Running on Empty (1988)

Personal Movie Rating: 68%

Here is my thought on the movie "Running on Empty" (1998):

*WARNING: POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT*

Love Requires Sacrifice

The movie "Running on Empty" is about the story of a hippie couple on the run from FBI, and how their elder son starts to break out of this fugitive lifestyle. Annie (Christine Lahti) and Arthur Pope (Judd Hirsch) were responsible for the anti-war protest bombing of a chemical laboratory when they were young. A janitor who wasn't supposed to be there was accidentally blinded and paralyzed. The Popes and their two-years-old son, Danny (River Phoenix), were on the run ever since. The families had been relocating and assuming new identities for the past 15 years. Danny, who was already 18 years old, caught the attention of his music teacher, Mr. Phillips (Ed Crowley), due to his overwhelming talent as a pianist. Mr. Phillips pushed Danny to audition for the Juilliard School, which was one of the world's leading music schools. However, Mr. Phillips started to dig into Danny's personal life, as Danny wasn't able to provide records from his previous schools. Mr. Phillips then talked to Annie, hoping that she could provide some explanations on Danny's missing school records. Mr. Phillips also told Annie about Danny's audition for Juilliard.

Annie was surprised to find out that Danny auditioned for Juilliard, as the family were constantly on the run, and it would be wiser for them to keep a low profile. She was in a dilemma between two choices: (1) Let Danny go and find his "own" way; or (2) relocate and assume new identities elsewhere. After some consideration, Annie decided to opt for the first choice, which was to let Danny pursue his own dreams. She risked her safety to contact her estranged father in order to arrange a home and life for Danny if Annie and Arthur should decide to leave him behind. She even considered to turn herself in, so that Danny wouldn't have to continue living a dangerous life on the run for which he bore no responsibility. Annie loved her son so much that she would rather sacrifice her own freedom in order for her son to purse his own dreams. The same can be said for Arthur. When he first heard of Danny's audition and Annie's meeting with her father, he was enraged and decided to bring his family and relocate elsewhere. However, in the end, Arthur realized that it was better for Danny to stay and pursue his own dreams as he wasn't responsible for what Annie and Arthur did in the past. This showed that both Annie and Arthur loved Danny so much that they were willing to sacrificed for their son's future.

Sacrificing one's own happiness for the happiness of a loved one, is by far, the truest type of love. Annie and Arthur did what they need to do because they truly loved Danny. They wanted their son to live a better life, even if it required them to make some sacrifice. Love requires sacrifice, but it's definitely worth it.