It's great when you're talented and your efforts are appreciated by your family members and the support has been given to you from early childhood. You then thank your parents when receiving another award and thrive supporting them in return. But when you're extremely talented and there is no support, not even acceptance among the members of your closest family, the talent and success itself are not enough to make you happy. How one world-famous singer had to face his demons, addictions and find a way to personal happiness? Early years of Elton John, Rocketman.
In the man-dominated world, we appreciate the story of the success of those who spread their wings and won a sense of independence. Among the few company owners who boast to be of beautiful sex, there was one woman who changed the fashion and perception of women for years. But is creating a fashion empire devoid of pain and heartbreak? What hides behind the cover of success and is this success a hard path to follow? Is it better to be in a loveless marriage with all privileges or feel loved without any recognition at all? What stands behind every woman's decision and is there a chance for no regrets? A woman's road to financial independence and success. Audrey Tautou in Coco Before Chanel.
There
are three stepping stones in your professional life. One is at the
beginning of your career (full of high hopes and 'I want to prove
everybody wrong' drive), the second somewhere in the middle when you are
finally at ease with your duties and your profession blends with your
identity; and the final one, when you don't have to work anymore and
come to the conclusion that retirement might not be a solution at all.
The omnipresent question of work-life balance finally rings true. Can
you be successful in your career not sacrificing your personal life? Is
your career and morale of what you do really worth selling your soul to
the devil and resigning from personal values and aspirations? Is a
relationship worth giving up on your dreams and ambitions, being fragile
as it is in the world of frustrations, one-night-stands, and
infidelity? Difficult questions at any point in your career, proving
that you rarely can kill two birds with one stone and you always have to
choose between and deal with the consequences of these choices. Three
films depicting the reality of contemporary lifestyle, career ladder ups and downs, and
hopes for personal success, which is not for everyone. Lots of food for
thought, enjoy.
In the beehive of personalities, predispositions, skills, and interests, we have chosen a vocation. Or maybe this vocation has chosen us. And when it is clear that even as a child you have a tendency to become a great football player, a priest or an actress, coming from a slightly less designer-oriented background may make your personal development in the world of fashion more difficult. God doesn't want our opinion when S/He blesses a single individual with her/his finger filling them with talent, creativity, and craft. Deep down every single deed of that person pushes them closer and closer to the final act of a genius mind and millions of minds moved. This is more or less what happened to an awkward boy Lee Alexander McQueen who became a fashion legend, creator, provocateur and DJ of muses: fashion, technology, history, beauty, ugliness, strength, and weakness. God's ways are beyond our comprehension, McQueen.
It's not enough to love a human being, to accept flaws of character, annoying habits, immoral tendencies or, simply, sins. To love a human being is to accept also the profession that one has to perform, is devoted to, or which occupies the man's mind also during the sleep. This is known to wives of firefighters, fearing every siren, to partners of policemen, scared of every sound of shooting, to first ladies of politicians, playing second fiddle during elections, or lovers of doctors, who spoil home atmosphere with another deceased patient. But being married to a dress-maker? A challenging relationship and a lesson for less patient. For everyone, there's a match. Phantom Thread. Enjoy.
We are spread all over the world for some reason. In one country you can be a brilliant law graduate with a loving family, core values, and decent living conditions to be limited to a cheap workforce in another. You can have high prospects, dreams, and rules that you would never ever break but circumstances force you to disobey your code of arms and become evil. You can be hurt so much that you are able to hurt as much as you have been hurt. We are spread all over the world for various reasons: some of us wanted to have better money and opportunities for survival for their families, others wanted to pursue dreams but were happy with what they were offered by fate. Some were deceived by chances, prospects, and money. Some covered miles to find peace. A bittersweet truth about emigration: The Paradise Suite.
Women tend to obsess about clothes, hairstyles, boyfriends, and gossip. They don't like the boring routine of uneventful lives, relationships which lead to nothing and being closed in a cage of same old romance, money-talk, and circle of friends. They also seem to obsess about other women, comparing themselves endlessly to the image which they would like to follow. The problem is when the admired woman is quite a bad girl involved in a criminal case. The charm of the 80s clothes, fashion, and New York, and two women who had a taste what their lives could look like in any other circumstances. With Madonna, Desperately Seeking Susan.
In times when man's income was man's value, the priority of a woman wasn't really to fall in love. She was supposed to be well taken care of, as in the case of her parents' death she had to be supported. But you couldn't help to fall for someone despite financial deficiencies, you couldn't help to develop feelings for the ones who you truly respected and admired. Greatest love stories happened despite reason and sense. When life was so short and so fragile, when you couldn't get used to your own children as their growth to adulthood was so uncertain, could you truly fall for a man? Could love for ribbons and poetry find some mutual ground for the firsts buds of fondness to spring, could they bring together two equally passionate people? Last days of John Keats in Bright Star.
Returning home after years of exile rarely comes up to expectations. Everything left behind stayed the same: the same houses are now decades older, the same are people but covered with more wrinkles and prejudices. It's hard to fit in and win back your position and respect. But a particular skill of a new-comer can turn the vile and paved ways of residents upside down. One talented woman returns to solve the mystery of her childhood. One dress changes the fate of a spinster. One roll of material alters the fate of an Australian small town. What about your small town? The Dressmaker.
The majority of us are in various shapes and sizes. There's really no need to try to fit in your friends' clothes, as there are many body types and their type might not be your type at all. Modeling and fashion dominated our lives to the extent that finding another top model occupies TV entertainment, fitting into size 0 interchanges with being accepted as a plus size exhibition to make you fashionable regardless of the food you consume. Fashion brands started to cooperate with chain stores to make glamor available to the masses. Who is right in this overall propaganda of beauty? Is it really that important to be physically attractive and well-dressed? Are the lives of models and cover girls so coveted once the eye of the camera is shut off? Is it a dream come true for a girl who desires fame and admiration and is willing to do everything to achieve her dream? And are the small worlds of Paris, Milan, and New York really that important? With a twist, The Model.
Money runs the world. It's no news that people can do a lot for money. The money can buy expensive bling, nice clothes, cars, and houses. Of course, it cannot buy you love, but a form of admiration and following can be achieved by flaunting the insides of your pockets. For some, the label is a status symbol. It distinguishes you from the masses, it proves that you can afford something, while others have to resort to mass produced items. You can go on a shopping spree, not paying attention to your account balance, without being worried that it's the end of the month and you're a bit short of cash. But is the life of rich and famous really that different from a standard life? Does having n number of bags mean that you're a better person than the ones who have one bag that covers all their needs, and, to make matters worse, it's without the label? Does having more bring you happiness? Is luxury a deluding force that makes people believe that billions slightly less well off are any less special? Are Rich Kids of Instagram any different from every kid on the planet, or just equipped with more toys?
We care about our image, don't we? Don't we follow the latest trends, with a passion of an addict watch fashion blogs and instead of visiting a museum, a library or enjoying a trip outside the city, we visit shopping centers? Clothes are fun. The same trainers change every year for a slightly different design, the same white T-shirt has right now a little bit different cut and, instead of classic colors, we are bombarded by pastels or hippy/boho fringes. It's all for the pleasure of the third world countries. We deserve it. We work hard, and while buying a flat or covering our medical expenses might be hard, there's still a chance of buying a nice outfit from our favorite chain store.
It will make you feel better and it will make you look pretty. But as with every fleeting feeling of the contemporary world: have you ever thought about people who are behind your clothes? Have you ever thought about the determinism of your birth, which made you a lucky buyer and the millions of less fortunate: the abused makers of your whim? The True Cost.
Some people's lives are bricked by passion. Individuals transform their houses into chapels devoted to their hobbies, interests, pastimes, and pleasures. They treat their every day as an opportunity to find more, to create more and to make our lives upbeat by the touches of color. While food, housing, clothing, health and taking care of one's family are on most people's agenda, there are some who broke the order of life and turned this life into art. A fascinating person for whom clothes are not clothes but endless opportunities for taste, tremor, and transformation. And it's definitely a life that counts. Iris Apfel.
Our society still perceives the age difference between lovers as a gossip material. As if the only proper way to do something was to fall in love with someone of the same age, status, race, and religion. Our world shrunk. One day you can be sunbathing in California, the other explore villages of Namibian tribes. The chances of falling in love with someone similar to you are getting smaller and smaller. But chances of being criticized by the society are getting bigger and bigger each day. Does the age difference matter? Is it acceptable when an older man is with a younger woman? And why does it still raise some eyebrows when an older woman is with a younger man?
What if a parent-devoid family is left to their own devices? How to manage a house and pay the bills? How to reverse the roles from the immature to responsible and trustworthy? It's a classic comedy for those who already have problems with growing up. Sometimes a bunch of kids can create a better family than we could have expected. The inspiration for all of us. And a great reminder of slightly different times, however, not entirely so long ago.