Picture a perfect life for a young woman: a loving and handsome husband, rich parents-in-law, a beautiful house to take care of, a baby on the way. But whose perfect scenario is it? The husbands and parents' or yours? Are you just an addition to the pretty picture whose voice, thoughts, and experiences don't matter? What if your only way of independence and control in this bubble of forced happiness is to... swallow little objects? A way of self-discovery and individual birth of feministic values. Why Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty could be unhappy with their princes, and why old fairy tales don't apply to all contemporary women? Swallow.
It's rare that all family members add up equally to the family fortune. It often happens that one hard-working and successful man keeps the rest of the less accomplished, lazy bunch afloat. The fortune is tempting like a lottery win and there are many eager candidates for the inheritance. You can wait for years for the death of the prospective benefactor, but what if one day he dies a tragic death leaving all the gold behind? Who is there to blame? A plot with a few twists in Knives Out. Enjoy.
We all come from somewhere: our current location, dream job and desired destination in the world of emigrants and immigrants cannot wipe out our roots. And these roots, entangling our toes, feet, and ankles, remind us of long-forgotten history, ancestry, and family. But in the melting pot of new traditions, Starbucks' culture, borrowed ideas, foreign fashion and languages isn't it good to go back to the square one and appreciate our own uniqueness, diversity and depth? Maybe family meetings are great lesson of being humble and in peace with oneself? All cultures, however, have their unwritten rules which need to be accepted. One of Chinese traditions is lying to someone who is about to die about their actual health. Knowing that someone dear to you is sick, can you really blend in and maintain a lie? The Farewell.
You can't be successful forever and in any profession, there will come younger, more talented and eager. But giving them a chance, might change your outlook on your career and allow you to go with the time dynamics. The values of each generation won't stand the test of time for the younger, just as video casettes were replaced by on demand streaming platforms. But wouldn't it be great to merge experience and reputation with the fresh perspective? Maybe this is what a true cooperation should look like in the changing times, allowing the young to learn and the old to get to know the new exciting stuff. Television is a great example of how experience supports novelty. What if two young women at the beginning of their careers were to face very stubborn established TV personalities and win their hearts? Late Night and Morning Glory. Enjoy.
At times, you rebel against your family's vocation, deciding to become a baker in a clan of actors or an actor in a family of dentists. Occasionally, having no better idea for yourself, you step into your parents' shoes, inherit the family business, or climb the career ladder competing against your family members. Blood is thicker than water, you know it. And very rarely it gives you great opportunities to grow and cultivate your talent. It gives you strength, being set up against tough competition impersonated by your siblings from a young age. If prepares you for a lifestyle. What sacrifices do you have to make to succeed, why not everybody is bound to be the top of the top, why family's support is crucial and why failure can be a heartbreaking journey of lost dreams? One story of success, based on a real family: Fighting with My Family. Enjoy.
If you devote your life to just a single aspect, you might find there's something missing. Education is one of these things. Burying yourself entirely in books doesn't guarantee that your life will be happy and fulfilled. But if you realized it just at the last moment of your high-school marathon and there was just one day to catch up on days wasted on serious things? All parties squeezed in one day, speedy self-searching and disappointments, and admitting that you actually might have been wrong. Booksmart.
Sometimes you have to lose something to appreciate it. And often it means losing your best friend. But when emotions are running high and you are stuck in the world of professional expectations, loveless relationships, peer pressure, and a situation when the only person you care about is about to leave, you might lose it altogether. Equally hard is to deal with your troublesome family and decide to move countries to fight for yourself. But the more you set off and abandon the more you appreciate what you already have. A crisis is to put us in the right place and find our true selves. But do you have the guts to admit to your weaknesses and follow your heart? A love story on the verge of separation: Matthias & Maxime.