“If you lose your purpose it’s like you’re broken.” ~ from the film Hugo
I finally saw Hugo and from the opening shot, I was completely enchanted by the characters, their stories, and the world that Martin Scorsese masterfully created. The line above was the one in the film that snapped me out of my enchanted state and back into reality. Hugo at work in the clock tower wasn’t so much a sentimental endeavor as it was a desire to be useful, to have purpose, and to tinker and learn in the hopes of capturing a message from his father.
All the characters, in their own way, wanted to have a purpose that made them feel alive and valued. It’s what we all want. And the movie holds up a few examples of those who lost their way on the purposeful path and a few counter-examples of those who were resolved in the necessity of a purpose-driven life. That purpose was their most valuable possession.
In this regard, we would do well to let life imitate art. The only work we have to do each day is make it matter.
Christa Avampato 