Finding purpose in someone else's dream | Rudderless (2014 film by William H. Macy)

This film was Macy's debut as a director. If I could put out something as good as this for the world to see on my first try, I'd brave the road less traveled again and again. For me anything past five years is already from of old. As I remember, during the released of this film, people were still tiptoeing on several issues (political, social, mental, and etc.) the world should talk about. Macy did a great job in showing different perspectives on how to look at mental health issues, violence, and the reality of life.

It has been weeks since a friend of mine suggested that I watch this film. When I ask her what this film is about, she said that's it's a beautiful story of a father finding purpose through the music of the son he just lost. It was an understatement of what the film was about! Although it captured half the truth, I wasn't prepared to know the twist of the film's story. It would have been just a typical musical drama film if indeed Sam (the father) had his life's purpose upon hearing the beautiful records of his son (Josh).

The few minutes of Josh's being alive in the film showed a college student who's struggling to get his degree and wanting to live out his real dream, that's just like me when I was a college student. Everything was normal for Josh as portrayed by the film until he got caught up on a shooting incident in their school. The death of Sam's son took a toll in his flourishing career. Sam was successful in his job, known for closing great deals. Although, on the day his son died, he was not able to close that lunch deal with Josh —an opportunity he missed.

Two years passed, Sam was found suffering from alcoholism and drunkenness. You see everyone grieves in different ways, some even takes more time than what we could deem acceptable. Sam's life met its turn around when his ex-wife brought to him all the things relating to Josh's love for music. His hiding came to halt when he finally acknowledged the existence of his son and his absence from that shooting incident that claimed seven young lives. Sam listened to his son's records all night until morning came. He went to work with ears plugged, listening again.

Sam found courage to face more of his grief by putting out his son's music in a bar which welcomes open mic gigs. With this, Quentin, a young boy who was of same age with Josh came to him. Quentin expressed his wonder and heartfelt praise to the song he heard. It was indeed beautiful. Quentin who loves music and dreams of making it big in the music industry wanted to play music with Sam, thinking how great he was in writing that beautiful song. There were a lot of disagreements and saying of 'No', until Quentin finally convinced Sam to perform with him in the bar. It took only a short time until they became a band and played regularly at the bar. Everyone loved their music —Josh's music.

Here is when the twist of the story starts to unravel. Josh was a victim and at the same time also responsible for the six lives lost during the shooting —turns out he was the one who pulled the trigger. I liked what Del said in the film when he bailed out Sam from being arrested when he again went downhill. Sam was mourning the lost of his son and he was trying to see the good son he had always knew. Del answered his cries with the truth that the six lives lost were someone else's sons and daughters too. Josh was not living normally, he was suffering from a mental health illness that caused him to choose violence. However, in our sufferings we are ought to be responsible of its consequences. An if only of the story is that if only help came through to Josh then it would have been avoided. He could have lived differently.

When the truth about those beautiful songs was known by the people who have loved and sang those songs, the band labeled Josh's music as wrong and with fault —an untouchable art. The film was perfectly wrap by Quentin owning his dream guitar (a gift from Sam) and Sam telling his old audience the truth. Sam for the last time, sang Josh's music by introducing who was the songwriter behind and what he did. People shed tears, not cries, but tears that were plainly sad. In the finality, people heard the songs written by a musician who has carried life's baggages and ups and downs all alone.