I Watch A Movie Every Day and It's Not Okay

"Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end." - John Lennon

THIS POST CAN INCLUDE ANYTHING RELATED TO LIFE, SPOILERS ARE ONE OF THEM.

When Julie and I were kids, all we did was play games, eat, watch movies, and sleep. Oh, and also lots of running around, screaming, and stuff. Anyway, we used to watch a movie before lunch, one before bedtime, sometimes even one after breakfast, so we just watched a LOT of movies. That being said, as life moves at an intense tempo, those childhood days feel more and more nostalgic to me. As four wise men once said, "I know I'll never lose affection for people and things that went before."

But then there’s the other side of the story: five hours of screen time, mindless scrolling, the noise box where every TV show tries to sell you something... The modern routine is all about numbing yourself to the point where you just go blind. As another wise saying from those same four men goes, "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see." So, then what? Go off the grid? Burn the TV, throw your phone away, and move to an isolated island? Unless you're Luke Skywalker hiding from Kylo, that’s probably a bit much. But this made me question: If I have five hours for my phone, why not spend two of them doing something I truly love? Two hours to reconnect with those childhood years, two hours to see a completely new perspective on life, and two hours to do something for no other reason than my own enjoyment.

Here’s the plan: I have to finish the movie before 11:59, and it has to be something from my watchlist, not just a random pick, so that these two hours are spent on something I genuinely want to see. And last but not least, I’ll share my movies and this journey here, on the tropical island of Cinemangoes. And of course, like everything there needs to be an end and that is when it all makes sense. When I finally get a glimpse of that childhood excitement one more time, when the life just clicks or it just feels right. Although it's not okay until it's the end, finding the way to be okay with not being okay is the purpose of my journey. To find out which okay's are okay for me and which okay's don't really need to be okay. So, I guess enough okay's... Also a quick note: instead of posting daily and overwhelming the blog, I’ll write about several movies in one post. So if you are ready, the journey begins:

Little Miss Sunshine: So It Begins

I started this journey with a choice, one made with the hope of rediscovering that nostalgic warmth we all long for, to do something more meaningful than mindlessly scrolling through my phone. So what better way to begin than Little Miss Sunshine; a film that, at first glance, seems like just another quirky family road trip but reveals itself to be so much more.

First, let’s talk about my favorite trio: Dwayne, Edwin, and Frank.

Dwayne gets a lot of hate, but honestly, he was one of my favorites. He barely says a word for most of the movie, yet his presence speaks volumes. A dedicated young dreamer, a caring brother—until his world comes crashing down. And that moment, his breakdown, leading up to his raw and honest dialogue with Frank? Peak cinema. At the end of the day, life is about choosing what to give a fork about and what not to. And when you step back, take in the bigger picture, sometimes you just have to say, "Fork it."

Dwayne starts the movie as a die-hard Nietzsche fan, but here’s the twist—he completely misreads him. He idolizes Nietzsche’s philosophy without fully grasping its essence. (I won’t dive into Nietzsche here, but if you’re interested, check out this review of ours—it subtly covers the core of his philosophy.) But when his dream shatters, he finally understands: living isn’t about meticulously fitting everything into your life; it’s about shedding the excess. And that sparked something for me: just do it, and fork the rest. (Sorry for all the forks, but if you’re talking about Dwayne, you must include them, right?)

Then there’s Frank. What I love about him is that he’s just… an ordinary man. A once-successful academic who made a choice that led to his downfall, now wandering through life in a way that makes him feel almost invisible. And that’s the thing, how many Franks do we pass by every day without even noticing? Maybe we all have a successful Frank and a lost Frank inside us, constantly at odds with each other. Who wins? That’s the real question.

And of course, my favorite: Edwin. The man was a walking embodiment of wisdom, wrapped in a chaotic, foul-mouthed, yet deeply loving exterior. And then he hits us with that line: "Losers are people who are so afraid of not winning, they don’t even try." Wise words from a wise man.

Since there’s so much to cover in this post, I’ll go through the rest of the characters quickly but let’s be clear, each of them could have an entire post dedicated to their story and the messages they carry. Olive is pure joy, a reminder that doing what you love is enough, no matter anyone else's thoughts. Sheryl is the glue holding everything together, embodying the quiet strength of a mother who supports everyone without expecting anything in return. Richard is an ironic symbol of failure walking that thin line between persistence and delusion. There’s a difference between never giving up and endlessly repeating yourself, and misunderstanding that difference has left society full of people with untapped potential. And finally, the random guy who helped the family enter the contest: we love you, man. The world needs more people like you.

Little Miss Sunshine was the perfect movie to kick off this journey, with its unforgettable characters and unique life lessons. There’s a lot to take away from it, but for me, Dwayne’s final realization and his conversation with Frank stood out the most. Amor fati, as Nietzsche writes. It is the love of one's fate. The idea that you should embrace all of life’s suffering so thoroughly that, given the chance, you would choose to live the exact same life again, with every suffering included. Happiness isn’t found in avoiding struggle but in accepting it, in recognizing the beauty of life’s unpredictability. You do what you love and fork the rest, as Dwayne puts it so perfectly.

So that’s it for this warm, chaotic, and unexpectedly profound film. On to the second day, shall we?

"The Hunt" Never Ends

The Hunt (Jagten) is a movie built around a simple lie that spirals into a chain of misunderstandings. When I first watched it, I felt like it was about humanity being inherently wicked. Every person in the community, from different social and economic backgrounds, wants to believe a lie that has the potential to destroy Lucas’s entire life. They add their own interpretations, twisting the story further, and from an objective point of view, it seems like they want the worst for an innocent man.

But while that was my initial thought, the film plants a small counterargument. When Theo chooses to believe Lucas, the lie, though never fully erased, starts to fade. This leaves the question of human nature unresolved. Are people cruel by default, or is it just fear and blind belief that lead them to act this way? Still, I think the true message of the film stays hidden until the very last scene. When the credits roll and the audience is left with lingering questions, the bigger picture comes into view: The Hunt isn’t just about an unlucky man caught in an unfortunate situation. It’s about something much deeper, something universal. We are all both the hunter and the hunted. The hunt never ends.

When I started this journey, my goal was to find some kind of order in chaos. Movies are serious business for us, Cinemangoes (yes, even the comedies). Every film has something to take away, and if it doesn’t, then it isn’t really a movie, just a collection of scenes stitched together. With all the films waiting for me on this journey, I hope to learn to be okay with not being okay. There may not be a clear destination, but each movie is another step forward. And The Hunt made one thing clear: this road isn’t paved with yellow bricks. Walking it means accepting that, like everyone else, you are both the hunter and the hunted. As long as you have the courage to keep going, you remain a target that is never hit. But the moment you break under pressure, you become the prey.There is no road until you walk it as Ethan Hawke the Great once said. The Hunt greatly expresses this feeling of walking on this road with that very last scene.

Are We Ready To "Meet Joe Black?"

Meet Joe Black was a spontaneous one for me. It was originally not on my list, so to not break the rule I stated at the beginning, I added it to my watchlist and then immediately watched and deleted it from my list. And I was surprised that I liked the movie this much, but I was more surprised when I saw all the bad comments online. I think the movie is a great one covering a lot about love, life, success, and many other things. However, these posts are not for full length movie reviews but more about how my movie journey shapes with each movie. (That said, if you ever want a full review of a movie, let me know in the comments.) I think everyone will take something different from Meet Joe Black, but for me, the biggest takeaway was that Brad Pitt looks great with blonde hair. Jokes aside, what really stuck with me was the film’s reminder that life is worth living. We’re never fully satisfied. We always want more, always chase the next thing, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. The problem is, we want all of these things to happen somewhere in the future. We keep waiting, hoping time will just pass and deliver us to the good part.

But then what?

You keep skipping ahead, over and over, until one day, blonde Brad Pitt shows up for your final journey(if that’s the right way to put it). Meet Joe Black reminds us that even Death finds something to love in this life. Maybe that’s reason enough for us to do the same. Yes, it is not perfect, but it is real. (Before trilogy fans get what I mean. Psst, if you haven't read our review, click to give it a look.) As I said, a lot more can be writeen about this movie, but unlike the movie, let's keep its mini-review short (yes, although i liked it was just a little too long). Just live the life because it is the only one you got. We should ask our selves: When the day comes, are we happy with the life we left behind us? Are we ready to meet Joe Black?

As Long As You Are "Alive"

We started with Ethan Hawke’s quote, referenced Before, and now the last film of this post belongs to the legend himself. And, of course, to all the incredible young actors in the film, who delivered some truly impressive performances. We don’t see this many great young actors today or maybe we just don’t appreciate them enough. (Don’t get offended, Timothée, we love you.)

Anyway, what’s the takeaway from this movie? Honestly, I don’t know. I liked it. It was inspiring, intense, and thrilling. But what am I supposed to say? “Be dedicated, and you’ll achieve your goal”? This isn’t a film that hands you an opinion: it’s a situational one. It challenges the very definition of being human. In extreme conditions, survival instinct takes over, forcing people to do things they would normally consider inhumane. In the face of life and death, our moral compass shifts. And in the end, everything seems reasonable so long as you survive.

But one thing never changes: hope.

The movie doesn’t directly preach about hope, but it makes you feel it. It revives something inside you, something you might need for whatever comes next. And that’s what makes it a fitting part of this journey. Sometimes, a little hope isn’t the answer itself, but it’s enough to remind you that an answer exists.

Four movies in, many more to go. Some reminded me of things I had forgotten, others raised questions I hadn’t even thought to ask. They were all different, but somehow, they all pointed to the same simple truth: we don’t always get answers, but we keep going anyway. Maybe that’s what this journey is really about not finding something, but simply seeing. Watching, learning, feeling, moving forward. The journey continues, and so do the movies. As another two explorers of life said once in Vienna, the summer of 94': Bye. Goodbye. Au revoir. Later. Some of the next movies of "A Movie A Day" journey waiting you in our next post;

Harakiri (1962)

Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

Do the Right Thing (1989)