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Nowhere special
Transcript
00:00The boy saw that his dad hadn't finished his yogurt and reached out to take it.
00:04Unexpectedly, his dad snatched it away from him and sternly warned the boy not to touch
00:08anything he had already eaten.
00:11Little did the boy know, his dad was actually trying to protect him.
00:14John was an window cleaner who had recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness.
00:19He had less than three months to live, but his son was only three years old.
00:23John didn't dare to let him know the news and could only pretend to be casual,
00:27continuing to take care of his son normally.
00:30He would comb his hair and read to him,
00:31waiting until his son was asleep before secretly taking his medication.
00:35He knew his time was short and the most important thing now was to find an adoptive family for his son.
00:41He found the adoption agency and explained his situation.
00:44Soon, he met the first potential adoptive family.
00:47They were upper middle class.
00:49They had a spacious villa in the suburbs and a large farm.
00:52John was very satisfied and thought that if Michael could grow up here,
00:56he would definitely have a better future than himself.
00:58However, during their conversation, the male host seemed to be a control freak.
01:03He mentioned that in the future, Michael would have to transfer to an elite school
01:06even if John said Michael preferred his current school to refuse.
01:10John knew that Michael would not have a happy childhood living under controlling parents.
01:15On the way back home, he asked Michael if he wanted to live in the luxurious house they had just visited.
01:20Michael answered that he liked their current home.
01:22Hearing this answer, John felt bittersweet.
01:25The adoption agency suggested that John make a memory box where he could place his belongings or leave a message.
01:31When Michael turned 18, he would be able to open it and feel his father's warmth again.
01:36However, John was strongly resistant to the idea.
01:39Why does he have to know he was adopted?
01:42We will find him a family that will be his family.
01:44His only family.
01:46You won't even have to remember how useless his parents were.
01:49His mother leaves him and then his father dies.
01:52I mean, that'll definitely fuck him up.
01:55Back at home, looking at his young son, he pretended to be normal.
01:59He took Michael to the park to play and eat ice cream,
02:01wanting to spend as much time with him as possible.
02:04But seeing the fathers playing soccer with their children in the park, he felt envious.
02:09He couldn't witness the scene of Michael growing up.
02:12That day, John went to work and looked through the window at the children in other people's homes.
02:17The scattered toys and the slide in the yard made him feel bitter.
02:20He also wanted to give Michael such a childhood.
02:23The next day, he took Michael to the second potential adoptive family.
02:27They were a loving middle-aged couple with good personalities and a harmonious relationship.
02:31The husband loved to joke and was always cheerful while the wife was good at making cakes.
02:36The couple had always wanted a child but couldn't conceive.
02:39They had adopted a little girl for three years and had an adorable pet rabbit.
02:44The conditions were quite good, but the only problem was that the male host was very afraid
02:48of dogs and Michael had always wanted a pet dog.
02:51On the way back in the car, John asked Michael if he wanted to have a pet rabbit instead.
02:56But Michael said he still wanted a dog.
02:58It seemed that Michael and that family were not destined to be together.
03:02That day, Michael found a dead beetle under a tree.
03:05He was curious and asked his dad why the beetle wasn't moving.
03:09John said it had died.
03:10Innocently, his son asked what death meant.
03:13John thought that this might be a good opportunity to explain death to his son and not just make
03:17up a fairy tale.
03:18He said that all living creatures in this world grow old and die and their souls leave their
03:23bodies.
03:24And in the end, the bodies would slowly decay.
03:26Michael still was not fully understanding the meaning of death at such a young age.
03:31John's health deteriorated more and more.
03:33One day at work, a sudden burst of intense pain almost made him lose consciousness.
03:38He gritted his teeth and withstood the pain, but his employer thought he was slacking off
03:42and deliberately deducted a large amount from his salary.
03:46John went to the hospital and his condition worsened.
03:49He only had a month left.
03:50He egg-washed his employer's house, venting all his frustration.
03:53Afterwards, he wanted to spend some time playing with Michael, but the suffering from his illness
03:58forced him to lie down on the couch.
04:01The next day, they visited another family, a diverse middle-class household.
04:05The couple had six children, some biological and some adopted.
04:09Not only that, they also had a dog that Michael loved.
04:12The condition seemed ideal and the couple assured John that all their children, regardless of
04:16being biological or adopted, were treated equally and loved as their own.
04:20They even made a promise that Michael would be their last adopted child.
04:24However, John discovered that one of the children in that family was very rude and even the youngest
04:29child, a five-year-old, seemed hostile towards Michael.
04:33Thus, John declined the offer from this family.
04:36John was not satisfied with the three families in a row.
04:39He went to the adoption agency to see if he could hand over Michael to his mother.
04:43The staff said that someone who had previously abandoned a child was likely to abandon them again,
04:48so they couldn't take that risk.
04:50The staff reminded him that time was running out and he needed to make a decision soon.
04:55John fell into silence after hearing this.
04:57He wasn't actually a picky person, but he couldn't help but want to give the best to his son.
05:02Soon, they arrived at the fourth family.
05:04This family was a bit special as it consisted of only a single woman.
05:08It turned out that she had accidentally gotten pregnant when she was young and had put the
05:13child up for adoption based on her parents' advice.
05:15She had regretted that decision ever since, especially when the doctor told her that she
05:20could no longer conceive a baby again.
05:23Therefore, she wanted to adopt a child, but her husband didn't want to adopt, so they had
05:27divorced.
05:28During their conversation, John could clearly feel that the woman genuinely liked children.
05:33She would crouch down and talk to Michael and ask about his daily life.
05:37However, John knew how difficult it was for a single parent to care for a child.
05:41He still wanted to find a complete family for Michael.
05:44Just then, Michael asked the woman if she would also die.
05:47All of the adults in the room froze and John felt a mix of emotions.
05:51He felt that Michael didn't understand anything, yet he also felt like Michael already knew
05:55everything.
05:56On the way home, John saw a child walking to school alone.
06:00As he watched, he felt like he was seeing Michael in the future.
06:03This strengthened his determination to find the best family for Michael before he died.
06:08Not long after, they arrived at the fifth family.
06:10This couple was very wealthy and seemed friendly.
06:13As soon as they entered the house, the man gave Michael a stuffed bunny doll.
06:17They then showed them around the house.
06:19During their conversation, John learned that the couple was capable of conceiving children
06:24but didn't want it to affect their quality of life, so they decided to adopt a child as
06:28a new experience in their lives.
06:30When John heard this reason, he felt uneasy.
06:33As they were leaving, the woman gave her husband a look and he went to retrieve the bunny doll.
06:37In that moment, John knew that he could not leave Michael with his family.
06:41If they couldn't even share a toy, how could they provide a better life for his son?
06:45On the way home, Michael suddenly asked John,
06:48What's adopt daddy?
06:49John was stunned.
06:50He explained,
06:51Adopt is when a child cannot be looked after by his mommy and daddy so he can go and live
06:56with two nice new parents.
06:58After hearing this, little Michael firmly said,
07:00I don't want new parents.
07:01He then let go of John's hand and walked along a straight line.
07:04In that moment, John felt like he was seeing Michael walking alone on the tightrope of life
07:09after he was gone.
07:11When they returned home, John started walking in a straight line on the road just like Michael did,
07:16but after a few steps, his body couldn't hold up anymore.
07:19The torment of his illness had caused him to lose his basic balance.
07:23John knew he was reaching his limit.
07:25He started to vomit frequently and his hands trembled uncontrollably when pouring drinks.
07:30He was afraid that his illness would affect Michael,
07:32so he forbade him from using the same utensils.
07:35Michael noticed all of these changes as if he didn't want his father to leave.
07:40Michael began to rebel.
07:41He refused to wear new pajamas and didn't want to hear stories about death.
07:45John grounded him in his room and in protest,
07:48Michael threw all of his new belongings out.
07:50Seeing this, John couldn't help but smile.
07:53Instead of enduring everything silently,
07:54at least Michael knew how to express his emotions.
07:57In the following days,
07:58John began to prepare for his own passing.
08:01He made a trip to the cemetery to secure his new home,
08:04sold his car,
08:05and sorted out his work.
08:06Then he took Michael to an amusement park.
08:09They played bumper cars and ate cotton candy,
08:12experiencing all the activities they had always wanted to try but never had.
08:16At night, he read a picture book about death to Michael.
08:19Finally, he decided to teach Michael how to accept his death.
08:22Like the beetle left its body,
08:24one day soon your daddy will leave his body.
08:26But I will always be around you in the air and in the sunshine that warms you.
08:30You won't see me, but you can talk to me.
08:32You can feel me in your heart.
08:33Under John's explanation, Michael finally understood the meaning of death.
08:37The body disappeared, but love remained in the heart.
08:40After Michael fell asleep that night,
08:42John started making a memory box.
08:44He wrote 15 letters and Michael would receive one on his birthday every year.
08:48He placed his belongings and the only photo of Michael's mother in the box.
08:52From that point on, these items and letters would be the connection between him and Michael.
08:57The streets were cold and quiet.
08:59In the early morning, John and Michael took the bus to the adoptive family's home.
09:04John had Michael press the doorbell.
09:06When the door opened, it was the single woman who came out.
09:09She greeted John first, then slowly crouched down to meet Michael's eyes.
09:13So lovely to see you again, she said.
09:15Michael didn't respond, but instead turned and looked at his father.
09:19At that moment, his father was also looking at him with a smile.
09:22Finally, the big hand held the small hand and the film ends.