From the beginning, we can see a person that lives what he does and that he finds ways to keep going forward despite the difficulties he faces. His passion is bigger than the obstacles. Even though he kept going forward, he did it based on what he could see. When his kid shows up and challenges that mindset, Charlie shows some resistance. He doesn’t want to get out of that mindset and when he finally did, everything went better than he expected.
The ability children have to test the limits in everything can be very useful. This is the main reason children ask why tens of times until people around them feel like someone just played soccer with their heads. As adults, we can have some strong limits we use and respect even though everything is in our mind. On the other side, children don’t have that and because of this, they can find surprising solutions to the problems we face. Also, children believe everything is possible and because of this, they are very creative and very positive. Sure, they probably can’t hold a spoon properly, but they can tell amazing stories. We just need to find the time to listen.
I’m looking at the interactions between Charlie, his kid and Atom, the robot, as a metaphor to what happens in our head. Charlie is that part of ourselves that know what it wants and also know the limits we have, while Max, the kid, is that creative part of ourselves which is positive and has no boundaries. And we are just like Atom, doing what those two parts decide. Our behavior is decided, just like Atom’s, by the interactions between Charlie and Max. If we feel insecure and not willing to go forward, it might be because of the limits our Charlie has put in place. If we feel strong like hell, it might be thanks to the positivity Max provided.
What are your opinions about this movie? Have you seen it?