't seem to enjoy it at all (coming from an alcoholic) so once again it seems like a desperate attempt to emulate the behaviour of 'real' people.
sure but the character is more a reader than a movie consoomer. It's more like the director's view bleeding into the character.
Are there really only 2 movies that put the wagie life into a positive light?
It's actually fricked up if you think about it. Statistically the average person watching a movie will be someone with a boring job. Society is built upon these jobs. Yet Hollywood depicts these jobs as literal hell. A character being a waiter is shown as rock bottom and something they are trying to escape by becoming an actor or writer or whatever. Even a cozy office job is used to show the character is a spineless loser. That's a bad message to send considering only 1% of people ever make it because most of us just lack the talent for something greater. We need more movies like this that make you appreciate what you have instead of making you feel contempt for reality.
they don't want you happy anon. they want you in the rat race consooming product and dreaming of moving up. Living a life of honorable wage supporting local businesses and buying unknown used books is not in the plans.
No
a g*rmoid made it anon it's par for the course
This movie was ruined by the director doing so many fricking talks and basically stating what it all meant
why would ever watch that. It's like reading book prefaces, it just ruins everything
>any minor accident throws his routine and his comfort off.
I don't see it that way. He's only really shown saying this is some bullshit unfair shit when the company does actually pull some bullshit unfair shit. He's pretty lenient about his pushy coworker, and I think it's because he knew he wasn't going to get the money back when he gave it.
I think with the dying guy he's just being nice. He's only buying three beers because the bar he usually goes to is closed because of cancer guy. He's basically jerry rigging his own bar for the night he usually goes there. Like if my local bar was closed because the own had family problems I'd do the same.
I think it's an /old/core film. You can really only choose his life after you've tried life the normal/hard way. Doing it as a youngun is absurdly limiting
who knows?
Why does he cry at the end
His isolated life is a defense mechanism against the things he has lost or cannot have, due to being so isolated. He longs for a lover (the barmaid) yet knows instinctually that nobody would reciprocate that feeling. He loves his niece, but is ashamed to let her see his way of living. So in his small world he is closed off from everything that could hurt him, and that makes every day perfect.
literally me btw
Same, I was only projecting my feelings onto the protag.
I forgot how when his sister came to pick his sister up, she was so shocked at how he had been living that neither could look the other in the eye. In my mind the end of the film was only the precursor to a severe mental breakdown.
literally me word for word but i'm a neet and live with my loving parents
This is a weird take to me. I'm a romantic homosexual though so I actively seek out shit that will be nice enough to make me cry. I guess the bit I don't understand is why people with this take seem to think that he wants [insert other lifestyle] or that what he's doing in life is some kind of frustrated cope. I guess what I want to know is do you guys think if someone lived like that it would be impossible for them to genuinely enjoy it. Like is the lifestyle some kind of stereotypical cope I haven't heard of or is there some reason you think he in particular is coping and whatever lifestyle he has doesn't matter?
>I'm a romantic homosexual
Clearly, because your life clearly has no semblance to this in any way. With no irony intended, this IS my life. I get texts from my family once per year for holidays. I walk to work. I spend my evenings alone. I'm not uncontent, but there is no happiness.
>I'm not uncontent, but there is no happiness.
That's your choice. That's the plot of the movie.
Basically, choose to be glad with being simple in a complex world.
nah he chose to give up
No offense anon, but not everyone is an extrovert. The character is way too social for me, but not social enough for you.
What do you mean by boxed in? I'm not seeing what in the character would make him suddenly want to go sell holiday homes or join the circus.
let's start from the fact that humans inherently need deep (emphasis on deep) interpersonal relationships, be it with family, friends or partners, and he was avoiding all of them
also he wasn't "enlightened" or a ubermensch or whatever cause he clearly had unsolved issues with his family and he clearly can't communicate well with other people, he can't do what he actually want to do (not in a "Falling Down" kinda way)
I don't think his family relationships are shallow or their problems are really something entirely soluble, let alone just by him. It's not like his family dynamic is terrible either. His sister just has different values. He clearly likes her and her kid. He knows her phone number by heart.
I'm not seeing the communication problem you are seeing. He's one of the regulars in a couple different places, and keeps having deep intimate conversations with people who actually don't have people they can talk to.
>don't think his family relationships are shallow
no but he was avoiding any kind of involvement until his nephew showed up (his only hope imo)
and deep intimate conversations are completely different from whole deep relationships
being regular in some places means shit, he just goes there and stays silent as always, you call that having deep relationships?
I think this is again about what kind of social engagement you would need. His sister sticks to social convention, and I don't think they would like to hang out in the same places. I think she's probably into different music too. They still coordinate to get the niece home, so whatever their former dysfunction, what we see is pretty functional relationships. I don't think she would have updated him about their dad if he was with it so easily, and it's pretty clear he thinks it's cute she can't understand he likes his house.
I'm not saying I would be satisfied with his life either. But what either of us would like is not necessarily what the character would like. Talking to other regulars at a bar would be way too much social shit for me to keep up with comfortably, but for you it wouldn't be enough.
>what we see is pretty functional relationships
no, two functional adults, the relationship wasn't there. two people can have different values and still be in good terms, it was clear the only thing that made them reconcile a little bit was her kid
you said he had no problems with communication because he's a regular at some places, but he doesn't communicate at all there
also the convo he had with the dude with cancer looked like an exception rather than the rule
He's in a functional relationship with her. They can hand off a runaway teenager without tears or much argument in under ten minutes. That takes the kind of united front you need with a shitty dad. I don't think he stopped seeing the father and didn't tell the sister she didn't have to. I think they've already sorted out their relationship, and they don't need to see each other for Sunday dinners for it to work.
He's quiet, but he's also clearly had enough conversations with all these people they have catchphrases or a specific history for him and a fondness for him where he is a regular. I said he's good at communicating because people who need to talk gravitate towards him like he's a crisis line. It's because he's quiet and thinks about what he wants to say and means it. Communication isn't just saying a lot of words. He doesn't need to chat up the girl to get kissed: he just needs to listen to the song like she asked. He doesn't need to say anything to the pushy coworker to get the tape back either, all you need is an open hand.
To be honest, if he talked more than he listened, then I'd think the zen obsession with shadows and trees and shit was cope because it's not in line with the character to give him the amount of dialogue you seem to want to give him for him to have deep relationships or communication skills.
>They can hand off a runaway teenager without tears or much argument in under ten minutes
that's because he can barely speak his mind and, as i already said, they're two functional adults. there's still no sign of a good relationship
people talk to him like they talk to a dog, cause he's always silent, submissive and looks trustworthy, he doesn't solve shit just by staying silent like some enlightened buddha
No, he clearly organises his life to be simplistic. The camera is the clue, he wishes to see the world as a picture. Unchanging.
For me it looked like he was trying to hold it back, trying to make every day perfect by doing repetitive rituals and enjoying music. But it was all just barely holding back a much deeper sadness and shame, as shown when he met his sister briefly.
It's over.
stay in your containment thread
make me
the film is a Japan-German coproduction
moron
>can go to a park without seeing any obnoxious brown people
>can leave his bike unchained anywhere
>can use a comfy vending machine
It is perfect compared to the west
>>can go to a park without seeing any obnoxious brown
uhh...
>can go to a park without seeing any obnoxious brown people
Did you miss the part where a sheboon asks him "AYO YELLO MAN, HOW DA FRICK I USE THIS TOILET?"
It's actually a horror film about the monotony of modern life
But he makes it not monotone
It's merely a means of killing time.
>when his sister came
This may be taking the projection too far, but I imagine he alienated his family by a suicide attempt, and now lives in a transient state between life and death in the slums.
Character is "isolated".
Still has regular hangouts and people who recognize him like the guys at the bar.
Tokyo is the biggest city in the world but also built of many small isolated clusters. If you visit the same local small business places everyday the people will get to know your face even if your anti social. I assume the same happens in America but it’s less walkable and most franchised fast food places so the random teenager serving you will not remember you driving up in your car to grab food and drive off. Tokyo is more small town America then small town America is at this point.
Was it just me or did it feel like he was going to snap at any moment? Not just the ending
Just you, dude
wanna open up about what's troubling you anon?
Just you
He was 'contentedly' cleaning toilets dude, What fricking opportunities?
m8 he's listening to Patti Smith with girl bar girls who kiss him for free, he's succeeded beyond most of our wildest dreams
The movie hit me like a brick because I'm in an eerily similar situation.
Working a quiet but humiliating job with your head held high, almost entirely alone with your thoughts, can and will give you moments of zen where you can genuinely smile at the world around you and the simple joy of being a part of it.
Until you realize you're not really a part of that world, you're a slave who will go home exhausted to his shoebox apartment.
If the contentedness you get from that attitude is real (which from personal experience, it is), is it really cope? I feel like the scene with the terminal cancer guy asks the same question. "At least you have your health" sounds like a boomer platitude but I think most people don't realize how badly life can frick you in the ass for no reason.
Brutal fricking movie, just talking about it makes me want to watch it again
Good post anon. Thank you for not shitposting.
Why didn't he just go to a soapland?
He's not you on your first trip to Japan?
dicky could've fixed him
He soaped himself multiple times in the movie. Pay more attention next time.
Paterson
based and probably literally me in the future
anons are definitely projecting a bit. There was some hint at family trauma with the way the dad treated them, and the sister is wealthy and her shock at learning about his job and where he lives suggests he could be not living this way, possibly family wealth.
So I think he chose this life because he feels he's not equipped to cope with a "normal" life. Doing the same things every day and having a simple boring job is comfortable and nonthreatening. But we see in the third act that it's an illusion, the world around him changes (quiet diner becomes busy, coworker quitting) and any minor accident throws his routine and his comfort off.
All that sudden change is compounded with the confrontation with the reality of death he has with the ex-husband. I feel like he misses the life he forsake, but also appreciates he sacrificed it for a life of enjoying the little things as he just learned some people lose even that, hence smiling in the sunlight to the sound of "its a new day".
Idk about the sudden alcoholism lmao. The romantic interest was a little shoehorned and just felt like a forced grand character growth finale. Anons were probably expecting that grand finale, I was expecting the opposite.
Are there really only 2 movies that put the wagie life into a positive light?
It's actually fricked up if you think about it. Statistically the average person watching a movie will be someone with a boring job. Society is built upon these jobs. Yet Hollywood depicts these jobs as literal hell. A character being a waiter is shown as rock bottom and something they are trying to escape by becoming an actor or writer or whatever. Even a cozy office job is used to show the character is a spineless loser. That's a bad message to send considering only 1% of people ever make it because most of us just lack the talent for something greater. We need more movies like this that make you appreciate what you have instead of making you feel contempt for reality.
>most people who aspire to make art absolutely hate working at normie jobs because of their narcissism
>the art reflects the values of those who create it.
>I'm not just talking about israelites here.
I completely agree with narcissistic hollywood writers here.
Waiter = rock bottom
Office wagie = spineless loser
I don't care if we need these people for civilization to function, it's still true. Frick them. You're a pussy if you accept this as your life and deserve to be spit on.
>Idk about the sudden alcoholism lmao
I think in his mind it was one of those 'I'm at my lowest, this is what they do in the movies, right?' kinda deal. He certainly didn't seem to enjoy it at all (coming from an alcoholic) so once again it seems like a desperate attempt to emulate the behaviour of 'real' people.
sure but the character is more a reader than a movie consoomer. It's more like the director's view bleeding into the character.
they don't want you happy anon. they want you in the rat race consooming product and dreaming of moving up. Living a life of honorable wage supporting local businesses and buying unknown used books is not in the plans.
a g*rmoid made it anon it's par for the course
why would ever watch that. It's like reading book prefaces, it just ruins everything
>any minor accident throws his routine and his comfort off.
I don't see it that way. He's only really shown saying this is some bullshit unfair shit when the company does actually pull some bullshit unfair shit. He's pretty lenient about his pushy coworker, and I think it's because he knew he wasn't going to get the money back when he gave it.
I think with the dying guy he's just being nice. He's only buying three beers because the bar he usually goes to is closed because of cancer guy. He's basically jerry rigging his own bar for the night he usually goes there. Like if my local bar was closed because the own had family problems I'd do the same.
No
This movie was ruined by the director doing so many fricking talks and basically stating what it all meant
Oh what a perfect day
I'm happy to shitpost with you
Oh what a perfect day
I fricked OPs mom
I fricked OPs mom
What was the deal with the girl in the park?
She's probably attracted to him but is obviously socially inept so it's uncomfortable for him.
I think it's an /old/core film. You can really only choose his life after you've tried life the normal/hard way. Doing it as a youngun is absurdly limiting
No, it was just gay and maybe out of the ordinary for a Japanese dude
That didn't occur to me but now that you mention it his taste in music was extremely gay.
Is this how peaceful life without internet and tv would be?
anyone else spotted the lamborghini in the highway scene?