A life of achievement vs. a life of pleasure.
Are you orienting your days around avarice? Try fulfillment.
As you may have read, I’ve been writing for the screen. And so, most of my free time is now dedicated to studying TV and cinema. As an avid moviegoer, I’ve been feeling grateful that quality filmmaking’s survived the pandemic and writer’s strike (We’re even rolling out an AMC collaboration with The Hundreds this month). In 2024, I’ve enjoyed Twisters, Civil War, Inside Out 2, Dídi, and Deadpool & Wolverine (I’ve still yet to see Long Legs and Wild Robot). At home, I’ve streamed Under the Bridge, Presumed Innocent, and Shōgun. They’re all fantastic.
Two of my top picks this year are Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days (which, actually came out last year, recommended to me by director Justin Chon) and Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance, starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley. Without giving too much away, Perfect Days follows an aging custodian in Tokyo as he cleans public restrooms. There isn’t much in the form of plot and I can see how some viewers find the sleepy storyline dry and aimless. The movie is a stark contrast from Western films, which champion ambition and success. Perfect Days is about contentment and fulfillment. One of the key scenes plays out between the protagonist and his wealthy sister. He meets her outside of his modest, single-bedroom apartment where he drinks iced coffee out of a vending machine. Meanwhile, his sister’s chauffeur helps her out of a black luxury sedan.
The Substance, tone-wise, couldn’t be more opposite from Perfect Days. Capitalizing on fast cuts, boisterous techno, and extreme close-ups, the movie about a celebrity fitness instructor who is past her prime feels like a 2-hour Director’s Cut of Prodigy’s “Smack My Bitch Up.” Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley play two facets of a career-driven woman as she rages against a system that uses and discards her youthful sexuality. It’s a thoughtful body horror film that can be taken at face value as an extended Black Mirror episode or as an awards contender that stomps on the nerve of Hollywood patriarchy.
Although disparate at first glances, both films address the same central theme of a life of peace versus a life of avarice. Earlier in my life and career, I don’t think either film would have meant as much to me. I was more Margaret Qualley’s character: hungry, selfish, and egotistical in my aspirations. But I’m now in a season where I’m romanticizing the melancholy and simplicity of Perfect Days. And feeling less guilt and FOMO about ignoring the tug of career accolades and personal glory.
I don’t listen to a lot of Andrew Huberman (nothing against him, just get distracted in the vocabulary), but in this Jay Shetty episode, I noticed the two thought leaders investigating the notions of happiness. By the end of their conversation, Huberman talks about his belief in God and how surrendering control is fundamental to prosperity. He also talks about a personal shift in feeling experiences over analyzing them.
As we step off the Hustle Culture train that’s been barreling through our social feeds for the last decade, we’re finding ourselves more in these deeper discussions about life and meaning. Americans are wealthier than we’ve ever been, but also miserable. It’s harder and harder to feel rich. Despite a wealth boom where people who make over $175,000 a year feel “poor,” the true anchors of joy are moored in confidence and predictability, of which there is a scarcity of these days. Which, is why there’s an exodus from passion-led, dream-filled careers to secure, “dumb” jobs…
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