The camera switches to the interview mode at the beginning of the movie again, Henry looks at the camera with a sincere face, super large close-up, the light in those eyes is so clear, as if he has crashed into the stars in the sky, and he can touch the slightest intricate emotion when he reaches out.

"The kids have a lot of energy. They're bored. Henry's words were flat, as if he were caught up in his own thoughts, "How can they believe you if you don't have something substantial to share......? What about literature in the classroom?" Henry's gaze was still calm, without too many waves, but it always made people feel that there was a story hidden in those eyes, waiting for people to dig out.

After class, the chubby girl who spoke to Henry did not leave, but remained in her place, and asked curiously, "Why did you only kick Marcus out, but let Jerry stay?"

"I have to make an example of the monkeys. Henry's eyebrows raised slightly, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, "Marcus verbally insulted you, in my class, this is not allowed." It doesn't matter what I say. After a moment of silence, Henry asked, "What's your name?"

"Meredith. ”

"Nice to meet you, Meredith. ”

Looking at Henry's smile, Meredith looked away in a daze, "Don't you really care if the children speak disrespectfully to you?"

Henry pondered earnestly for half a second, then shrugged his shoulders imperceptibly, "Maybe I've been used to it for a long time. ”

Meredith looked envious, "It's good that I'm that strong. ”

"It's not about being strong, Meredith. Henry let out a long breath and said with a smile, "You have to understand that, unfortunately, most people act according to their self-awareness, and you have to remember it well, because you don't have a chance to start over, and you will meet the same kind of people at every stage of life." ”

Mark adjusted his sitting position, and to be honest, he didn't understand the intent of the work. Naughty student, confidant teacher, so is this a work like "Death Poetry Society" or "Spring in the Cattle Herding Class"? But in Lan Li's performance, the deep and sad power always lingers, why is this?

Immediately afterwards, Mark gradually understood that this is a school that has fallen into the abyss, the students are stubborn and disobedient, unskilled, swearing, and willing to degenerate, and the parents refuse to introspect, shirk their responsibilities, stubbornness, and injustice.

Every teacher is deeply trapped and desperate, trying to try, trying to do their job, but they are powerless, and every shoulder carries an unbearable weight.

In the dead of night, Henry could not sleep, and wandered the streets all night long, muttering to himself, singing the poems he had written, like a lonely soul, wandering in the bright lights of the night, dazed, dragging his tired steps home, but the hospital phone made him have to leave the house again.

Grandfather, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, locks himself in the bathroom again, constantly shouting the name "Patricia" - it is Henry's mother, refusing to come out, Henry has to go to the hospital himself, and after persuading his grandfather to come out, he helps him to bed, looking at his grandfather talking to himself about death, and the blank diary, Henry falls into deep powerlessness and pain.

So, he vented all his anger on the nurses in the hospital, and after a hearty outburst, he slammed the door and left. However, sitting on the bus home, he fell apart little by little, and when he saw a minor special service servant, serving an alcoholic, despair and pain completely broke all defenses, and his eyes were wide open, and he let the tears flow freely, but there was no trace of the soul in those eyes.

Mark was stunned, utterly stunned.

Tony Kaye once again used the close-up shots of the pseudo-documentary, the rough film quality, and even the noise under the night can be clearly seen surging restlessly, the unpolished raw texture, completely close to the actor's cheeks, magnifying every detail of the expression to the extreme.

There are no lines, no plot, and even no ins and outs, but in Lan Li's eyes, the whole process of emotional ups and downs is truly and clearly presented, silent shouts, silent roars, numb wails, eyes that gradually lose focus, but the tears can't stop at all, as if you can truly see the process of the soul's light dimming little by little.

The delicacy and publicity of the acting skills are magnified and magnified on the big screen with unprecedented shock.

Mark involuntarily opened his mouth slightly, and his soul froze in place, completely losing the ability to think. Inexplicably, the vision blurred, but before the tears could condense, they dissipated and evaporated, leaving only a hazy world, thick bitterness and heavy sadness, fainted like ripples.

This is the encounter between Henry and Erica. Even though he "served" a drunk man for free just now, not only did he not ask for the fee, but he was also slapped hard, Erica didn't care at all, caught the pity and pain in Henry's eyes, and then followed Henry out of the bus, trying to complete the second business tonight, and even pestered Henry, putting all the fault and responsibility on Henry, complaining.

That attitude of not caring and giving up on oneself makes people feel distressed and even more angry.

"She used to be a gentle and lovely girl, but she was always demanding too much from life, and what right did she not have? Her mother and I met all her needs as best we could, and why did she suddenly become so perverse, so sloppy, so mean? We don't understand. Frankly, it has nothing to do with us, we are competent parents, but she repaid us by committing suicide, selfish and stupid minor, and now she will never have a chance to get into Princeton University - anonymous. ”

This is the homework that Henry assigned in the first class, and on top of the second class, he shared the homework with the students, this is an anonymous assignment, and the indifference and cruelty between the lines reflect the pain and torment of this student's heart.

As a substitute teacher, Henry didn't know what to do. It stands to reason that his role is not to "teach", but to maintain order, wait for a real teacher to come and take over, and then he completes the handover and moves on to the next school. But the problem is that real permanent employees don't know what to do.

A swearing-mouthed, careless thug, a scantily clad underage girl with no self-love...... If they are not willing to help themselves, if their parents are not willing to help, what can teachers do?

Henry's grandfather's condition is getting worse and worse, not only is he starting to become incontinent in the hospital bed/on the bed, but his memory is getting more and more blurry, he keeps mentioning his daughter Patricia, it seems that he saw Patricia come to visit him in the hospital, but Henry is unwilling to respond, he falls into painful torment, looking back at his grandfather who is dazed and at a loss, he is helpless and can't help.

On the way home, Henry sees Erica again at the bus stop.

Erica tries to borrow ten dollars from Henry because she is hungry, but Henry finally relents and takes Erica home and makes her a sandwich.

Inadvertently, Henry found traces of scars on the skin exposed by Erica's fruit, he carefully unbuttoned the net stockings, and then saw Erica's scarred inner thighs, stained with blood, those dark brown eyes slightly dimmed, and looked at Erica seriously, "Have you been used by someone recently?"

"What do you care about?" Erica stabbed back like a hedgehog covered in spikes.

"I'm not sure what to do. Henry, however, remained calm, without sympathy, without pity, without anger, "but I'll wear a little more." ”

Erica didn't appreciate it at all, she tried to continue to sell her services, and even offered to give a discount, a hundred dollars, now only fifty dollars, but Henry just skipped these tricks and took Erica to the bathroom, left medical supplies, taught Erica how to disinfect, left a clean bath towel for her to wash herself, and then went to the hall, laid the floor for herself, and gave the sofa bed to Erica.

Looking at the back of Henry's departure, Erica was a little confused, as if it was all too unfamiliar to all this.

The next morning, Henry went to work, leaving Erica at home. But, it was another bad day.

Gangsters who violently get out of control and vandalize public facilities, parents who try to blame the school and even take advantage of the opportunity to extort money, introverted students who abuse animals for fun but do not repent, parents who don't realize the seriousness of the problem and don't care...... The whole world is filled with negative energy.

When Henry returns home, he finds Erica serving a middle-aged man with her mouth. Henry's emotions were out of control, and he grabbed the man by the collar fiercely, "Did you pay? Did you pay?" The frightened middle-aged man only had time to leave a large pile of green bills before being kicked out of the apartment.

Faced with an enraged Henry, Erica cowered on the bed in fright, and only said timidly, "Don't hit me. ”

Henry didn't make a move, he just handed Erica a tissue, then took out the clean sheets and asked Erica to change them. Looking at Henry, whose face was full of disappointment, Erica carefully knelt in front of him, "Don't be angry, okay?"

"I'm not angry. Henry shook his head slightly.

Erica's voice trembled slightly, "Don't feel like I'm hopeless, okay? I'll never do it again, I promise." ”

Henry looked at Erica in a daze, lowered his eyes, and carefully pulled Erica's open shirt, "You don't need to promise me. Whatever it is, whatever you want to do, you do it. Just, not here. Got it?"

Erica tried to catch Henry's gaze, but failed, and fell to her knees in a daze, motionless.

Involuntarily, Mark's nose was sore, and that suppressed and dull emotion blocked his throat, and he couldn't make a sound at all, and his mouth was full of bitterness.