And when you least expect it, nature has cunning ways of finding our weakest spot.
Okay, so this is an accidental nine-part story about growing up and losing innocence.
It all begins one year ago, when I was reading my favorite newsletter, The Published Press, and I read a short article about this startup called Thatch.
Not this thatch, that thatch.
A free app that allows creators to monetize their recommendations and finally get a cut of the billions of dollars in travel-related spending they drive each year.
And I wanted to be a part of that.
So I reached out and met Abby and West, two of the nicest people I've ever spoken to.
And they kindly invited me to be a part of their creator advisory board, alongside people like Nathaniel Drew and Matt from Yes Theory.
And so, over the past few months, I've had the incredible opportunity to help develop the app, share my ideas and now have a project sponsored by them.
A few weeks ago they launched their Explore page and asked if I wanted to fly over to Italy to test it out.
But I thought it'd be much more fun to go with someone else.
So I decided to invite Luke Corns, someone I've looked up to for a long time now, to go on a seven day road trip around Italy in a camper van.
What was the worst thing that could happen?
Not get along and be stuck together in a small space for one week.
It could be worse, right?
Oh, to see without my eyes the first time that you kissed me, boundless by the time i cried.
Cinema is about human beings, and so when you do a movie, you are dealing with the extremities of the human behavior.
You have to find a way to represent through your story something that becomes universal.
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We all grow up with a certain perspective on the world and a set of ideas about the things that exist within it.
And as you grow up and meet new people, travel to new places and have different conversations, some of those perspectives start to change.
And every now and then, if you're lucky enough, you meet someone who fundamentally changes the way you think or approach certain parts of your life.
I'm more terrified of that initial body shock.
Why am I so nervous?
We just do it, ready?
Three, two, one.
It's absolutely devastatingly cold.
That was refreshing.
Worth it?
Definitely worth it.
I feel better.
We are one day in so far.
It actually seems like a long time ago that we met, doesn't it?
So I'm having a pretty horrendous allergy attack.
The flowers are blooming or something.
So I'm gonna try to take a shower in here.
It works.
We were invited to an italian party tonight because we made some friends at the bar last night.
The plan is to go to that party and see what happens and maybe, just maybe, what.
I thought you were kidding the backflip.
I thought you were kidding.
Have you ever heard the word wanderlust?
Because i asked you think it's gonna go late?
Oh yes yes, i think it will go until later, i don't know exactly.
Around nine o'clock there's a party.
The local party could be a long night, could be a really fun night, but it was like that's.
That's what i was saying.
Go up, I'm Dustin.
Yeah, I'm broken.
I'm really broken.
Oh my gosh.
I've gone through a lot.
I look tan.
Today was a weird day.
Last night was a weird night.
There's nothing to say.
It's just like, look, this is not part of any story.
Just look.
Look, that's it.
There's nothing profound.
Sometimes there's nothing deeper than the moment itself.
But the moment itself, in the historical context of the perspective, is overwhelmingly complex in a facet of each subset within the algorithm of reality.
Do you ever see Napoleon Dynamite?
No.
And I was like, on the morning run.
I think it's just watching old people in Europe and they seem so content with their life.
Just like walking around, it's so simple.
I was like, I could have that and I would be fine.
I can give up all of my desire to want more and to settle into a small european city and walk around in the park in the morning and drink a coffee and that's enough, but i still feel that like stubborn, like the american dream vibes yeah, like it's still on us.
I think there is like less of that here.
Everything is very like family oriented, just like little things, the little pleasures good food, good people, good wine, Simple life.
It's like the now is good.
But I think America, I think what capitalism does is it sells you a dream of some like future right.
Which allows you to justify suffering now in pursuit of, Because at 60, you can retire and life will be good.
But like most people die, the average lifespan is like 65 or whatever, 68.
Right, and they die before they can even enjoy it.
But here it's like enjoying now, enjoying your whole life.
I think that's what, maybe why i feel like really at peace here, because it makes more sense.
You can really feel it here okay, ashley bartner.
Living in lay march italy, since 2007, she lives on a farm.
Ooh,
Is this her?
Yeah.
She has a lot of guides.
Okay.
So this girl, we found her on Thatch.
She supposedly lives on a farm.
So we're going to message her and ask if we can stay at her farm.
She has all these guides.
She knows what's going on.
She has a wine tour.
Wine tour.
Am I against that?
No.
Whoa, cashmere road trip?
Cashmere road trip.
Oh, yo.
Hey Ashley, thanks for calling.
So the concept is we started in the mountains and we're trying to film the mountain life.
And next on the agenda is to film the countryside and kind of get an understanding of what life is like there.
I sent you a name of a guy in our little town, Puyolco Roberto, and they have a fantastic farm.
Bye ciao ciao.
Thank you so much.
Wow, she pulled through.
Wow, i like how i literally just woke up.
Well, i'll show you our place real quick, send them a message and then we'll head up over there too.
How long have you guys been here?
15 years, we were 25, 26 and thought what the hell, let's do something different and come out here.
That was really cool.
Very cool.
Farm.
This is a farm.
Smell it.
Oh my God.
This is a farm.
I think we've arrived at the farm.
Oh my gosh.
This is Roberto.
Incredible.
I was like, if you want to see the countryside, you'll see a whole view from up here.
Fantastic.
This has been in her family from her father since 60 to 63.
He stopped to talk truffles.
I said I was just doing it.
All right, come on over.
I guess I was just curious about like passing it down to the next generation like, is it like a fear that no one will live here and continue on the farm?
So they said we hope that our son continues the activity that we started, but who knows?
Yeah, yeah.
You can kind of see it was a heavy question.
Heavy, yeah, yeah.
Oh, look.
Yole.
Yole.
Oh, Yole is her name.
Is she new?
Hey baby!
Hey!
Are you shy?
Hi baby.
La squalina.
La squalina.
No lo so.
No lo so.
It's scary, I don't like what's in there.
Whoa.
Oh my God.
Whoa.
Isn't that cool?
What?
But just a true small scale farm using everything to its whole extent.
You know yeah wow compliment yes amazing, very cool.
It's been a long, long time since i've memorized Tomorrow.
Ciao, good night.
Is there the whole place for ourselves?
And when you play guitar, I listen to the strings buzz The metal vibrates underneath your fingers And when you crochet, I feel mesmerized and proud And I would say I love you, but saying it out loud is hard You as my brother, although that sounds dumb And words are futile devices Good, good, good.
It's so scary.
Oh my god.
I don't even know what to say.
It was just like a lot.
Woo!
How do you feel?
I feel good.
Yeah?
It was a lot.
And especially because everyone was like... Everyone was like pointing and stirring.
It was so embarrassing.
What a day.
What a day.
What an adventure, oh my god.
Hasn't even been a week.
No.
Alright, let me just...
Okay.
Cool.
Alright.
Buenas noches.
As I reflect back upon this week with Luke, it feels special to think about how close we got in just seven days.
From watching each other in a distance to opening up and sharing beautiful moments together with strangers in the most random places in Italy.
But honestly, throughout the trip, we kept on asking ourselves, what's the narrative here?
What story are we trying to tell?
What messages are we trying to convey?
And honestly, we left the church feeling like we never had that figured out.
And maybe that's okay.
And part of me learning to accept that was thinking back and seeing the parallels between our experience and the film.
Call Me By Your Name.
When you watch this film, you become fully immersed in these intimate scenes that make up their life.
In some ways you're forced to surrender to the present moment.
In many ways it's esoteric and it requires patience, but if you sit through it it blossoms and unfolds in this really beautiful and rewarding way.
And I think now I view that as maybe more of a metaphor for life.
Does there always have to be a clear narrative?
You know, does there need to be an easy to follow plot?
And do you need to know where you're headed and why you're headed there at all times?
I don't think so.
But I think we all feel pressured to in some degree.
I think I run around life trying to rationalize everything.
But you know now, after reflecting, I wonder if that takes away from me being able to actually live and enjoy it.
So I guess, instead of voicing over my final interpretation, I leave it up to you to prescribe the meaning you want this video to have.
And I encourage you to revisit it and to rewatch it and to find the hidden narratives that are sprinkled throughout.
Project was made possible by thatch and if you want to see the behind the scenes of this video and all the places we stopped at along our trip, we made a guide with all that.
So if you want to replicate exactly what we did or visit roberto on his farm, it'll be available for purchase with the link in my description.
