Whenever I go to the movie theater, most often I want to have a fun and goofy time, but last night I decided to watch a drama, a genre that definitely allowed a different train of thoughts in my mind. Collateral Beauty, starring Will Smith, was a really pleasant surprise, a movie that definitely sparked my curiosity and left me wanting to dwell and think about the important things in life, the way that we are living it, and how we should really live it.
There are some quotes from the movie that were eye-opening, I will be sharing with you some of my favorites along with my own thoughts.
CAUTION, SCRIPT SPOILERS.
“What is your why?”- Howard
Howard is the main character, during the movie, you’ll learn that he goes through a major event in his life and subsequently he is left with no will to live, just exist. Before all this happened, he was a positive influence, the kind that can nurture your thoughts with their wit and vigor, and this quote was brought up at that time in his life. “What is your why?” is the kind of question that leaves you wondering what is the thing/s that make you wake up every morning wanting to do your best, it is the thread that pulls you to fulfill your actions. Our why has to be the thought that sometimes you fall asleep to, the daydream or the first thing that you think about in the morning. To each of us, our “why” becomes the principal reason to “be”.
“I’m abundant. I’m a gift.”- Raffi/Time
Raffi, a young boy, represents the abstract concept of time in the movie. He meets our main character, and in one of his interventions, he expresses this idea to Howard.
I am sure you have realized how our society has been built around the measure that we gave to time, we tend to quantify things, and in more times than we would like to, this supposes a creation of limits to our life, to our time. You are the owner of your time, be wise to decide what you want to do with it because while it is true that it’s abundant, it is also limited.
“You can have it for free.”
“I’m the fabric of life.”
“I am the only ‘why’. Please don’t try to live without me.”- Aimee/Love
Aimee is the representation of love, a young woman that appears overly emotional in conversations with Howard. These three quotes definitely made me think about how our society has learned to make a profit out of this feeling and abstract notion, days like Valentine’s day blur the true meaning that underlies in this concept. We don’t need money or a specific day to show and celebrate love, love is free, boundless, limitless, shared, and reciprocated, among others. It should be celebrated anytime and anywhere because it is a treasure, it is the way we connect, the way we learn about ourselves, and so the fabric of life, like the movie quotes. To all the people that are convinced that it has left them, or that they won’t find it anymore, to the ones that look in the mirror and can’t find it, it is there, it’s everywhere. We need love, it’s part of our humanity and we should be proud of it, accept it and welcome it into our lives. Sometimes it will make us hurt, but more often it will make us heal, we can’t live without it, so please don’t deny it, acknowledge it and let it be part of you.
“Just be sure to notice the collateral beauty.”- Madeleine
To finish and wrap up this train of thought, I would like to explain to you the meaning of this quote; as I understood it, collateral beauty is the beautiful thing that results out of something bad and unexpected. It's the light that glows in the dark.
Most of the times we tend to forget that when we are going through difficult times, there is the possibility to see good things happen, even if they are minimal, and the good that those things would bring to our lives.
If you have time this Christmas break, and you enjoy dramas and movies that give you good material to think about, I recommend you drop by the theater and watch Collateral Beauty.
