The Man Who Cried

This was a great character study, and with a cast of John Turturro, Cate Blanchett, Christina Ricci, and of course the ever handsome Johnny Depp. Why wouldn’t you want to watch these characters? It is a dreamy, beautiful film which has been crafted well. Though it didn’t hold much mass appeal it was eye and heart catching. Not to mention it has had me thinking for sometime now.

“In America, you can be anything!” This is the main statement I took from Sally Potter’s film The Man Who Cried. And I believe in those words 100%. This was supposed to be and still is be a country where prosperity is always possibility. Today, there are many of us in the 20-somethings who are post-college, job hunting, working at their first, second, third job and getting rather despondent about the options. What happened to the ‘minimum’ salaries I as promised? Why didn’t anyone tell me that all those career books I perused as a kid, sitting in the guidance counselors’ office for waaay to many hours, were relatively meaningless? (Okay maybe the last only really applies to me.)

Ahhh….but here is the second and most applicable part of that quote. “If you work hard, you can be anything.” That’s it!! A work ethic is what I feel my generation of Americans lacks. Being raised in a time of economic surplus and relative peace we’ve never been forced to sacrifice as our grandparents, and their's before them. We are generally whiny, demanding, and require the attention of others. This is not the way to fulfillment. Something everyone claims to be attempting....

But rather, if the true nature of our generation is selfishness; than our true natures should be nurtured, and embraced. The key to true prosperity is to look into the most inner part of your heart, find what makes you truely happy, and do it. If you smile, the world smiles with you. That’s so simple, yet so true! Your path in life is established by the way to travel through life, and make your way in the world. It shouldn’t be about your status, your parent’s wishes, or even your paycheck. Being prosperous can manifest in many forms. Not only in the bank. This is something which is also poignantly shown in, The Man Who Cried. Embrace that as the key to life, and there is nothing that can stop our generation from furthering a more open-minded, peaceful, AND prosperous country.