By the time Michael Phillips arrived at the café, it was close to midnight, but it was still bustling with customers, and there was no sense of dead of night.

A few peers can be accurately captured in the line of sight, but more of them are the new generation of film critics in new media and self-media—or journalists. Because above the self-media, they no longer strictly distinguish the responsibilities of reporters and film critics, and one person can wear multiple hats, even including the work of a photographer.

Each figure was similarly outlined, slightly bent over, tapping quickly on the computer keyboard, frantically rushing to the draft, the sandwich on the table lay alone on the plate, not moving at all, but the coffee cup had bottomed out, and I didn't know if it was the result of the first refill.

Michael was not in a hurry.

Sit down, listen quietly to the jazz music flowing in your ears, always feel that something is not quite right in your mind, but you can't say why, until the café begins to play fresh and moving ballads, and the missing little inspiration finally dawns on me, this is the missing piece of the puzzle.

"Do you remember what your dream looked like at the beginning?"

Michael's fingers tapped the first line on the computer keyboard, going through it over and over again, and finally revising a word, before gently bowing his head to express satisfaction.

"Do you remember how life first began?"

This is the final title, and Michael is quickly getting to work, the long-lost enthusiasm flowing rapidly in his veins, the inspiration flowing out, this feeling of excitement is so real and so certain, it is precisely the most precious essence of the festival.

"'Drunken Country Folk', the latest film directed by Joel Cohen and Ethan Cohen, tells a very simple story about the week of life of folk singer Levine Davis, with no drama, no twists, no suspense, just ordinary everyday ordinary life stories.

Without the strong cast of 'Earth Thunder' or 'No Country for Old Men' and complex story threads, this is perhaps the simplest of all the Coen brothers' works. But like Levine's music in the film, it comes from the depths of the heart, reflecting the clarity and intricacy of the soul, which is perhaps the best of all the Coen brothers' works. ”

Despite the careful choice of words, despite the prosaic, Michael did not skimp on his praise and affirmation, and made his position clear and clear at the beginning.

Following the cinematic footage, the audience returns to the early sixties, when Bob Dylan had not yet risen and the ballads had not yet boiled, and all eyes were focused on Levine Davis.

He's a loser.

He lives in the snow and ice of New York, where he borrows from a friend's couch, he tries to make music in the hope of becoming an artist but ends up being seen as a funny clown to entertain the public, he lives at a friend's house but has a relationship with his friend's wife, and even has an affair that he has to participate in a commercial chorus that he disdains.

He is estranged from his family, he gave up a relatively stable life in order to chase his musical dreams, and he is unwilling to put down his sister and father to talk well; he longs to find his own place in the wave of folk songs, but he always sees other singers with a critical eye; he travels thousands of miles to Chicago for an audition, but a bucket of cold water is poured on him and he leaves in embarrassment.

He's a failed loser.

In just a few days, he couldn't accomplish anything, he couldn't even choose to give up, and after venting his anger, he finally hung his head in tears and laughter, and finally returned to the same place after going around and around, nothing has changed, but everything has changed.

In the face of such a life, how many people are willing to persevere, or how many people can persevere? and even make people wonder what they are holding onto.

So, what exactly is Levine insisting on?

This is the proposition of the whole movie, and it is also the proposition left to the audience after the end of the movie, and it is precisely the proposition that makes this movie unique.

There is no doubt that Levien has musical talent, good or bad, high or low, but ultimately talented.

The commercial songs he sang with his friends were a huge success, but he chose to give up the rights, not only because he was in dire need of cash, but also because he was full of disdain and disdain for songs that cater to the masses.

For him, music is music after all, it is the melody and words from the heart and from the soul, it is the artistic creation that carries the weight of life and the color of life, it is the escape from reality and embraces the beautiful golden sunshine, that is the most authentic self.

It's his persistence, but it's also his stubbornness.

To him, music is a fragment of his soul.

The same is true for music for this film.

The most taboo thing for musical movies and cabaret movies is to be reduced to a cheap and boring music video, but obviously, the Coen brothers are not among them. The Coen brothers' masterful use of music and performance succeeded in making melody and vocals the most important part of Levian-Davis' role.

'Green-Green-Rocky-Road' captures the freshness and casualness of road trips, and 'The-Death-of-Queen-Jane' captures his deep affection for his lover and children.

The song "The-Shoals-of-Herring" tells the story of his remembrance and remembrance of his father, and the song "Five Hundred Miles" tells the conflict between dreams and reality, as well as the sadness of being away from home.

Also, the song 'waving goodbye' witnessed the start and end of the dream.

Every melody, every lyric, and every singing gently and heartbreakingly carries the weight of Levien's soul, telling the story that belongs to Levien, which is the perception from life, but also from the power of pain, which truly allows every audience to witness his persistence, read his persistence, and understand his persistence.

Quietly listening to each of Levien's performances, the weight of the film is falling little by little.

Music and creation consumed all his enthusiasm and hope, but he couldn't find any support and exit, in the ice and snow of reality, it was like stepping into leather shoes in the snow, wet, slimy, heavy, but he could never get rid of it, staggering, struggling, and watching the golden sunlight disappear little by little.

He's holding on, but he can't hold on for long, because his persistence doesn't see commercial value. ”

When he wrote this, Michael's eyes suddenly moistened, and his mind couldn't help but recall the last scene of the movie again-

Levien sat at the mouth of the alley, covered in sores and embarrassed, not even a winter coat, with a touch of bitterness and relief in his eyes, and whispered "goodbye", but he couldn't tell whether it was a goodbye to the audience, a goodbye to a dream, a goodbye to life, or a goodbye to music.

The surging emotions were so intense and so strong that the flames in his chest began to burn.

In the movie, the Coen brothers don't give an answer to whether Levine will be able to keep going.

They created a dilemma, and after a big circle, Levine finally returned to the same place:

He can choose to continue and live in the Greenwich Village, he can choose to give up and return to his old job and return to a stable and regular life like countless ordinary people, or he can choose to say goodbye and leave New York and embark on a new journey alone. Perhaps, there are other options.

But the final choice, the Coen brothers, was left to the audience.

Are you willing to stick with it?

Further, do you remember what your dream looked like at the beginning? Do you remember the future you depicted at the beginning? Do you remember the source of your inner passion at the beginning? Do you remember when you chose to give up? Do you remember what you are holding on to in your life now?

Do you remember the beginning of your life?

When reality begins to gradually wear away the edges and corners of our bodies, when life begins to gradually destroy our passion, is that fiery beating heart still beating? When cornered, there is no choice, and choosing to give up seems to be the only possibility, how many people are still willing to stupidly and stubbornly continue to persevere, waiting for a hopeless dream?

The so-called maturity of many people is nothing more than being worn away by custom, and becoming sophisticated and practical. It is not maturity, but the premature aging of the spirit and the premature death of the individual. True maturity should be the formation of a unique personality, the discovery of the true self, the spiritual result and the harvest - Nietzsche'

This is true for ballads, so it is for movies, and so is life.

This is perhaps the least ambitious work of the Coen brothers, the whole story revolves around Levine, but the spiritual core is the opposite, presenting the magnificent picture of the entire era with the most ambitious attitude, which is a folk story belonging to the sixties, a film story belonging to the twenty-first century, and an art story belonging to the entire era.

In the cruel reality, how many people are still choosing to persevere, and how many are ready to give up?"

All the emotions and thoughts were recorded in one go, and the surging enthusiasm was so turbulent that the fingertips began to tremble slightly.

In a trance, Michael seemed to return to the afternoon thirty years ago, when he first saw "Alien ET" on the big screen.

Michael carefully picked up the coffee cup, but did not rush to drink it, but put it to his lips and quietly felt the bitter and mellow smell linger under the wings of his nose, like the smell that permeated the air of Greenwich Village in the sixties.