A Hologram for the King... and flash news for yourself

 So what happen when we get to a point in life where we turn around and we ask ourselves: How did i get here? or now what? or what i'm doing now?. All these where subjects usually brought up in the so called mid life crisis, when people get to certain age just to make a stop in life an wonder what they've been up to, or something happens that shakes their world, forcing them to open their eyes. But now all these things are no longer part of a mid point in life but come to the page at any moment and sometimes in several occasions but one. Expectations and competition had grown so it's harder to achieve our goals and changes are constantly a matter of time and re inventing ourselves is no longer an option but a necessity. But how can we deal we this and how do we face the fact that we are able to lose ourselves in order to survive or serve a bigger picture, one that is no longer includes us. There's no book anymore to tell us what to do or how to get things done as every case is different and circumstances might seem too different to just follow the book, but if we look closer even that could be a language barrier or a cultural difference, at the essence we are all the same and we suffer from the same pain and concerns, just they are delivered in different package.

From the pages of the popular and beloved novel, comes the motion picture adaptation "A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING"(2016), the story of a struggling businessman trying to ditch a millionaire deal for class A technology to the king of Arabia Saudita when trying to build  new city that promises to be the future for a country that lives far from the recession and scared economic of North America. But there's more going on for this middle aged guy than just closing a deal but to move on from his failures marriage and his ex wife high expectations while trying to be a good father and provide to his daughter with the proper college education. No wonder why all this stress has develop into a big bump in his back that might look like a small hump or a sign of cancer. Unfortunately he'll learn that his health is better than never but just need to remove the bump to avoid any future consequences, which means take away all chance of making more excuses for his lack of energy, creative and sexual stamina. But what happen when you have no one to blame for all your failures anymore? Is it time to be back on track and bring back all those qualities that we loved and admire from ourselves long time ago, and those that got us where are we now?

When Clay, our peculiar guy takes us in his journey around the world to a new and misunderstood middle eastern culture, we can't but relate to all his struggle to adapt to an unknown place that doesn't even speak the same language not to say can't accept women as equal forcing them to hide behind clothes and stay away from interaction with any male. So when his team suffer from the lack of attention from his new host and pressure from his boss starts to get on fire, anxiety and stress arise taking him to even have an attack. All this will lead him to a beautiful doctor in whom he would find some piece of advise and confort. Also will meet and get a long with a driver that will try to be friendly with the foreigner bringing him with his friends and showing him more of their culture and new places that will open his mind. When we lose ourselves the only way back is to step out of our bubble and be able to see things in perspective, right?, but how do we get out of that bubble if sometimes we can't even realize that we are trapped in it until might be too late or even when we realize it is hard to find a way out as things keep pushing us back.

We were raised to behave and be someone that others expect. There are social rules that dictate what a ma or women should be but how about our own needs and ideals and how can we find happiness when trying to satisfy other expectations. Our children or family become our priority and motivation. They expect something from us other than the basics but a certain role that will provide them with proud and love. Because of this we tend to forget what we need to provide others with what they expect. Like a cycle we need to receive in order to give, otherwise we'll become a machine of giving drained by so many factors that will blind us till is too late to handle and end with us. Feel loved, finding a connection, enjoying moments that make us laugh, cry, be surprised, all are part of a need to feel alive, so even sometimes we blame a specific factor, a real one, the background is hiding on all this check list that we are supposed to full fill in order to achieve but sometimes they are only signs that we are in the wrong path and a change or a u turn is needed and destiny always will play a factor getting on us close to new opportunities but is only on us if we take them or we let them go.

Knowing ourselves is key to realize our strong and weakness. This will let us re discover our true soul and be back on the game, but a journey that will take us out of the comfort zone and challenge us in a way that we can push us out what is making us miserable won't hurt. Sometimes the clash of cultures will help to open our eyes and see things in a different perspective, specially when we can look closer and realize than even in this crazy place they suffer from the same problems as anyone back home: love, career, success, family, respect, friendship, money, future, is all the same around the world, cause at the end we are still all humans but living under different scenarios but deep down sharing the same body and mind, so our basic need, and social structures are the same just wearing a different costume. Performed by the awarded actor Tom Hanks under the hands of German director Tom Tykwer, know better for his style in previous unique stories of people in search of themselves or a major motive, this adaptation of the book success in bringing to the screen a story that feels familiar and anyone can relate to even it's happening at the other side of the world, but also lacks the heart to involve us in the suffer and love that is supposedly happening but filling it with cliche scenes and moments just to please the audience and make it accesible instead of keeping close to a risky proposal, so at the end it's failure happens to be the same one his own and main characters suffers from making it hard to criticize or judge as a whole or personal. Experience it for yourself while you can.