I think everyone has at least such a close friend. You and him met at the turning point of life, marveled at the differences or similarities between each other, and had many ordinary but memorable times.
This French film called “Untouchable”, adapted from Philippe Pozzo di Borgo’s autobiography “Second Breath”, comes from a true story. The white rich man Philip had an accident during a skydiving, which resulted in paralysis from the neck up, and he needed someone to take care of his life every day. He pays a high price for a nurse, but many interviewees look down on him.
Dries is an African immigrant with little education. He spent 6 months in prison because of the crime, and he came to compete for the job just after he was released from prison. However, unlike other candidates, he didn’t want the job at all. He just wanted to collect three rejection slips so that he could get government unemployment benefits. Therefore, Dries didn’t even prepare a resume, but just wanted to come here for a formality.
Due to the absence of any pressure, Driss looked extraordinarily relaxed; other interviewers were well-prepared and squeezed their heads to get this high-paying job, but because of this, they were cautious during the interview for fear of saying the wrong sentence, but Driss The most let go, unrestrained, nonsense, completely irrelevant. He is just a soy saucer, and he is ready to run away when he gets the rejection letter, so what he cares about is not the successful application, but whether he can get unemployment benefits.
What is surprising is that Philip chose Driss without a resume, which surprised Driss himself, but he was not excited about it because he never wanted to do this job. Philip gave He had a one-month trial period and told him: “No one can survive two weeks.” Driss, who had turned around and wanted to leave, didn’t believe this evil, and decided to stay and give it a try.
It didn’t matter that this attempt completely changed the lives of the two of them.
In fact, no one was optimistic that the two could get along harmoniously. On the one hand, Driss had no nursing experience at all, and he seemed to have no sense of responsibility. He often shook his head with his earphones on and ignored Philip’s yelling. Not only that, but he also often played some “nonsensical” pranks: once, the kettle filled with hot water touched Philip’s leg, and instead of apologizing, he took it as a very serious thing because Philip didn’t respond. Interesting things, I can’t help but try again and again, it’s dumbfounding.
On the other hand, their living circumstances are so different from each other that they can be described as “totally different”. Although Philip is rich, he is not an upstart. He is a scholar who graduated from a famous university. He likes art and is proficient in classical music. He is a typical upper-class aristocrat. And Driss is a young man who grew up in a slum. His behavior is rude and even violent. The only thing better than Philip is that he has a strong body.
However, the one who feels inferior between the two is the superior Philip. He is disabled and has lost his beloved wife. He is very depressed, unwilling to contact outsiders, and is closed in his own world. On the contrary, in the face of the magnificence of the upper class, Dries did not feel that he was inferior, and still retained his straightforward optimism.
More importantly, Dries tried his best to bring this optimism to the client, because he didn’t want Philip to continue living in self-pity. So, he taught Philip all kinds of “bad habits”, go racing together, go gliding, go on dates, and do all kinds of crazy and daring things. Gradually, the old happiness returned to Philip.
The two people who have no intersection in life have become each other’s confidantes in this way. The factors that seem to be very different, such as family background, identity, status, etc., have finally achieved an unprecedented fit.
Having such a happy ending seems to be related to two words – respect.
When Philip decided to hire Dries, his friend was very puzzled and advised him: “Why do you want to find such a person as your personal servant? You must know that people who come out of the slums have no sympathy.” Philip responded Explained: “That’s what I want. Without compassion, he has no mercy for me.”
Outsiders may not know that sympathy is like a mountain, which makes Philip breathless. On the surface, he is rich and elegant, but behind it is the feeling that life is worse than death. Too many people interfere in his life, such as housekeepers, assistants, escorts, etc. It seems that everything cannot be controlled by oneself. At the same time, he was brooding over his wife’s death, which made him often so uncomfortable that he couldn’t breathe.
What made him even more depressed was that the more people felt pity for him and imagined his inner needs, the more deeply the imprint of “you are disabled” was branded on him. Dries completely ignored these five words. He never seemed to treat Philip as a patient. In his eyes, Philip was a normal person. This is not a deliberate act by Dries to suit his liking, but a true expression. There is such a bridge in the movie, when the phone rang, Dries always handed it over subconsciously, completely forgetting that Philip was a person who could not move from neck to foot.
This respect is what Philip values most. As the two got along more and more deeply, Philip felt that his original choice was quite wise. Driss opened a door for his dark life, allowing him to embark on another journey, gaining freedom along the way , happy and beautiful.
Respect is the key to two people becoming close friends. The reason why this respect can be bred is because they have two more important words in their bones-equality.
I even think that “equality” is the theme that this movie really wants to express. The fundamental reason why the two can break the barriers of class is that they can treat each other as equals. For Philip and Dries, this equality is invaluable, because more gaps need to be crossed, both rich and poor. Class antagonisms, and race and health issues. Philip and Dries managed to do it!
Perhaps the inferiority complex brought about by the physical disability has washed away the inherent sense of superiority of the rich. In Philip’s view, Driss is equal to himself. Labeled “robber” and “bad youth”, he abandoned all discrimination and prejudice, and gave due understanding and tolerance among friends.
This is even more so for Dries. He didn’t underestimate Philip because of his wealth and status, and he didn’t abuse sympathy because he was a disabled person. He didn’t care whether Philip was disabled or whether his words were mean or not. The inferiority complex behind his conceit always treats Philip as a normal friend. He did not come to this job to ask for alms. Apart from filling the household, he also wanted to thank Philip for his trust in him.
Just because they treated each other as equals, the two people who could never touch became sincere friends. Not only that, but they were also guided into a new world by each other.
In the new world, Philip became casual and happy. He heard the roar of the sports car engine again, and he soared in the blue sky again… This was something unimaginable before.
Dries has gained new knowledge and experience. There is an interesting plot in the movie: under the influence of Philip, Dries’ artistic quality has been greatly improved. Once, he scribbled a painting at Philip’s house, but it was actually taken by Philip. It was sold at a high price.
In short, Philip let Dries see the height of life, and Dries opened up the breadth of life to Philip. Not only could the two “touch”, but they also had sparks. Throughout the process, they experienced unprecedented emotional baptism and re-examined the meaning of life and love.
The revelation of this movie is also here, let us think about what is true friendship? How should friends get along? The answer is actually not complicated. A friendship can be achieved and can stand the test of time. The fundamental cornerstone lies in treating each other as equals, and the mutual respect and tolerance derived from it.