By Andrew Deng

“The sweet is never as sweet without the sour”
Out of 99 problems, the human brain is one of those things without 1 clear answer, and no film uses that theme better than Cameron Crowe’s Vanilla Sky. The film tackles messages of reality, happiness, and loss with the brilliant Crowe cinematography that beautifully contrasts dark and light, and calmness and intensity. The film manages to get you to connect with the rich kid tropes by putting you in the shoes of David Aames, a rich New York business owner who has all he could want in life. But after toying with the emotions of his “friend with benefits” one too many times, loses his looks, and sinks into depression. Once things turn up for him, reality itself is questioned.
Tom Cruise’s emotional performance and Penelope Cruz’s aura take you for an emotional rollercoaster, as they portray “That one night where true love seemed possible” with heart.
The ending perfectly portrays the feeling of facing demons, accepting the truth, and pursuing dreams, and will either have you in tears or have you motivated to make a difference. To top it all off “Njosnavelin” by Sigur Ros puts the infinite feeling of life into an ambient song for the finale.
I hope you’ll let this movie open your eyes, expand your emotions, and take you back to a night where true love seemed possible.