What does it really take to change your life: hard work, luck, or refusing to give up when everything seems to be going wrong? In this Watch & Talk, we’ll watch selected scenes from The Pursuit of Happyness, the beloved and deeply inspiring film based on the true story of Chris Gardner, a struggling salesman who experienced homelessness while trying to build a better future for himself and his young son. It’s a story that has become a modern cultural touchstone for perseverance — but we’ll also ask some harder questions. When someone succeeds against extraordinary odds, how much credit belongs to determination, and how much to opportunity, timing and luck?

The session will be hosted by ICEX, a filmmaker and award-winning sound designer, who’ll help us look at both the ideas behind the story and how the film makes us feel them. We’ll explore some of its funniest, most painful and most uplifting moments while discussing ambition, resilience, inequality, fatherhood and the famous idea of “never giving up.” Is persistence always a virtue? Why do some people keep going when others understandably stop? And do inspirational success stories sometimes make us underestimate the role that circumstances play in our lives? You don’t need to know the film or anything about filmmaking — just come ready to watch, think, laugh, debate and explore what it really means to keep going when life keeps saying no.

Let's sit back with good friends in comfy chairs, watch scenes from a film that's been cemented into pop culture, inspired millions, and made a lot of people cry for good reasons. Will you cry? Maybe. Will we have an awesome discussion? For sure!

真正改变人生，需要的到底是什么：努力、运气，还是在一切都不顺的时候，依然拒绝放弃？

在这场观影与讨论中，我们会观看《当幸福来敲门》的精选片段。这部深受喜爱、也非常鼓舞人心的电影，改编自 Chris Gardner 的真实故事。他曾是一位处境艰难的销售员，在经历无家可归的同时，努力为自己和年幼的儿子创造更好的未来。这个故事已经成为现代文化中关于坚持的一个重要符号。但我们也会问一些更难的问题：当一个人在极其困难的条件下成功时，多少功劳属于决心？又有多少来自机会、时机和运气？

本场活动将由 ICEX 主持。他是电影人，也是获奖声音设计师，会带大家同时关注故事背后的观点，以及电影是如何让我们感受到这些观点的。我们会探索片中一些好笑、痛苦又振奋人心的时刻，同时讨论野心、韧性、不平等、父亲身份，以及那句著名的“永不放弃”。坚持总是一种美德吗？为什么有些人在别人完全可以理解地停下来时，还能继续往前走？励志成功故事会不会有时候让我们低估环境在人生中扮演的角色？你不需要提前看过这部电影，也不需要懂电影制作。只要准备好观看、思考、大笑、辩论，并一起探索：当生活不断对你说“不”时，继续走下去到底意味着什么。

和朋友一起舒服地坐下来，看一部已经深深进入流行文化、激励过很多人、也让很多人因为很正当的理由流泪的电影片段。你会哭吗？可能会。我们会有一场很棒的讨论吗？那当然。